XP: Catering Advice

sarahufl

I posted this on the food board, but I thought I would get chit chat's opinion too!

Hi All- appreciate your advice in advance. We are getting quotes back from caterers and are kind of....shocked.....by the prices. One of the caterers mentioned that our menu was kind of aggressive and I wanted to get a feel of what people provide for a buffet/cocktail hour. We have 4 passed apps (stuff like bruschetta, fruit and cheese, mini quiches, etc so nothing super fancy)

The buffet will include 2 meats (chicken and brisket), a cold salad, bread, potatoes, mac and cheese and roasted veggies.

Is this too much? What do you all think can be cut out easily. One of the issues we have is that a handful of our friends are vegetarian (probably less than 10) so we don't just want them eating a cold salad for dinner.

I would love to cut some food costs while still providing enough variety and properly hosting people. Thoughts?

cruffino

hmm...doesn't sound like too much to me. sounds like a good menu as is. i wouldn't eliminate anything.

how shocking are the prices? what is the formality of your wedding? i know BBQ is really cost conscious (and delicious). 

Cookie Pusher

Does the catering cost include anything besides the food? Everyone thought our caterer sounded really pricey until we told them the price included the cocktail hour/buffet dinner, all non-alcoholic beverages and bar stock, linen/china/flatware rental, glass water goblets and champagne flutes, set up and break down of the entire venue (reception and ceremony), plus all the staff who are being paid a very good wage.

sarahufl

FWIW, I am easily shocked it is about $30-$35pp. Is that a lot? A little? I don't come from a metro area (north Florida) so it just seemed like an awful lot. It doesn't help that my sister had the world's cheapest (but really, really good) wedding food, so that is where my experience comes from.

Afternoon Catholic church wedding, cocktail hour starting at 5ish, reception at a plantation, in the carriage house. Not super fancy, but not super casual either.

pumpkinsandturkeys

What did they mean by 'aggressive'? I find that an odd term to use.

I think that you have a good variety available. If I was going to cut something, I'd say maybe the potatoes because the Mac and cheese is more substantial and also a starch, and a better option for the vegetarians. However, if you can afford both, go for it.

We're having a plated dinner, so I don't really have much advice when it comes to planning a buffet. However, we are having a wide variety of passed hors d'oeuvres for our cocktail hour (chicken satays, pulled pork bites, oysters, and a trio of mini tarts), along with a regional cheese board. We tried to ensure that there were at least 2 options for the cocktail hour that everyone would eat.

sarahufl

@cookiepusher - it just includes food/labor/service people/service implements. Bar is separate and I think we need to provide linens and plates.

Cookie Pusher

Hmm, that doesn't sound ridiculous to me, but I'm in NY Metro so it takes a lot more for me to get sticker shock. My caterer is charging just a hair under $60/pp for everything that I listed above. You may want to get quotes from other local caterers to see if what this place is charging is on par for the area or if you're being over-charged.

lyndausvi

Doesn't sound too much to me.    The only think you could cut is one of the proteins, but I really don't suggest that.

cruffino

i live in nyc, so $30-35 is like getting it for free...lol. but seriously, i may not have accurate perspective, but it sounds reasonable for everything that you're getting. maybe you could try to negotiate for linens and tableware to be included. i wouldn't want to have to rent that separately. 

Senecaf

Mine is similar but $50 pp. It does include white linens, all necessary utensils for eating and drinking, water and the staff to serve it. It was a mid range caterer.

Yours sounds pretty resonable. I'd be curious what all they include in that pp cost.

sarahufl

haha, funny thing is that I also live in NYC (hi, New Yorkers!) but I am getting married in my hometown. We got 5 quotes and they are all roughly $31-$39pp including the same stuff.

It doesn't help that it will be a Big Ass Wedding. $31*220 just really adds up

pinkcow13

cruffino stated above, I do not have an accurate perspective either. I also think you do not need to eliminate anything from the list you stated. I agree that maybe you can try to negotiate on the linens/tableware.

edit:punctuation

pumpkinsandturkeys

I wish we were paying $35pp. Ours is $65pp, not including bar, and that's a pretty good deal for our area (all-inclusive packages at generic banquet halls tend to run $100 - $120pp, and more unconventional venues, like the bigger wineries, can charge as much as $150pp plus thousands of dollars in site fees).

sarahufl

pumpkinsandturkeys said:

I wish we were paying $35pp. Ours is $65pp, not including bar, and that's a pretty good deal for our area (all-inclusive packages at generic banquet halls tend to run $100 - $120pp, and more unconventional venues, like the bigger wineries, can charge as much as $150pp plus thousands of dollars in site fees).

oh, this is just food. Trust me, we are paying for other stuff one of the selling points is that the place is empty and you can bring in whatever. But one of the drawbacks is that the place is empty and you can bring in whatever. We still have to pay for the bar.