3Aug/10

How Much does it Cost to have a Catered Event?

Catering Celebrations Catering Department gets these calls daily, and we certainly would love to reply with just one simple answer, but the fact is that the price of catering ranges depending on many factors involved with your event. Here are a few:

The Food Served

            Say you and your fiancée would like to serve a beef entrée. Will it be Beef Tenderloin, Tri Tips, Prime Rib, or New York Steak? What do you want to serve and request the price of that beef cut. Serving Shrimp? What size are they? 8/12 or 26/30. What this means is that you will get 8 to 12 per pound, they will be large. 26 to 30 per pound will be very small. A sit down dinner with one choice, say chicken, can still can have a very elegant feel and will be more economical than a lobster and tenderloin buffet, but the location must be able to accommodate everyone seated, and sit down entrees china place settings.

 

The Type of Service

            The more service staff and kitchen staff that is required, the higher the cost. Sit down served meals require more staff for attentive and efficient service. Buffet entrees are not as demanding and less staff is often needed. Having a buffet does not mean a lesser menu, often buffet are more elaborate with a wide variety of flavors. Service is extremely important to Catering Celebrations. You can be assured that we will do an outstanding job for your and your guests. Word of mouth from our satisfied customers is one of the best sources of future business. Our servers are trained to anticipate the needs of your guests and provide the utmost in service.

  

Rental Equipment

Sit down service requires china and full place setting, but with a buffet you can use high grade disposables. Consider your table coverings… linen or plastic? You can not begin to image what is available to you!! We want you to be able to see and obtain prices from a wide variety of beautiful linens, china and flatware patterns, and all different styles of chairs that are perfect for your party. Catering Celebrations will work with the rental companies and get the right quantity ordered for your event. We use an outside rental company because they are specialist in this area. The rental company will bill you directly and you pay them directly, but we will coordinate anything you might need, so one call does it all.

  

Length of Event

            Consider the timing frame of your event. The catering staff is working more hours than what you see, as they must arrive at Catering Celebrations and load the vehicles, or set up the site before the guests arrive and clean up after the event, as well as possible return to Catering Celebrations and unload the vehicles. Travel to and from your site is added in as well. A six-hour event will be more expensive than a four-hour event and also consider any outside vendors such as bands, DJs, photographers, etc. You will need to have everyone’s time coordinated.

The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness

16Jul/10

Finding the Right Type of Catering for your Event

Full Service Catering
Catering Celebrations can provide a variety of service, but this is our favorite! We can help you plan heavy hors d’ oeuvres, a sit-down meals, beautiful buffets and stations, beverages, cappuccino bars and other event planning. We can do on-site cooking in front of your guests, or if it is an elegent plated meal and your kitchen is not large enough we can set up a temperately kitchen on site to prepare your meals. We provide a full service wait staff to set up the entire event and to tend to you and your guests needs during this special occasion. Our staff will take down and clean up, and we even take away the trash. As a professional caterer we will work closely with your hired professional vendors to ensure that your event is perfect.
http://www.cateringcelebrations.com/catering/menu

Private Catering in our Hidden Garden – Brunch, Lunch & Dinner
Hidden Garden Events at the Plug Nickel Restaurant is very unique in that you can reserve a private room or the entire restaurant for your event. During the Restaurant hours, Sunday 9am – 2 pm and Monday – Friday 7am – 2 pm, you can reserve a private room for an all-inclusive price. After hours you can reserve the Patio and Garden Room together and have a festive menu ranging from heavy hors d’ oeuvres, buffets or sit-down menus and dessert. You can bring in your own entertainment, and décor or let us take care of it all. You can do as much or as little as your would like. Show up, have a wonderful time, and go home with no extra work on your part.
http://www.cateringcelebrations.com/catering/menu

Pick-up and Drop Offs
We make beautiful platters that you are proud to  display on your buffet, and we make sure there is ease of service if you choose not to have our staff. Our menu are filled with a variety  of hot and cold food prepared in Catering Celebrations kitchen and picked up by you or delivered to the party site by our catering crew. You may consider hiring an outside service staff to assist you, or ask family and friends to help serve and clean up. The food can come ready to serve on platters or some may require chaffing dishes to keep them hot. We have appetizers that are best when cooked right before serving, and we will supply you with the simple cooking instructions. This is a very cost effective way to caterer an event on a budget and the size of your event can dictate if this is really a practical way to go.
http://www.cateringcelebrations.com/catering/menu

~ Meet with us! ~

Plan at least six months to one year before your wedding to begin planning. View our portfolio and see the style of our work. We will create a proposal for your based your menu selection and style of catering service. There is no charge and you can change add or delete items up until one month before your event. If this is an off-premise event, we will meet you at the location and discuss your vision for the location. Our rental companies will come out as well to make sure your proposal is accurate as possible. If you are comparing catering companies, please make sure you are comparing the style of service and menu selection. One caterer is not offering you Tri Tip and we are offering you Tenderloin!

Once you receive our proposal we want to make sure everything you asked for is included and you understand what is presented. Upon agreeing to the terms and conditions of our catering service, a deposit is due to confirm our services with you for that day. The number of events we caters varies with each event guest count, style of service and the menu. We are not looking to be the busiest – only the best!

We are a member of NACE: National Association of Catering Executives. By being a member of NACE, we surround ourselves with professionals and industry leaders. The Plug Nickel is constantly education ourselves to provide you the client, with the most up to date menu, trends and ideas to create the best event possible.
http://www.nace.net

We are in the service business and wish to provide you with the best of service and food.

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27Jan/10

Choosing a Caterer

~ Choosing a Caterer ~

Here you are planning your wedding reception, and after the ceremony, it is the most important part of the day. You have never given a thought to how that appetizer got on that tray that was being passed by a server that was offered to you. To put you at ease, most people who need catering have never purchased catering before. Visualize what you both want for your reception. What do you see, how does the event look in your mind? This day is all about the two of you and should reflect your personalities.

 

Location

You’re going to have an event, a special occasion where the memories will last a lifetime. Where is this going to be held? Should you have it at your family’s home in the backyard? Can you see the tent with chandeliers hanging from the center, the linens draped to the floor, elegant centerpieces and your guest dining on a 7-course meal? Or should you hold your event at another location, possibly a beautiful room overlooking a lake? You may not even be sure. Your location can determine the style of service and the price. There are just as many style of catering as there are events.

 

The type of Catering you will need to consider is

On-Premise or Off-Premise

 

What is Off Premise Catering?

Off-Premise catering is when the event is held at a location such as a banquet center, private home, historical sites, yacht clubs and other locations. The food is brought to the facility, as well as quite possibly the linen, china dishes, utensils and, well, everything if necessary. Sounds like a lot of work for you? Not at all! Hire Catering Celebrations and we will arrange and take care of all the necessary items.

 

What is On-Premise Catering?

On Premise Catering is when the event is held at the caterers’ location. This could be in Our Hidden Garden, or Garden Room, or the private Library Room. Everything is handled by Catering Celebration and we will work with you to personalize your event. We can help suggest music, décor and other services. Our lists of vendors are professional and will work with you in planning all the details that will make your event a reflection of you. Once that is in place – you can just show up and have a good time!

 

Selecting Catering Celebrations as your Caterer

You don’t do this for a living and it can be overwhelming, time consuming just trying to sort everything that is out there. Our professional catering staff understands this and we will help guide you to making the right decision and choices for your special occasion. We are here to make your event memorable and stress-free as possible. To serve you better, we will coordinate all the necessary items that are needed to host the event, linen, china, music, floral décor, alcoholic beverages, cappuccino bars and more.

 

We are an established catering company, reliable and professional. Our staff is experienced; we have a proven record of accomplishment of past events and a recognized reputation and standards that our customers come to expect.  

 

Importantly, we are licensed and insured for your piece of mind and protection.

 

Whatever your needs are, simple to elegant,

Let a Catering Celebrations professional guide you in planning your next event.

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