Dinner parties can be stressful…let’s face it you want to impress everyone. You want all your guests to enthuse about your food, the service and the overall night! Many people have sleepless nights on the build up to a dinner party, waking in the early hours, wondering if they have chosen the right menu, bought all the relevant ingredients, checked their guests likes, dislikes, allergies, food intolerances…phew the list is endless!
It is typical that you could get a vegetarian in the mix, as well as someone who doesn’t eat fish. On top of that many people only eat white meat, so there are many considerations to take into account, for the starter as well as the main course.
If you are really trying to impress your dinner guests then perhaps you should be thinking of hiring an expert chef who can cook for your entire evening, taking all the stresses out for you, the host and ensuring you enjoy your evening as much as everyone else.
So what to look for when using caterers for a dinner party?
Well to start with, recommendation is always great. Ask around and see who has used who, what they used them for and what they thought of the service. See what sort of events they have already catered for, whether it is just for large events with many guests or perhaps just small parties with only few guests. Fine dining is a totally different type of cooking to large event catering and you need to ensure that your caterers have plenty of experience with what you are looking for.
You can always look at testimonials as well. Not just on the website, but also through Google+, Facebook as well as directories such as Yelp, Free Index, Trip Advisor etc.
The next step would be to talk to them. Find out their ethos, what the company policies are and whether you actually like them – this is important as they could be spending a bit of time in your very own kitchen! Find out how rigid they are with their menu choices and what ideas they give you to accommodate what you are looking for.
It is also a good idea to find out what service they will offer, whether it is just supplying the food, or if they want to stay and serve it. Also take note of who is going to clear up! We do by the way :o)
Using caterers for a dinner party is an excellent way of taking the strain out of what could be a stressful evening – especially if you aren’t that good a cook. Imagine inviting executives from your company, new friends, or even worse the in-laws and your extended family! Then you suddenly realise that you really do need to impress them and you want the evening to go as smoothly and impressively as possible!
Give us a call to chat…