Tips for Finding the Best Catering Company

Posted by Hanna Kogan on August 8th, 2017

No matter what type of event you are planning, finding the Best Catering Company for your event can be a challenging step of the preparation process. Catering is time-sensitive, demanding for labor, and subject to the individual tastes of your attendees. With so much that could go wrong, it is important to find a company with the expertise and skill to ensure that the catering of the event satisfies your guests and proceeds without major roadblocks. There are a few surefire ways to identify the best of the best in your area, starting with a step that is often undervalued: carefully reading reviews.

Online reviews are easy to access, easy to post, and, unfortunately, often report on the very basics of the reviewer’s experience. Some companies even solicit reviews that can lead to reviews of questionable quality! When seeking out the best catering company in your area, make sure to look for detailed, professional reviews. A handful of long, personalized reviews that fully cover the reviewer’s experience are more valuable than a thousand sentence-long reviews. If someone is willing to take the time to write a detailed review, it means they cared about the experience and is also likely to be a genuine customer. Watch out for that type of review carefully, as they are likely to help you come to the best decision. Additionally, print reviews can be especially valuable. A review in a magazine or important local newspaper is likely an independent, uninfluenced, and professional voice. Such reviews can be invaluable to your decision making process.

Another great way to determine if a company will be a good fit is to call the company and discuss their specialties. Most representatives of catering companies will be more than willing to discuss the types of events they have done in the past, possibly even going into details of any notable events their company has catered. Discussing one-on-one with a representative of the company can also give you important insight into the customer service atmosphere, culture, and style of potential candidates for catering your event. All companies have sales departments and customer service agents, but it is important to approach asking the right types of questions. If you lead the discussion, focusing on the details that are most important for your event, you are likely to leave the call with a good picture of how a certain candidate would handle your event.

Many catering companies don’t only do catering; some of the most renowned caterers are most famous for the restaurants they run every day. If a catering company has a restaurant that is open to the public, take the time to swing by and sample their works for yourself. Check their catering menu, and see which offerings are on the restaurant menu, then sample a few. Trying a company’s food for yourself will grant you insight on the presentation, flavor, and quality of what that company has to offer. Furthermore, visiting the restaurant can give you the most tangible representation of their style and staff.

Taking the time to thoroughly research the best catering company in your area is well worth the effort. In addition to the peace of mind that comes from having qualified professionals handling one of the most complicated parts of an event, there is a great confidence to be taken in knowing that every detail of your event will be memorable, even down to the meals and refreshments.

Ready to begin the arrangements? Contact our professional caterers now at WaterfrontGourmet.com/contact/; we look forward to helping you!

How to find Catering Near Me and Catering Restaurants Near Me.