Hiring an Off Premise Caterer

The company you hire as your event's off premise caterer will play a large part in the success of your party. Off premise catering is much more difficult to pull off successfully than onsite. This cooking crew must be carefully selected. Parties may range from hundreds of hungry mouths to feed to just two. The meal may range from individual picnic boxes with sandwiches, chips and cookies for a bus full of college students going on an archaeological dig field trip to a lobster dinner for two on a boat. The meal must be portable, create the proper mood and fit the customer’s budget. It must also be delicious. When interviewing potential caterers, here are some things to look for:

- Ability to communicate: Creating the menu for a special occasion takes teamwork and good communication ability on the parts of all concerned. The host or hostess should tell details of what he or she is looking for and the caterer should be taking notes and responding accordingly. Because communication is always a two-way street, the chef or manager of the business should provide information, too. Customers should ask to see photos of caterers work and be provided with taste test samples, as well. These photos and samples are similar to art portfolios because, after all, food presentation is art.

- Ask about their experience with off premise occasions: Off premise catering is different than onsite. It’s important that the company be well versed in the intricacies involved in such an event. They should be familiar with the location of the party so that they know what to plan for in advance.

- Budget discussion upfront: The budget for the shindig should be discussed upfront. No point in discussing options that may be out of a party-thrower's price range. Once the company representative knows the price range, it will be easier for him or her to provide suggestions for menus that could work.

- Reputation: When interviewing caterers, it's wise to ask for references and then to call each and every one. Getting some word-of-mouth referrals before even interviewing the potential chefs would be a wise move. As the old saying goes, past performance is a good indicator of future performance.

- Contract should be in writing: After a menu, date and budget have been settled upon, contracts for the event should be put in writing and signed by both individuals. The document should list all beverages, foods, and any other pertinent details. Usually, there will be a substantial deposit required in order to book the date. This deposit is often nonrefundable, or at least a portion of it will be. Once a company has given a time slot to a party-thrower and especially after foods are purchased to make the dishes, it’s only fair that they keep some or all of the deposit.

Hiring the right off premise caterer to provide food for an event can turn the party into a delicious success. The host or hostess should check out communication style, experience, discuss budgets upfront, check references and get the contract in writing.