Full-service caterers create a beautiful buffet. Photo courtesy of christytylerphotography.com.
I have noticed that there is often some confusion about caterers and what they do. I’d like to lay out the distinction between “catering” and “full-service catering” for you.
Any restaurant, chef, or catering company can do “catering.” That might be as simple as bringing big foil pans of food to your location and dropping it off–along with a few napkins and plastic forks, if you’re lucky. Especially when restaurants say that they do “catering,” often they mean only that they can make quantities of food for a crowd and bring the food to you.
“Full-service catering,” on the other hand, is almost always done by companies that specialize in it. The services offered by full-service catering companies generally include:
- Hiring service staff (servers, bartenders, etc.)
- Coordinating rentals (dishes, furniture, tents, serving equipment, etc.)
- Event planning
- Furniture set-up (ceremony and reception) and table setting
A full-service caterer can take care of many of the details that otherwise cause headaches to those who are planning parties.
You might wonder, then, why would I need my own event planner if I hire a full-service caterer? The answer is easy: The event planner you hire is your advocate who is there to supervise all the vendors, including the caterer, to be sure they do what you have requested. Your event planner coordinates among all the vendors, looking out for your interests at all times.
Of course, if you must have your favorite restaurant cater your event and they do not provide full-service catering, consider hiring an event planner early. Your event planner can work with companies that provide servers and bartenders; recommend rental companies and work with you on rental lists; plan the timing and layout for your event; and make sure it all runs like clockwork.
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