Questions to Ask a Caterer
Most people booking catering ask about the food and the price, get reasonable answers to both, and are surprised on the day by something neither question covered. The useful questions are about logistics, and they are the ones caterers rarely volunteer.
Take this list to anyone you are considering. Take it to us too. Our answers are underneath each one, so you can see what a straight answer looks like.
About timing
How long before service does the cooking finish? The single most revealing question on this list and almost nobody asks it. The answer tells you how long the food will have been sitting before anyone eats it.
Ours: it does not finish. We cook throughout service, on site.
What happens if my event runs forty minutes late? Every event runs late. Ask what it costs, in food quality and in money.
Ours: nothing, and nothing. Tell us and we move.
How long will service take, start to finish? Watch for an answer given as a rate per hour when what you need is a time for your event.
Ours: Our lines go just as fast as any normal buffet, and the buffet stays open afterward for seconds. When you send an inquiry, we'll give you an estimate of how long it will take to serve your guests.
About the venue
What exactly does my venue have to provide? Ask for it as a list, in writing. Power, water, kitchen access, a prep room, tables, ice, bins. This is where late problems come from.
Ours: tables, and firm ground to park on. Nothing else for a one-day event.
Have you worked at this venue before, and if not, will you look at it? A caterer who has never seen a site and does not want to is telling you something.
What time do you arrive, and when are you gone? Venues charge by the hour and some have hard curfews.
About the number
Is travel included, or added later? Ask whether there is a distance at which it changes.
Ours: included, at any distance we agree to work.
Are staff included, or is there a service charge? A percentage added at the end can move a quote a long way.
Ours: included. No service charge.
Can guests come back for more, or is the quantity fixed per head? The difference between a full room and a hungry one.
Ours: all you can eat, and the window stays open afterwards for exactly that.
What is rented rather than owned? Chafing dishes, tables, linens and plates are often line items.
What happens to my deposit if the guest count drops? Numbers move. Ask before they do.
A fuller version of the money questions is in what catering costs.
About the food
What is made by you and what is bought in? A fair question with no wrong answer, and the specifics tell you plenty.
When do you need final numbers, and how firm is firm?
Ours: about two weeks out for a rough potato-versus-pasta split, where an estimate is fine, and about a week before the event for the final count and the menu.
How do you handle a guest with a serious allergy? Be wary of a fast, confident yes. A caterer who says a kitchen is free of something should be able to say how.
Ours: we ask you to call. We cook in a small space where a lot of ingredients share it, so the honest answer depends on which allergy and which dish. Some answers are no, and you should hear that in advance rather than on the day.
About the paperwork
Is there a written contract? There should be, and you should read it.
Are you licensed and insured, and will you name my venue as an additional insured? The second half is the one venues actually care about, and not every caterer will do it. Ask early rather than in the final fortnight.
Ours: We are licensed and insured, and the coverage applies automatically wherever we work, at catering and at public events alike. If your venue or your company needs to be named as an additional insured, ask and we will arrange it.
What is the cancellation position, on both sides? Including weather, if your event is outdoors.
Asking us
Call 931-271-7455 or email nicholas@itsloaded.com, with the date, the town, a rough headcount and the time you want food going out. The contact page has the same list if you would rather work from it.
What the three formats involve is on the catering page, the comparison with a traditional caterer is in food truck or buffet caterer, and shorter answers to the common questions are on the catering questions page.