Catering for Your Parties of 50 or More

Catering and running an event for 10 guests is a breeze for anyone inclined towards entertaining. Once the number of guests heads towards forty or fifty or more, however, even the most patient and organized host can get a bit frazzled. Still, you have to remember that people do it every day and you will be able to do it as well. Your first step is to find a great company that can take care of the food. Cooking for that many guests is impractical and will probably make you miserable with very little reward. Once you've found a company that can handle the event, here are some things you can do to make sure everything is a success.

Meal Restrictions

If you have five guests with peanut allergies and you serve peanut-crusted salmon as your main course, there is going to be an awkward moment to say the least. Find out what your restrictions are before you start planning the menu. Call your guests and see if there are any allergens to be aware of. The more people in attendance, the more likely it is to run into restrictions. One of the easiest things to do is make sure the catering company comes up with at least one alternative meal. This alternative meal might be kosher, vegetarian, and so forth, just to slip under any reasonable restrictions one might have.

Make a Budget

Catering a large event isn't something you want to do on the fly, unless you have a limitless source of money. Determine exactly how much money you can and want to spend on the event and then keep track of your expenses along the way. If possible, find out how much everything will cost before you order a single thing or spend a single dime. It's easy to make assumptions when it comes to pricing, but most people have a tendency to underestimate expenses. Don't even try. Get the hard numbers, compare them with your budget, and you can be certain that you won't be caught off guard by a bill at the end of the day.

Taste Testing

This is one step that many event planners skip, often to their eventual regret. Just because a catering company assures you that their food is delicious doesn't mean you can count on that to be the case. Even a company with a great reputation may have a dish that isn't up to snuff. If you're going out on a limb and purchasing food that you aren't familiar with, you may simply not like the dish. Ask the company if you can come in for samples.