When it comes to catering, the most important decision to make is what person or company will be handling your order. No matter what the event, you want to make sure that everything goes smoothly, the food is delicious, and the guests are pleased with their choices. So once someone is set to cater, the next decision is the type of meal that will be served. If you’re looking for some last minute Christmas party ideas look no further than right here.
Hors d’oeuvres
If you are planning something casual, you may just be looking for finger foods and appetizers. In this case, you will be able to make several different selections and have them out for the duration of the party or meeting. You can also choose to have the catering company bring waiters to make sure that your guests are always just an arm’s reach away from any of the choices. For more casual events, you may just stop by and pick up trays of meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables to be placed on a table for guests to enjoy.
Buffet Style
For larger events, many times catering companies offer a buffet style meal. This works well when the number of guests is a little uncertain. You may have some idea of how many are going to be there, but not down to the specific number. Here guests go down a line of tables and make their choices from some of the things you have chosen to have out. Here each guest gets what they want and they can choose to eat more or less than you may have expected.
Set Menu
In some cases, especially more formal events, a catering company may have a set menu with a soup/salad, appetizer and entree. For weddings, the cake is typically the desert, however other desserts can be ordered as well. Each person receives the same meal and is served each part of it at the same time as all of the other guests. While this is typically more expensive that the above options, it does make it a little easier to have everyone getting the same thing.
Guest’s Choice
Some wedding invitations allow guests to choose which meal they would like to have. There may be two main choices and a vegetarian choice to try and make sure that all guests are getting what they want. In this case, it is important to get the catering company the exact number of guests and the specific meal numbers so that they can prepare. Many times, they also prepare extra of both just in case some type of issue arrives.
Now matter what type of event you are having, it is important to let the catering company know how many guests you expect to attend. Take note you don’t want to pay for more food than you need and you really don’t want to run out of food. You can meet with a representative of the company and talk to them about how much it will cost as well as how to determine how much food to arrange for.