Bringing A Caterer Into A Corporate Venue: Questions To Ask
What do employees most remember about a corporate event? A lot of the time, it has nothing to do with the event itself. It's the food. Employees, from entry-level to upper management, often rank corporate events based on the food. If you want to improve attendance and engagement, you may want to hire a caterer for your next corporate event. However, you'll have to ask a few questions first.
Is Outside Catering Allowed?
To begin with, not every corporate event venue allows external catering. Some venues already have food on-site, while others have a deal with a specific catering company. Many will still negotiate with you, but you may need to pay more than you expected to bring in your own caterer.
What's the Kitchen Like?
Your caterer is undoubtedly going to ask what the kitchen situation is going to be. Caterers do much of the prep in their own kitchen, but there's a lot that has to be done once they get to the event venue. If the event venue doesn't even have a kitchen, the caterer is going to need to suggest a specific menu that doesn't require any on-site cooking. The caterer will often need to know where they can cook and how much refrigeration space they need.
Where is the Loading/Unloading Area?
In order to properly cater your event, your caterer is likely going to need to unload large volumes of equipment. Food trays, food warmers, tables, and coolers are going to have to be brought into the venue from somewhere. In order to accommodate this, you're going to need to have a large loading area that is going to be free of other traffic.
What Supplies Will Be Available?
Some event venues are going to provide tables and chairs for your guests by default. Others may charge a fee per table and chair. Caterers are also used to bringing extra tables and chairs, so they may have another price for them and may be able to deliver them at a more affordable rate. Take some time to go over an entire list of what's provided with the event venue, so you can determine whether you might need to make other arrangements.
Your caterer can make or break your event, so it's worth it to spend some time negotiating with the best caterers and with your corporate event venue. Your venue can tell you more about what your caterer can expect, or they may even be able to give them a full property tour.
For more information, contact a company like DEER MOUNTAIN EVENTS.