Finding a good caterer is a very important part of any large scale gathering. Wedding ceremony, corporate event or just a family gathering are just some instances where the services of professional caterers will be required. Unfortunately, there is no standardized grading system for caterers. What this means is that anybody start his/her catering business. You therefore need to be very careful when looking for a caterer for your upcoming event. In an attempt to find the best caterer Los Angeles dwellers should always adhere to the below discussed guidelines.
If there is one overriding thumb of rule when it comes to choosing a caterer it has to be word of mouth. Ask your friends, colleagues and relatives if they have contacts to great caterers around. You can as well ask for referrals from popular event venues, culinary schools or even event planners. In fact most venues nowadays have a list of partner caterers.
Before you decide on the provider to hire, you should ask for quotation from a number of them. More often, asking to see the least price is usually the first step in hiring caterers while it should actually be the last. Just like most products and services, you will get what you have paid for. If a particular provider is lowering is rates, you can be rest assured that he/she is going to drop the quality as well.
Catering companies are always subject to licensing and regulation from their respective local health department. As such, by contacting your local health department, you will find a lot of useful information about the provider you intend to hire. If the company you want to hire has had violations or complaints in the past, it would be better to look elsewhere for your catering provider.
Before you settle on any catering service provider, it would also be good to ask him/her for private tasting session. This will help you determine whether his/her food tastes as you envision it. Remember, if it is a function like wedding, you would want the taste of the food to reflect your taste.
You will also need to determine your level of involvement in the event. Most caterers these days provide full range of services ranging from tables, chairs, floral and even decor. On the other hand, some caterers will only provide the meals. It is therefore very important to know exactly what you are paying for.
Once you identify the best caterer for your event and agree upon a price, the next step is to sign contract with them. This is a very important process that should not be taken lightly. You need to carefully go through the contract and ensure that you fully understand its contents before putting your signature on it.
With the above tips in mind, finding a good catering provider should not be such a big problem. It would also be important to start the search for caterers early enough. This is especially important if your function is scheduled for one of the busy seasons like December.
If there is one overriding thumb of rule when it comes to choosing a caterer it has to be word of mouth. Ask your friends, colleagues and relatives if they have contacts to great caterers around. You can as well ask for referrals from popular event venues, culinary schools or even event planners. In fact most venues nowadays have a list of partner caterers.
Before you decide on the provider to hire, you should ask for quotation from a number of them. More often, asking to see the least price is usually the first step in hiring caterers while it should actually be the last. Just like most products and services, you will get what you have paid for. If a particular provider is lowering is rates, you can be rest assured that he/she is going to drop the quality as well.
Catering companies are always subject to licensing and regulation from their respective local health department. As such, by contacting your local health department, you will find a lot of useful information about the provider you intend to hire. If the company you want to hire has had violations or complaints in the past, it would be better to look elsewhere for your catering provider.
Before you settle on any catering service provider, it would also be good to ask him/her for private tasting session. This will help you determine whether his/her food tastes as you envision it. Remember, if it is a function like wedding, you would want the taste of the food to reflect your taste.
You will also need to determine your level of involvement in the event. Most caterers these days provide full range of services ranging from tables, chairs, floral and even decor. On the other hand, some caterers will only provide the meals. It is therefore very important to know exactly what you are paying for.
Once you identify the best caterer for your event and agree upon a price, the next step is to sign contract with them. This is a very important process that should not be taken lightly. You need to carefully go through the contract and ensure that you fully understand its contents before putting your signature on it.
With the above tips in mind, finding a good catering provider should not be such a big problem. It would also be important to start the search for caterers early enough. This is especially important if your function is scheduled for one of the busy seasons like December.
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