6 Questions You Need to Ask When Booking a Wedding Catering Service in the Philippines

What are the questions that you should be asking when booking a wedding catering service?

1. Have they already worked on the same venue before?
2. What, in particular, makes up their catering package?
3. Are they flexible with the menu? Or can you only choose from the set of deals that they have?
4. How long does the service take?
5. Are they willing to provide a food tasting in advance?
6. What does the caterer and the staff wear?

With the variety of choices for a wedding catering in the Philippines, the task of finding the best service can rather be formidable. This is especially true considering there are a lot of things you have to do to test them out, including food and beverage tasting and checking out the tableware.

Admittedly, doing all of these things can get stressful. However, some of them are really necessary in order to ensure that your big day will go as seamless as possible. Hence, it may be useful to perform a mini Q and A with your potential caterer.

Question #1: Have they worked on the same venue before?

The venue is an important factor for a caterer, hence, it’s important that you ask them on whether they have already worked on the same venue before. This is in consideration of the handling that they may need to go through in the actual day. If they will be cooking on site, it’s important for them to be able to check the kitchen, the electricity, the space, and many others that they may need for the service to run smoothly.

Even more so, there are cases that you may need to supply them a few things in the venue. Therefore, in order to make sure that you will not be surprised with the billing, it’s essential for you to be informed of this beforehand.

Question #2: What, in particular, makes up their catering package?

As mentioned above, there are instances that will be supplying a few things to the caterer while they are setting up your venue. Thus, it’s only important to also ask them about what things in particular will make up the package (or what wouldn’t). Here are some examples:

• Tax
• Staff
• Tip
• Service charge
• Bartenders
• Cake cutting charges
• Beverage service
• Alcohol
• Table
• Chairs
• Tableware
• Linens
• Serving ware
• Facilities
• Garbage bins

With this information, you’ll be able to pinpoint which of the items listed above may be considered as an additional expense for you. Thus, enabling you to be prepared for it.

Question #3: Are they flexible with the menu? Or you can only choose from the set of deals that they have?

Flexibility when it comes to the menu is an important factor when choosing a caterer. This is due to the reason that you also have a few things in mind that you want to incorporate into the menu. For instance, you would like to serve a family dish or your spouse’s favorite food at your wedding. You have to take this into account because more often than not, the caterer will not have these food items available on their menu.

Whether they have it or not, you’d know this information beforehand, allowing you to adjust or think of something else.

Question #4: How long does the service take?

When it comes to planning your wedding reception, it’s an important factor to be mindful of the time that your wedding catering service may take up. This is given the fact that you’re also renting a venue with only a limited time. Furthermore, starving your guests isn’t something you wouldn’t want to happen on your wedding day. With that said, you should ask the caterer about the specifics. After all, a great catering service knows how long specifically it’ll take them to complete a particular event.

Question #5: Are they willing to provide a food tasting in advance?

Of course, above all, food matters. Thus, it’s only as important to know what they can offer you and have a taste of the food they will be serving your guests at the event. It’s also important that it’s not only a sample of the food that they are capable of cooking, but also the exact food that you’d want to have on the menu for your wedding day.

A good catering service in the Philippines should have a variety of options and will be willing to offer you this; therefore, you shouldn’t think twice about asking them.

Question #6: What does the caterer and the staff wear?

It’s also important to know how your caterer’s staff will look like in the event. This is to ensure that they’ll go with the tone and theme of your wedding. After all, they’re a huge part of the event.

Key Takeaway

Asking specific questions to your caterer may be intimidating, but it’s standard to do so. Basically, it is because you wanted to ensure that you’re getting the right service and avoid a poor one.