Caterer Question

[LauraLoo]

Happy almost friday ladies!
I have a question about booking a caterer...just wondering what people normally do. The reception site that we will probably end up booking has an exclusive caterer who does not offer tastings. Is this normal? Would you be comfortable booking a caterer without trying the food first? You hear about cake tastings all the time, but not much about the food.....Do people ever taste the food prior to the reception?
Thanks!

 

[cara]

Yes, tasting caterers for weddings is pretty standard. Does this caterer have some other operation at which you could taste this food, such as a restaurant?

Otherwise, I would ask for references from other wedding couples that have already married there and call them to inquire on the food quality. Obviously if you are particular about the food then this venue is not for you, but some venues are in a position to call the shots and be relatively inflexible, so you have to make a decision based on the whole package available.

 

[labbielove]

we did a tasting at our caterer, and i believe it quite common.
ours wasn''t a big deal because they have a restaurant so we could pretty much ''order'' whatever we wanted to taste, which was great, but i know sometimes you''re limited to how many dishes you can try.

i would not book the venue unless you can taste the food,
call the caterer directly, if they have an office maybe they would do a tasting there or at another venue.

i would also get references, whether or not you taste, because service is a huge part of it, at least for us.

good luck!

 

[Trelala]

Our caterer didn''t have a restaurant where we could order food. So we had to wait for our caterer to host an event that we could attend.
Our tasting ended up being at a company party.

 

[neatfreak]

I personally wouldn''t feel comfortable without tasting the food first.

BUT that''s just me and I am an admitted foodie!

 

[akw94]

LauraLoo, I think it''s odd that they don''t do tastings. Did they give you a reason? Can you deal w/your venue and tell them you require a tasting vs dealing w/the caterer?

I wouldn''t necessarily count them out altogether if you really want your reception there but I would be concerned about it a bit, especially if you''re having a more expensive meal. I probably would''ve let it go w/mine but we''re just having a standard chicken dish. But we still had a tasting and I''m glad we got the chance to choose which chicken, which veggie, which potato even if it''s the cheapy stuff.

 

[monarch64]

I think you should absolutely taste the food first before booking! If the caterer chosen for the reception venue you''ve chosen doesn''t do tastings, can you maybe find online reviews of their offerings?

 

[LauraLoo]

Thanks everyone. I love the venue and really don''t want to look any further. My boyfriend talked to them and I don''t think they said why they don''t offer them, although they did give him a list of satisfied customers, including Martha Stewart, Bill Gates, The US Army, and 1000s of satisfied Brides and Grooms! We called the venue to see if they could help us out, just waiting to hear back from them.
I really can''t find any info about them online, except their website.
I have to say though, I had no idea that this is pretty standard.
I admit, I thought he was being groomzilla about needing to try the food. I also think part of me was scared that if the food isn''t great we will have to keep looking. We''ve been looking for 4 months and I am so done. I guess we''ll see!

 

[enbcfsobe]

Date: 7/13/2007 7:46:27 AM
Author: LauraLoo
Thanks everyone. I love the venue and really don''t want to look any further. My boyfriend talked to them and I don''t think they said why they don''t offer them, although they did give him a list of satisfied customers, including Martha Stewart, Bill Gates, The US Army, and 1000s of satisfied Brides and Grooms! We called the venue to see if they could help us out, just waiting to hear back from them.
I really can''t find any info about them online, except their website.
I have to say though, I had no idea that this is pretty standard.
I admit, I thought he was being groomzilla about needing to try the food. I also think part of me was scared that if the food isn''t great we will have to keep looking. We''ve been looking for 4 months and I am so done. I guess we''ll see!

This sounds fishy to me. If you can''t pin them down to an actual person you can call and get a reference from, I would run the other way. These sound like ridiculous claims unless it is a super-well-known place that would have lots of internet reviews available. No way would I take that at face value, no matter how much I liked the venue.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 7/13/2007 9:33:23 AM
Author: enbcfsobe

Date: 7/13/2007 7:46:27 AM

Author: LauraLoo

Thanks everyone. I love the venue and really don''t want to look any further. My boyfriend talked to them and I don''t think they said why they don''t offer them, although they did give him a list of satisfied customers, including Martha Stewart, Bill Gates, The US Army, and 1000s of satisfied Brides and Grooms! We called the venue to see if they could help us out, just waiting to hear back from them.

I really can''t find any info about them online, except their website.

I have to say though, I had no idea that this is pretty standard.

I admit, I thought he was being groomzilla about needing to try the food. I also think part of me was scared that if the food isn''t great we will have to keep looking. We''ve been looking for 4 months and I am so done. I guess we''ll see!

This sounds fishy to me. If you can''t pin them down to an actual person you can call and get a reference from, I would run the other way. These sound like ridiculous claims unless it is a super-well-known place that would have lots of internet reviews available. No way would I take that at face value, no matter how much I liked the venue.

TOTALLY AGREED. Why don''t they have letters from these people on their stationary saying this? Why can''t they provide specific references? And you can bet your a** that Martha wouldn''t book something at a venue without trying the food first!!!