Wedding Cakes & Food Forum

Industry standard to provide food tasting?

We are having our ceremony and reception at an inn in the mountains; therefore, the inn is providing all the catering. My parents are going with us to visit the facility in a couple of weeks and I asked if we could sample the food choices. They said they don't do that, but they suggest we have dinnner at their facility to get "a feel for the quality and ingredients." On our dime, I assume, since they didn't offer to pick up the tab. Given the inn in three hours from our home, we would also have to spend the night -- also on our dime.

Is there an industry standard or best practice when it comes to things like this? The inn's restaurant gets rave reviews, so I'm not terribly concerned that the food will stink or anything, but it rubs me the wrong way.

Fortunately, we haven't signed any contracts or put down any deposits yet. It just seems the least they'd do is spring for dinner given the huge amount of money they'll make from us.

Re: Industry standard to provide food tasting?

  • edited December 2011
    Not all locations offer complimentary tastings.  It is common for them to offer you a tasting, but there are some that do not.  It really is not unheard of. If you haven't signed a contract and don't like the way they handle business, choose somewhere else.
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  • edited December 2011
    Our wedding was at an inn, and their chef and her staff did all of our food.  We didn't get to sample our food choices, because the chef picks things based on what is in season, so it wouldn't work to sample the gazpacho in March (for example).  

    Just to give you an idea of what the inn gave us--
    When we looked at the venue for the first time, they treated us to lunch (anything off the menu) in their tavern.  We stayed over once or twice for planning, and they gave us a fruit plate both times, and a bottle of wine the first time.  They let us try their house wines to figure out if we wanted to serve them.  When my parents met us at the venue to see it, we had dinner in their dining room, which we paid for, but the inn gave us two half bottles of champagne (we were deciding between them).  

    If you haven't signed the contract yet, you could try to negotiate--maybe you can get your dinner included, or up to a certain $$ per person, or something like that.  
  • jagore08jagore08 member
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    edited December 2011
    Our wedding was at an inn and we could book a tasting but we would have had to pay for it.  
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  • edited December 2011
    It's common to give a free tasting. It's equally as common to charge. =/

    I don't think they're sketchy or trying to screw you or anything.  
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