It’s the same thing with choosing a specialty service, such as catering. The fact that catered events (both indoor and outdoor) have become more popular in recent years has meant that new catering companies have sprouted up all over the place. Some of them specialize in certain types of cuisine, or certain types of events (such as weddings). Others offer a wide variety of food and beverages and cater a wide range of events.
Let’s say you’re looking into professional catering services for an upcoming event that’s important to you. It could be a wedding, graduation, bar mitzvah, birthday party, corporate function, company party, or a family reunion. Since you really do care about how this event turns out, you have every reason to be meticulous about your caterer selection process. So where exactly do you start?
Customer reviews are probably the first place to look. These are people like you who had all of the same concerns and anxieties going into their event, and the feedback they share across social media is invaluable. It helps you get a sense of what kind of service the caterer really offers, despite what’s written on the company’s own web site. It gives you a chance to look directly into the experiences that other clients had, so that you can make a more informed decision about your catered event.
You’ll also want to cover the basics, and make sure that your caterer is licensed, insured, properly equipped, and highly-experienced. It can also be very fruitful to ask friends or family members about their own catering experiences, and whether or not they would recommend the caterer they used.
Also, ask yourself whether the caterer you’re thinking about hiring has any particular specialties that might apply to your event. You might have certain menu items in mind, and there might be caterers in your area who are known for that type of cuisine.
Finding the right caterer for your event
There are a lot of things that go into finding the right fit for your catered event. Does the company communicate well? Are they staffed with highly-trained professionals, and fitted with the best equipment for the job? Are the prices fair, and will they take your event as seriously as you do? In terms of finding answers to all of these questions, one of the easiest shortcuts is to pay special attention to the ratings and reviews a caterer has received. The experiences of past clients can reveal strengths and weaknesses that won’t be apparent anywhere else, and a pattern of positive reviews is a powerful indicator that you’re on the right track.