6 Important Things to Plan Catering Budget for your Event

1. 6 Important Things to Plan Catering Budget for your Event Ever wondered if the events are about, well an event, why is the hue and cry about food and beverages? Since the time immemorial, people have been the social beings who loved to communicate about the things they know, interested about and cared for. Hospitality has always played a major role in bringing people together and allowing them to spend some quality time, which they eventually used to connect and network. That still holds true. Therefore, this blog highlights the things that can help you with your catering budgets so that your event doesn’t feel burdensome. Importance of Food and Beverages Keeping food and beverages as afterthought or just putting together something with the lowest bill amount thus won’t do any business any good. Because food is not just an event must-do but

2. a foundation over which the idea of organizing an event is actually build. People bond over food; even complete strangers come together over a buffet. Therefore, if you are feeling over cautious about catering charges during an even organizing/planning, knowing that an event’s success depends on its food and beverage can help you feel better. Then, there are some ideas as well, that can help you with the menu selection and display to make your event even more striking. Ideas to be implemented: •Being creative with the presentations of the same-old yet-favorite recipes can be refreshing. •Combine them with great beverages like cocktails or mock tails served in attractive cocktail glasses and your event is made to brag about. •Let the guests involved with the food through customization in food items like salads, pastas, sandwiches, etc. •Specialty stations can also light up your event, which are low cost in addition to being fun. •Creative toppings can also jazz up some seemingly ‘low-cost’ food recipes. •Nothing engages people like a recipe-in-making, i.e. demonstration. The ideas told above are just few of them. Talking to your caterers as they can give you better insights on the kind of food and beverage that would go best with the event you have on mind. More Places You Can Lower your Catering Bills Consider buying your own liquor, as bulk buying can save you a lot. You can ask the caterers to bring in specific wine or beer glasses depending on what you intend to serve. Bartending can cost you dearly. Instead, you can hire someone to pour a drink or two to guests if you haven’t planned on serving special cocktails, which needs professional mixing skill. Don’t forget to negotiate on prices as off-seasons can fetch you better deals. Moreover, the devil is always in the details. So, make sure you meet the devil head-on. The menu can make or break your deal and you need to see what the caterer can offer at his best. You will also have some reference point while shopping around. As highlighted earlier (in passing!) that buffet can save you few more precious bucks chosen over a plated serving. The simple reason behind this is the difference in the amount of food consumed by every individual. Another plus of this point is less food wastage.

3. On the Checklist to be Shared with the Caterers While everything is working out as you thought and discussed with the caterer, make sure he is on the same page as you are. The following things must be checked beforehand. Venue visiting Even though the caterer has been at that place for quite many times, ensure that he is there before your event scheduled. As every event’s requirement can be different, positioning of food stalls, seating arrangement, decorations, etc all can affect how the caterer is going to organize his things. Detailed list of services on the part of caterer Your expectation should match the delivery of the caterer and that means letting him know exactly what you want from him in your event. That included menu items, tasks you want him to take care of, event floor plan, and breakdown of the event. A copy of it should be available with both to avoid any confusion later. Special dietary needs (if any) You might have special guests of whom you want to show special care. This necessitates sharing such special needs like food allergies or dietary needs with your caterers early so that they can factor in and account that to their costs as well. Believe it or not all these things would directly or indirectly decide your overall catering budget. So you better pay attention before you regret later.