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Planning a Catered Event: Where
to Begin
When you plan a catered event, especially for the first time, the process can be
simplified if you look at the different parts of the event one by one. There
will be time later to "tie" everything together.
A catered event can be divided into 5 main categories: location, food,
beverages, staffing, and “other”, although not every event will necessarily have
all of these catergories.
As you think about each category you should keep four things in mind: the reason
for the event, the approximate number of guests you plan to have, the
approximate ages of the guests, and the time of day that the event will be
taking place. Many of your decisions will be based on one or more of those four
things.
Event Location: Ultimate Cuisine, Inc. is an off-premise catering company, so we
are expert at providing food and related services at any location. There is no
limit to the type of location where we can cater an event, either indoors or
out. There doesn’t even need to be a suitable kitchen. We do all initial food
preparation at our government inspected facility, and do the final on-site food
preparation in whatever kitchen is available, or in a field kitchen that we set
up, if necessary,
If you do not already have a location picked out, we can furnish you with a list
of suggestions, and would be happy to help you find a perfect location.
Food: The type of food being served will typically be determined by the time of
day and the type of event.
For events taking place during the day, you might choose from either our Brunch
Menu, Barbecue Menu, or Luncheon Menu.
For events taking place in the evening, there are a few more options to
consider. For a cocktail reception, a combination of Displayed and Butler Passed
Hors d’Oeuvre is often provided, although some clients choose just Displayed
Hors d’Oeuvre or just Butler Passed Hors d’Oeuvre.
In some cases it is necessary to provide more food than a typical cocktail
reception, but a full dinner is still not appropriate. In these cases we often
provide Appetizer Stations in addition to the Displayed Hors d’Oeuvre and the
Butler Passed Hors d’Oeuvre, or we may just make sure that there is ample
quantity and variety of the Butler Passed Hors d’Oeuvre and Displayed Hors
d’Oeuvre to satisfy a healthy appetite.
Dessert can also be served at these types of events, either as a Dessert Buffet
or as Butler Passed Finger Pastries.
Full dinners can be provided as either a Complete Dinner Buffet, or as a Served
Sit-Down Dinner. In either case, an hour of Butler Passed Hors d’Oeuvre are also
often served prior to the dinner service. Dessert, like the dinner itself, can
be provided as either a Dessert Buffet or as a Served Dessert.
All of our full dinners include china, stainless flatware, and linen napkins in
the basic pricing.
Beverage Services: The time of day and the type of event will partly dictate the
kind of beverage service required. Our Brunch Menu includes juices, coffee, and
tea in the basic pricing, but some clients choose to have champagne or vodka
available as well.
Our Barbecue Menus include soft drinks, lemonade, and iced tea in the basic
pricing, but some clients choose to add beer (either keg or bottles) and wine.
Our dinner menus include drinking water, coffee, and tea in the basic pricing.
Many clients choose to also provide soft drinks, beer, wine, or a full liquor
bar.
Weddings or other more formal dinner parties may also call for table served
wines or champagne toasts.
Our Butler Passed Hors d’Oeuvre Menu and other Appetizer Menus do not include
any type of beverage service in the basic pricing, but just as with a dinner
many clients choose to add some type of beverage service, ranging from just soft
drinks to a full liquor bar.
Staffing: The members of the catering staff set up the event area, prepare and
serve the food and beverages, maintain the event area during the event, and
cleanup afterwards. They also load and unload the catering trucks. For most
events, staffing will include servers, bartenders, and chefs plus occasionally
busboys, wine stewards, and kitchen helpers. Exact staffing needs are determined
by the type and size of the event. More information can be found on the staffing
page.
“Other” Items: Ultimate Cuisine is able to supply many “other” items that you
may need to complete the event. Some events don’t require any other items, while
other events require many additional items. Some of the “other” items that we
commonly provide can be found on the rentals page.
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