Planning a lux event in Toronto requires impeccable organizational skills and can be an exhausting task. You are bound to experience a variety of challenges, such as caterer-related issues, which can ruin the event if not managed properly.
The guests may not pay too much attention to those decorative flowers but to the food served during the event. The food and the service of the caterer are among the most important aspects of the event, so make it memorable by choosing the right one.
What You Can Get From a Restaurant Catering Service
As the term implies, this type of catering service is provided by the restaurant to the venue of the event. The foods (based on the in-house menu) are prepared and cooked at the restaurant and are packed for transport. While some restaurants deliver service at an additional cost, there is a higher chance that you will have to pick up your orders from their location.
In most cases, this is what you get from hiring a restaurant catering service. After picking up the food, you will need to set up the table and the dishes in the event venue.
What You Can Get from a Private Catering Service
If you want a “hands-off” experience, a private food catering service will take care of any food-related items you need for your event. Professional caterers offer full catering services and work with you in personalizing the catering menu for the event. They have a team of highly trained catering staff to prepare and cook the food. They also offer onsite food preparation to ensure freshness. There is no need to drive to their location and pick up your orders, as they will bring everything to your event venue. They will also provide plates, flatware, and napkins. Once the event is done, cleaning and packing up will be done by their staff.
Catering vs Restaurant: Food and Preparation
Restaurant foods prepared by a professional chef or cook have always been something to behold. For your event, you may want to consider supporting and introducing your favourite restaurant to the attendees.
When it comes to food and preparation, restaurant catering services:
- Have professionals cooks who can quickly produce dishes from their menu in great quantities.
- Have an unlimited supply of ingredients and tools for cooking at their disposal
On the other hand, when you choose to hire a private catering service, they have professional catering staff who will work with you to design a personalized event menu. Their years of experience in the catering industry can add value to the event, especially if you have a specific theme in mind.
While both restaurant and private catering services provide fresh, quality dishes prepared by professional cooks and chefs, catering services offer an option to prepare and cook food onsite, ensuring an outstanding level of quality and freshness.
Staff and Service
When it comes to exceptional quality dining experience away from your kitchen, restaurants are the best at what they do. While in-house restaurant events have wait staff who are readily available to serve guests, outside restaurant catering does not include a wait staff who will attend the event. The service ends when the food is prepared. Also, you may need to drive to their location to pick up your orders from the restaurant.
However, hiring a professional full-service catering company ensures a hands-off experience so you can focus on other aspects of preparing the event. Caterers prepare and supply the food, as well as provide dinnerware and staff to serve the guests and clean up after the luxury event.
Choosing the Best Option
After shopping for price quotes from both options, know what each vendor can offer in addition to the food so you can make a list of supplements to provide during the event. For instance, ordering food from the restaurant means you still have to hire waitstaff and bussers to set up the food station, serve the guests, and clean up the venue, as well as provide the beverages, plates and glasses, flatwares, tables, chairs, and linens.
Hiring the services of a restaurant catering, you need to have a rough estimate cost for each item. Also, you will need to determine how much of your time will be required to source each item.
Considering all these factors can help you come up with a true comparison and determine which catering service is more cost-effective to handle the needs of your corporate catering.
Factors to Consider When Hiring a Catering Company
A good catering service ensures that your guest will have a positive experience throughout the event. To help you choose the best catering service, consider the following factors:
- Style of Event – Personalized catering enables you to meet the style of your event, as well as its theme or concept. Customizing your catering menu is an important component that makes up the experience. Make sure it harmonizes with the style of the event to achieve its ultimate goal.
- Specialties – Each catering company offers unique specialties—Mexican, vegetarian, desserts, and fresh produce. Check out if they match the style, theme, or concept of the event.
- Taste Test – One of the most common mistakes organizers make is not trying the menu before the event. A taste test enables you to choose what food to serve to your guests and allows you to make changes if necessary.
- References/Reviews – Asking other event organizers and visiting forums can help you gather positive and negative opinions from past clients. However, try not to be overwhelmed by them. Instead, use the references and reviews as a guide before making your decision.
- On-Site Kitchen – Catering food onsite is a great way to ensure the freshness of the food and the quality of the service. Freshly prepared food makes a huge difference over pre-cooked food, in terms of taste and texture. To make this possible, make sure that the catering team has sufficient space to prepare and cook food, as well as a smoke outlet and electricity. If you are hosting an open-air event, providing a large catering tent may be the best option.
If you are looking for the best private catering service in Toronto, choose elle cuisine. Call us today at 647.430.3553 and let us know more about your catering needs.
