How to Save on Catering

Food is a very integral part of most events. For you to successfully pull off a wonderful event, you have to make sure you master the art of providing the best catering. Getting the best catering for an event might cost you an arm and a leg if you are not careful. It is important to bear in mind the fact that food could take up nearly 30% to 50% of your total budget. If you would like to save on catering, you must remember these key things.

Always profile your guests before the event

Before the event, ensure that you find out the kind of guests you will be having. Find out what food and drinks they will be likely to enjoy. This will save you having to put out as many dishes and beverages knowing full well that some of them might not even be touched. Profiling your guests helps you to get precisely what the guests like and in the process helps you to save quite a lot. There is no need to put out random dishes in the hope that certain guests will enjoy them. Stick to the things you are sure they will want. If possible, before you send out invites, ask what sort of food they would like - that way, you do not have to guess.

Consider the timing and location of your event

The timing and location of your event could easily drive up or down the cost of your catering. There are certain times of the month/year that will call for larger catering budgets because of the demand and there are also certain places that automatically drive your costs through the roof. Always think long and hard about when and where you are having your event because this might help you to save and get a better, cheaper and less stressful place to have your event - a place where you will spend much less on catering. Some places have discounts on catering and will give you more benefits, look out for those. And plan to hold your event at a time when there are not so many events because then, demand will be lower thus catering will be more affordable.

Control the portions of food being served

The oldest trick in the book when it comes to controlling the portions of food being served is making sure you have designated people doing the serving. If you allow for everyone to serve themselves, there is a high chance there will be wastage as many people tend to serve a lot more than they can actually finish. The other danger of letting people serve themselves is that there are certain dishes that everyone will rush for and yet if you control the serving, you will be able to spread out and make sure that everyone gets a small bit of everything.

No need for special glassware

No matter how fancy the event might be, there is no need to have a lot of glassware. When setting up glasses for drinks for instance, make sure you get glasses that are multipurpose and can work for all the beverages you might be serving. There is no need to have different glass types for different beverages. Having different shapes and sizes of glasses will encourage people to have more than one, thus driving your catering bills through the roof. Extravagance with glassware is not necessary, after all, few people will remember the 4 or 5 different glassware types.

Keep an eye on the clock

Timing is a very crucial part of cutting down catering costs. First and foremost, you have to make sure that your event is not too long. That way, it reduces the duration for which people will need to eat. Secondly, make sure that you have designated times set aside for food and drinks. There must be a designated time within which people can be served food. This will ensure that those who do not get food outside this allocated time will have to sit it out. It will also ensure that you get the food business done once and for all, saving you on the stress of having to call upon extra hands to serve.

18th October 2021