Catering Articles & Tips
Corporate Catering - What to look out for
If you are in charge of planning a event, be it small or huge, you most likely need to get a
caterer to provide your guests or your staff with food and refreshments. And usually the dining is the main highlight of your event. But when it comes to proper catering, there are a lot of considerations that have to be made.
1.
Dietary Requirements like vegetarians, diabetics and those with religious dietary constraints. These factors are pretty important because they can affect your entire plans, especially with the type of food you cater. There are some people who won't eat certain types of food especially in multi-ethnic Singapore, so it is better to know who your guests are and figure out alternative food choices. And don't forget the deserts and drinks as well.
2. What type of
event are you hosting? This will tell you what type of menu and theme you will have to go for. Remember, your job now is to impress your guests, so choose something suitable for the occasion and try to make it unique. However, there may be certain types of food which your guests expects and I am sure they will be disappointed if they don't find it.
3. What kind of
budget are we looking at? Yes, money, probably the biggest constraint you will have. But luckily, in Singapore, we do have quite a variety of quality catering services here and their prices are reasonable enough if you are willing to take the effort to source for them.
4.
Number of guests you are planning for. Both with the budget and the number of guests you have, you can estimate the
amount of
food and
refreshments you need. One important thing you need to know is that sometimes the caterers themselves estimate the amount of food your guest will consume too, so you may end up with less food. Depending on what type of event you are hosting, you should never try to skimp on the food.
5. Accessories. Does your caterer provide accessories (like napkins, decorations and so on)? If they don't, you need to provide it yourself. It would look bad for you if you never thought of these small but important things - What? no napkins!?.
6.
Servers and
Waiters. Is it a self-serve buffet style? How
big will your event be? If it is a big event, Will you need servers or waiters? You have to note that self-serve buffet style would very likely require more food because your guest can easily go back for seconds, unlike the served style where your guests eat what they are served. So your savings on having less waiting staff may be minimal. And With served meals, you get to control the amount of food that will be consumed, with self-served buffets, you don't.
7. Location. In most offices in
Singapore, there is the usual problem of
space constraints. Where are you going to have your food served? Remember, you need to have enough space for all your guests to sit, or if it a buffet style, the buffet table area must be big enough to accomodate the crowd when it comes. You definitely don't want accidents to happen at the buffet area. And what about siting arrangements for your guests?
8. Time. When the food should arrive? You must also take into consideration the time for the caterer to prepare the meals, setup the tables and so on. But you want the food to be fresh too. So you may need to tell your caterer when to arrive and ask them how long they will take to set everything up.
A good
caterer can cost quite a sum, but the competition in Singapore is great, and there are ways to negotiate with a reputable catering company especially if you are hosting a big event. I wish you good luck.
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