Wedding Cakes & Food Forum

Catering Advice

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?
image

Re: Catering Advice

  • That doesn't "aggressive" to me at all.  Prices vary greatly by area.  Try posting on your local board.
  • That seems like a pretty standard menu to me. Did the caterer say why she thought it was "aggressive"?
    image
  • Aggressive is probably an odd word to use- they said it was just a lot of food.

    My local boards are dead, so there isn't much use in posting there.
    image
  • It's not a lot of food- it seems really normal to me.  I really don't think you should cut anything- there is nothing to cut.  Try talking to other caterers.
  • That doesn't sound "aggressive" to me at all.  In fact, as @BlueBirdMB says, there's nothing there to cut out.

    I'd look for another caterer.
  • I also vote for checking out a different caterer.  That is in no way "agressive" and in fact is just right for a typical meal at a wedding!
  • This sounds like the bare minimum of food to me, something you'd serve on a strict, tight budget (still appropriate, but just minimal and very simple). The buffets I've attended have all had at least twice that amount of food. I don't get where it's aggressive. I actually want to tell you to add more if you can!  I'd talk to a bunch more caterers. I think you can get way more for your money.
  • What if you change the passed apps to an apps table? Then they don't staff walking around, just restocking a table which might cut down on the amount of staff they need & then reduce the cost. And for the meal, what about replacing the mac & cheese with pasta & meatless marinara sauce which then your vegetarian friends can make that their entree while others use is at their side dish?
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards