Questions To Ask Your Wedding Caterer
Dallas, TX – Easily the most memorable day of your life is your wedding day. Selecting the right wedding caterer can have an significant impact on how you and your attendees recall the special day. A top-flight wedding caterer can set the mood for your reception, and your entire wedding day. Choosing the right wedding services provider caterer is critical.
During the preliminary process there are some critical questions you should pose to your caterer. Knowing which questions to ask will help you to identify the yay’s from the “nay’s”, and mitigate the risk of potential problems.
The first thing you want to know about a prospective wedding caterer is their legal status. Are they licensed and insured? Are they bonded? Do they meet all of the state and local food and liquor service requirements? You’re quite within your rights to ask about their business license, and asking to view a sample written contract, is a good idea.
What about their professional experience? How long have they been in the catering business? How many weddings have they done this year? Find out some information about past clientele. Ask for references from several recent weddings. Most professionals will be glad to provide you with a list of recent references from happy clients.
At this point there are some questions to ask about planning. What’s the staff to guest ratio? One server for every 10 guests is a good, average staff to guest ratio. Fewer if your dinner will be buffet style. Do they offer different service levels? Will the caterer provide tables, linens, and centerpieces? Ask about other important acoutrements you might wish to have offered.
What about the wedding caterer’s service flexibility? Are you inviting guests with special food needs? Can the caterer make the necessary adjustments? Will you have adequate input in areas such as food, liquor, who sits with whom and other important decisions?
There are contractual matters to discuss with each wedding caterer, too. What kind of payments do they prefer? What ind of terms will they offer? Do they have a guarantee or refund policy? Are their additional fees that need to be disclosed in advance? What are they? How much will overtime cost? What if your cousin crashes the party? Will there be additional fees?
Ask about scheduling. How much time will the wedding service provider need in order to set up? When will they need the final guest list? Is there a deposit required and when is it due? Ho will scheduling be handled and are there milestones for accountability?
Rule out some of the service providers that just aren’t a good fit for you and your wedding day by asking lots of questions. It doesn’t guarantee a successful day but it will greatly improve your odds of a memorable occasion.
Biographical Info: Phillip Crum is the Chief Idea Officer of Sir Speedy Walnut Hill located at 2414 Arbuckle Court Dallas, TX 75229, and is committed to the idea of helping small business owners do a better job of finding their next customer or client. He also runs a local search marketing firm, MarketingMeasure and employs those additional capabilities in the overall marketing services menu of offerings. Phillip can be reached at 214-213-7445, or pcrum@MarketingMeasure.com.