Catering - Myths That Should Be Dispelled

If you're planning an event where you need to provide food for your guests, hiring catering services can be one of the wisest decisions you ever make. Certainly, the job of providing dinner for more than a few people can be a job overwhelming for one person in the kitchen. To try is to make planning this event an affair you dread, rather than look forward to. Unfortunately, there are quite a few myths surrounding caterers and hiring them for an event of this nature. If you believe in these myths, they could prevent you from making the best decision. Here are some that should be dispelled.

Food makes up the overwhelming majority of the bill.
Don't forget that there are a lot of components that go into catering that have little to nothing to do with food. If you're looking at a small plate of food and wondering why the bill was so pricey, you're probably missing the point. Some companies will provide the customer with an itemized bill, but others will leave it to a guessing game. It isn't much of a mystery, though. Labor is going to be a large part of the bill; you have to pay quite a few people to prepare, transport, serve, and clean up. If the company is providing you with alcohol and bartending service, that's going to add quite a bit to the bill as well.

The chicken is to be avoided.
Perhaps because of some bad catering companies, people get the idea that you can't expect great chicken at an event that has been catered. This is far from the case; there are companies out there that have built their entire reputation based almost solely on the quality of their served chicken. Look for companies that take pride on preparing fresh ingredients and you won't run into this problem. Obviously, any company that is cooking from frozen is going to run the risk of serving rubbery chicken. Their other dishes may not be much better. But if you find a company that has a reputation for succulent food, there's little reason their chicken should be an exception.

Preparation should be finished within an hour.
It's only natural to get a little impatient when planning an event. You have everything ready to go, so why is the catering company taking so long to get things set up? Well, it takes time to prepare a hall for a lot of dinner guests. You need to exercise patience in this instance. If the venue hasn't been set up, it will fall on the company to make sure it gets done. There is also the matter of setting out plates and silverware. Look for a company that will do a thorough job, rather than one that promises fast food service.