After you have finalised your wedding venue, assigned a wedding planner to handle your wedding, it is certain you have to move focus to wedding catering.
A wedding caterer will not only handle your wedding menu, but also stock the bar, arrange contemporary food items, and even bake the cake!
So, it is important that you ask them some questions, before narrowing down to select one from a list of caterers.
Make sure you have these questions and notepads handy to jot down the answers before you meet!
Do you hold a license?
Make sure that the wedding caterer you select has a valid license authorised from health departments and its standards.
Also, most of the caterers will provide services for beverages in addition to food. And you have to ensure they have a separate liquor license, which allows them to serve alcohol at off-sites in your wedding.
What types of meal services do you offer?
Most of the caterers serve different styles of meals at your table. However, you need to make sure if there’s something you desire that is also on the list of the wedding caterer.
Can you customise the menu according to our needs? If yes, then what are the additional charges for special requirements?
This particular question will help you understand if the caterer is flexible with altering dishes and accommodating special requests, which in turn reflects on the charge of variation the caterer will ask for.
It will help you reconsider or recheck the budget, to ensure what special demand is making you go off-limits.
Do you also bake wedding cakes? What are the charges for it?
Outsourcing any individual baker can add one additional task to your wedding checklist. Therefore, ask your wedding caterer if they have a baker who can handle that.
When you get a nod for this, make sure you ask the process, menu, and hygiene kept to bake one. Ask them for a cake portfolio to see and check the desired boxes.
Have you catered to an event from my background?
Indian wedding cuisines vary for different geographical regions and religions. And this should be a ‘must’ question on your list when hiring a wedding caterer.
Ask them if they have experience preparing meals for a particular religion and its delicious dishes. Because you would not want your special dish on your special day to be spoiled by a first-time chef.
Can you provide glassware, flatware, and dinnerware?
Have a word with catering services if they provide these items, and arrange them as early as possible for not encountering any shortage when meal rolls are around.
Do you also prepare vendor meals?
You should not only worry about guests, families, and friends but also about the other vendors who are going to be present for the smooth functioning of your event. So, make sure the caterer also looks and takes into consideration the vendors for food preparation.
Having said that, do not forget to provide the exact list of vendor personals.
How trained is your staff?
This question will determine the fact that not only the chef but all the staff members are trained to deliver a scrumptious meal on your plate.
What is your standard package? And what are the surplus charges for premium packages?
This will determine the quality, quantity, and rates of different ranges of packages a wedding caterer has. And for that, you will be able to decide on the package based on your budget for the wedding.
Can you show me the contract?
Ask this question when you are ready to move forward with that particular wedding caterer. Read every clause on the paper carefully, and do not hesitate to follow up with any other questions that you have.
What is your payment mode?
Move forward with this question when you are abreast of the contract and are looking forward to discussing monetary terms. Ask the wedding caterer if he or she accepts payment in installations, tangible cash, or digital payments.
