Tips When Hiring a Catering Service

Here are some tips to think about if you are considering hiring an event catering service San Diego:

1. It is easier! The caterers will do all the work you just need to tell them how many guests and pick a menu. You probably want to plan on meeting with them about six times before the event to work out the kinks.

2. Hire them ahead of time. Many of the really good catering services San Diego might be booked a year in advance and certainly most of them will need a three to six month lead time in order to properly cater your event. Therefore, you'll need to start looking at catering services as soon as you know that you are going to need one. The further ahead you can book them the better your choices of caterers will be.

3. Sometimes bigger isn't better. Sometimes the biggest and most expensive event catering services aren't necessarily the best ones. A lot of the smaller ones may work harder as they are still building a reputation. Plus, sometimes the bigger ones use canned or packaged foods while the small ones will typically make everything from scratch.

4. Network. The event caterers typically have a network of complimentary services like florists, decorators and disc jockeys so if you're looking for any of these services you might want to ask your caterer who they might recommend. This could end up being easier and maybe even cheaper for you.

5. Do your homework. Before you hire anyone, you want to make sure you do your due diligence. Check all references to make sure that other clients were satisfied with the job of the caterer. Also you want to make sure that they are certified in safety procedures as well as food handling. The certification is done by your local Board of Health and they should just have it posted right in their place of business. In addition, get a copy of their liability insurance to make sure they are covered.

6. Make a visit. Before you make the final deal, visit the caterers in their place of business. Oftentimes they'll have little samples of their food and you want to take advantage of this to make sure that the production tastes good.

7. Payment. Usually you'll have to give the event catering service 50% up front to confirm the reservation. The final payment is usually due a couple of weeks before the event. If you need to cancel you want to notify the caterer as soon as you know because the sooner you can let them know the more of your deposit you will get back. Usually, however, if you cancel less than 30 days before the event you probably lose your whole deposit and maybe even a little bit more. It's always a good idea to read the fine print in your contract to find out what the penalties may be.

8. Budget. When working with an event catering service San Diego, you want to understate your budget a little bit so that you have a little wiggle room in case you have to make menu changes or add more guests. Most catered events usually end up costing more than the original quote so you can keep within your budget if you simply understate it to begin with.