| Q. To cater or not to cater? |
 |
What is your budget?
Is there sufficient time for you to do it yourself?
Can a caterer do a better job, more efficiently and effectively than if you did it yourself?
Do you have the time get this party off and running without having to worry about food and/or service?
Can you mix, ie provide some foods yourself and get a caterer to provide the variety/the bulk?
|
 |
| Q. How much will it cost? |
|
| Typically food and beverage cost is 35--50% of the cost of the entire party, the more service the greater the expense. For a 1 hour event costs start from $12/15 per person, double it for a 2 hour event etc. This does not include staffing cost or drinks. |
|
| Q. How do I pick a caterer? |
|
If you've been to a party/function recently and were pleased, find out who the caterer was. Then there's the word-of-mouth reference. Also don't be afraid to ask questions. You have to feel comfortable so trust your instincts. If they're hard to work with, you won't enjoy the party. Finding the right caterer may be worth a few more dollars for peace of mind, if nothing else.
Ask if they use all fresh food and produce. Will any of the food for your party be previously frozen and/or not freshly cooked by them? At Robert Duval Foods we pride ourselves on the fact that, unlike a lot of other caterers, we take the time to freshly prepare around 95% of our food: - freshly, - on the premises, - daily. From the rare roast beef rump and mayonnaise in our sandwiches to the pastry in our gourmet quiches - it's all freshly prepared by us. We do not use brought in frozen ready-prepared products. We believe this is the only way to provide you with great-tasting, fresh and flavourful food.
Also ask what is included in the cost: such things as GST, delivery, napkins etc are sometimes not included.
|
|
| Q. Food quantity guidelines |
|
Allow approx 1 piece of finger food per person per 10-15 minutes of food service. Other factors we consider that might increase quantities include:
Expectation: are people expecting to eat - what have you told them?
Meal Time: if you are going across a meal time
Timing: if you need to feed people quickly or if you have a long function
Alcohol Consumption: more alcohol means more food required
Gender/Age: men do tend to eat more than women, teenage males eat heaps!
As a guideline, a sit down meal equivalent is around 8-12 items.
Supper - For parties that go on over 5 hours we recommend food service finishing after a couple of hours and then a separate supper of a couple of items such as gourmet baby burgers or gourmet baby hotdogs to be served about 11pm
|
|
| Q. Balancing the Menu |
|
With food, as with life, variety is everything. Considerations include:
Food types: a good range across vegetarian, meat, seafood etc
Textures: varying textures such as crispy, silky, meaty etc
Bulk: balancing delicate and more filling items
Tastes: range across the different flavour palettes
Guests: don't forget some more recognizable/less challenging items. |
|
| Q. What can they do? |
|
Good staff should be in uniform, be trained in food and drink service, be knowledgeable about the food they are serving and be helpful and personable. They should also be flexible and able to assist set up, serve both food and drinks and clear up.
It is worth while checking that staff will be over 18 years of age as some caterers do use younger staff - under 18's are not allowed to serve alcohol. Check also that the finish time is flexible as events rarely run to schedule!
For larger or more complex events it is worth employing a Function Coordinator to direct and supervise the event.
|
|
| Q. How much do they Cost? |
|
| See our staffing page for the current prices. |
|
| Q. Calculating drinks quantities |
|
Quantities required vary according to group of people, type of function, length of time of function (weddings make people very thirsty!). If we are coordinating your drinks with you, we will go through an assessment process and recommend quantities accordingly. We always recommend working with a drinks supplier who?ll work on a sale or return basis. As a very rough rule of thumb for functions of around 50-100 people, allow for the following:
After work corporate function (ie most people are driving) of under 2 hours
1.5 x glasses of wine per person (pp)
1 x beer per person (more if mostly males)
1 x soft drinks per person
Private Party/Corporate Event of 4-5 hours
3 x glasses of wine per person
2 x beer per person (more if mostly males)
1.5 x soft drinks per person
Full-on Celebration/Private Party (of 6-7 hours)
1 x glasses champagne or cocktails per person
3 x glasses wine per person
2 x beer per person (more if mostly males)
1.5 x soft drinks per person
Allow 6 glasses of wine per bottle of wine.
Allow 8 soft drinks per 2 litre bottle (or consider using cans of drinks as this can work out better for leftovers)
If you have a supplier who can offer sale or return (such as Harborne & Cambridge) this is most useful as it is not easy to predict what will go on the night.
|
|
| Q. What do I need to set up a bar? |
|
Recommendations or items to consider:
Drinks
- Beer (suggest choice of 2/3 (full strength, premium, light beer))
- Wine, try not to offer too many different types, just one white and one red is generally OK
- Champagne (but remember you?ll need champagne glasses)
- Cocktails and/or shooters
(NB these take a lot more time for bartenders to serve)
- Premixed can drinks ie whisky & dry, vodka/mixer
(ideal if it's a fairly informal affair)
- Soft drinks (water, mineral water, juice, soft drinks)
Glassware
Beer or soft drink
Champagne glasses
Wine glass
(we generally suggest just one type of glass for white/red)
Cocktail or shooter glasses
A common mistake is to under-order on the glassware - don't as there's nothing worse than trying to wash up and serve at the same time! Each function is different but as an absolute minimum you'd want at least one glass and one soft drink glass per person, more if the function is a long one, if you're doing tray drinks service.
Tables
Trestle tables for bar area
Table cloths (black recommended) and table skirts
Equipment
- ice tubs (for keeping drinks cool, suggest large ones)
- drinks trays if tray service required
- large square drinks trays for collecting dirty glasses
- ice bucket, tongs for ice for soft drinks
- punchbowl for alcoholic or non-alcoholic punch
- jugs for water and/or juice
- lots and lots of teatowels for washing up dirty glasses
- corkscrews and beer bottle openers (waiter's friends)
- special equipment such as cocktail shakers etc as required
- bins and/or bin bags for rubbish
- lots and lots of ice (roughly 8-10 bags per 50 people)
Tea & coffee
Try and avoid offering this if you can as there are a lot of set up/hire costs involved and a fair amount of time setting it up. Generally you can get away with this after dark.
|
|
| Q. What do I need to set up tea & coffee? |
|
If you have to supply tea and coffee, you need to consider supplying:
Hot water
Can be urn, kettles, coffee percolator etc. If a large function you'll need two urns as once empty they can take up to 45 minutes to reheat.
Coffee
if not instant you?ll need percolators/cafetieres for brewing coffee
Crockery
Cups/saucers/teaspoons (consider disposable for ease of clear up)
Jugs for milk, water, OJ etc
Bowls for teabags/sugar etc
Bins for rubbish/used teabags etc
Supplies
teabags including herbal
milk (hilo is a good choice) including soy
coffee (ground or instant) including decaff
sugar including sweetener
wash up including detergent, cloths and plenty of tea towels
Cold Drinks
water (preferably chilled)
orange juice
jugs for above
Food
biscuits or cakes
Staff
someone to set up and keep everything stocked up
also allow plenty of time for clear up as it takes a while and most hire companies want their equipment back cleaned.
|
|
| Q. How much space do I need? |
|
SEATING/SPACE REQUIREMENTS (approximate guidelines)
Cocktail parties (guests standing up)
5-6 sq ft per person
0.5 sq mt per person
Cocktail parties (some seated, some standing)
8 sq ft per person
0.75 sq mt per person
Dinner, using round tables of 6,8 and 12
12 sq ft per person
1.25 sq mt per person
Dance area
2-4 sq ft per person
0.2-0.5 sq ft per person
|
|
| Q. How to manage your guest list/final numbers |
|
Invitations
Make sure that your invitations are clear about whether invitation is for the named person only, or if it includes a guest, or if the invitation is transferable to another person.
RSVP's
Provide a date for RSVP's and preferably email and phone number for responding
Final numbers
Unless you are very lucky you will need to do a ring around during the final week to get a clearer idea of your final numbers. Make sure you've agreed with your caterer the date you will get final numbers to them. After that date you may be able to up your numbers, but not to drop them.
|
|
| Q. How to ensure things run smoothly on the day |
|
At Robert Duval Foods we use a Function Form with all details such as running times, where people should be, all the catering details, start and finish times of food service, approx time for speeches etc and any special considerations. This is our communication tool between client, organiser, kitchen and staff. You might like to create one for yourself if you have a complex event.
We also recommend lots of verbal communication on the day. Keep everyone well informed, especially of things such as changes in schedules.
|
|
| Q. What things make an event really special |
|
If the basics of the event are all in place such as drinks, food and guests, there are a few ways to make an event quite special.
Guest book
if it's a special celebration consider having a guest book for people to write special messages in.
Photography
Either put disposable cameras around the room, employ a photographer to take pictures of people (great for themed or dress up nights) or charge a trusted friend or teenager to take everyone's picture.
A themed event is a great way to bring everyone together - most people enjoy the chance to dress up and engage their creativity. For ideas check out our Links page (link through) for great internet resources.
Entertainment such as a band, DJ or magician can also help to create an event. Ask around for recommendations.
Under our Links Page (link through) check out Extra Special Treats for contacts such as Jerry Fraser, King of the Oysters for an Oyster Bar; Chocolate Fountains or Frozen Cocktail Machines.
|
|
