Catering Woes...

AlaisLongthought

Hi y'all...this is my first post here...please be patient if I make some sort of faux pas (although I'll sure try not to)!

We're having issues w/finding a caterer...the venue we've chosen for both the ceremony & reception requires us to choose from one of seven caterers (& one of those caterers is the local grocery chain...an upscale chain, but nonetheless a grocery store). Before signing a contract & putting down a nonrefundable deposit w/the venue, we checked the caterers' Websites & picked two that we thought would work well w/what we want (a cocktail-style reception w/just appetizers & mini-desserts; open bar of only beer & wine & the wine being from New Zealand). 

We met w/our first choice back in mid-July. She told us that appetizer-style receptions that she caters run in the $28-35/pp range...but when we came up w/a menu (all of which she encouraged as fitting in w/what we told her we wanted) she said that the food alone would be $50-75/pp. We've asked for the specific dollar figures per dish so that we can decide what we can have & what needs to go, but we cannot get her to give us specific prices.

We also contacted our second choice in late June. It took her a month to return our call, then another couple of weeks to arrange to discuss the reception. Pretty much everything we wanted was met w/a "Well, I'm going to tell you right now that..." followed by her reason as to why what we wanted to do (& what the wedding planner at the venue had said was fine) wouldn't work. 

Now, however, it's less than eight months until the wedding, & we're feeling very stressed over not having a caterer settled. We really don't want to go w/our first choice because we think she's going to be shady on the prices all the way to the end, plus we've heard she's prone to temper tantrums in the kitchen. The second choice may already be booked. We contacted our third choice but haven't heard back from them. Any suggestions as to what we can/should do? Thanks... : ) 

kaesha

I say go post this over on your local board and ask them for caterer suggestions. It sounds like none are particularly ideal... also, if you're just contacting people via email, it's time to get on the phone. People are far more responsive at that point.

AlaisLongthought

Thanks kaesha...I just contacted "Door #3" by e-mail yesterday & am giving them until the end of the week before I call. "Door #2" e-mailed me yesterday & said she would let me know by 11/8 if she's going to be free on our date or not. So it's just "Door #1" that really needs a phone call. She has a bad habit of interrupting, which is one reason I like e-mailing better, as I get a chance to get all of my thoughts out in an organized fashion, but my fiancé said he'll call her because he's ex-military & has no trouble interrupting people if necessary. ; ) 

What I'm curious about is if other people have dealt w/a situation like this before...they have a limited no. of caterers from which to choose & for one reason or another none of them work (they're booked already, they won't do what you want them to do, etc.). Has anyone needed to approach the coordinator of their venue & told them that they need to bring in an outside caterer? If yes, how did you approach the coordinator to get his/her approval?

Sue-n-Kevin

Sounds like you have your hands full.

I would go back to caterer #1 and ask what items they WOULD supply within the $28-$35 range. Put her on the spot, because if that's what she says they cost, then she should back it up.

Wait & see what caterer #2 comes back with

If you've already signed a contract with your venue, call them and ask them WHY they only give you so many caterers to choose from. Seriously, it should not matter to them who the paying customer uses, in fact, they might be open to discussing this.

I also would NOT diss the "upscale grocery store". We interviewed 6 caterers for our wedding, 3 of them were upscale gourmet stores. In all honesty, they have the best prices, and a fabulous selection. Not sure if the one you are talking about is a gourmet store, but our thought process (which has proven to be true) is this: Gourmet grocery stores make most of their money on the grocery store side. Catering is an "offshoot" of this, so they are more willing to negotiate. Both of our final 2 choices (we'll be deciding soon) are gourmet stores. They have entire catering departments with a catering manager, and the one we really like has a chef from one of the local restaurants that was voted #1 a couple of years back. Both tastings had superb food.

We went in and told them we wanted to spend $20 per person, and what foods we wanted (whether it was on their menu or not). They've come in within our budget, but the personnel they have on hand (chef, attendants, supervisor) make it a bit higher. They also have a baker, so we can get our cake there too. They also have connections so we can get our rentals from them as well.

Good luck.

sarahbutchin

What about the other caterers that the venue has on the list? I would contact all of them. Even the ones that may seem like they are too expensive. I would ask for a itemized list!

bridalgal50

I agree with asking the caterer to make suggestions of what she CAN offer within your price range.  If she really wants your business, she will do what she can. 

And don't be afraid to ask the venue if it is possible to use an outside caterer, since you are not happy with your current possibilities.

And I think I would start considering the upscale grocery chain....check out their website and see if you can find online reviews from other brides that have used them.  Ask about them on your local board, as well.

Good luck!!

AlaisLongthought

Thanks all...I did check out the grocery store's catering brochure & they have some excellent choices...I need to find out if they supply staff or just drop the food & go, though. I didn't mean to diss the store so much...after all, I shop there every week (& won't go elsewhere), but it's not exactly what I had been thinking of! But if they've got a liquor license & will serve the wines we want & we don't have to serve all of the food ourselves, I'd for sure be willing to go w/them. And I do plan to let the venue's planner know of the issues we've been having, especially because the venue wants to go to only two choices in the catering department.