A tasting only allowed AFTER you sign a contract????

Alisonrv

I received a quote on food (which is on the pricey side) and I asked if we could set up a tasting.... to my suprise, I was informed that I had to sign a contract first before we could taste the food.......

I know of many caterers / venues that will set up a small tasting so you can see if you like the food and decide if you want them or not..........

Maybe it's just me but it just seems wrong........... If I am going to pay $75 a plate, shouldn't I get to taste the food first to see if we believe it's worth it or not?

What do you think?

x3Harmony534

Absolutely not. Never in a million years would I sign a contract (ESPECIALLY for $75 per plate!) without tasting the food. I've never heard of that, I'd definitely pass.

andee1353

Who is the caterer? And why so much??

Alisonrv

Good, I thought I was the only one who thought this was wrong...... The place is Bella Collina

We are thinking about looking at The Ballroom at Church Street... I hear it was made over but I haven't seen it in person..... I love Bella Collina but some aspects of it just don't seem right...

irisheyezfsu

That is so odd and disappointing. I would make it clear that you are interested and it would be loss business if they did not let you have a tasting before the contract is signed. I think they just don't want people getting free meals. How about suggesting a fee to taste the food that can be added to the cost of the contract. That is what a lot of places do.

Maggie214624

It is my understanding that this practice is actually pretty common.  That was actually a deciding factor for us between two venues.  The one that didn't allow it before signing didn't get our business.  I equate it to buying a car...I wouldn't buy one without test driving it.

therockisblinding05

Even the idea of this freaks me out. I would never sign anything w/o knowing what I was getting first. Plus, tasting the food is half the fun

jmucheech21

I am surprised so many people are surprised by this!!  I didn't go to a single venue that offered a tasting before signing a contract, they all said it was after.  =(  I asked my coordinator and she said unfortunately that is usually the policy, so we went on referrals.  Good luck!!!

irisheyezfsu

Jenny- really? What places did you look? My issue is, what if you don't like the food, you are stuck

Theresa626

Every single venue I visited told me that I could not taste any food at all until I signed a contract.  I really wanted to but there was not a single venue I visited where this is normal.  I looked up tons of reviews online to make sure everything was good.  When we finally did have our tasting, it was phenomenal and we are paying almost 200 a person for the food and drinks.  So, it made me nervous to but I think it's just how they work. 

Theresa626

Is there a restaurant on site at Bella Collina? perhaps you could visit that.  

x3Harmony534

WOW! All the caterers at LMEC allow tastings prior to booking. I guess since we didn't look into any other caterers I didn't realize this was common. I still wouldn't do it... too risky! If you're really interested I second the offering to pay for a tasting. Hopefully they'll be willing to meet you half way.

lauralulu777

I contacted three caterers for my wedding at the Winter Park Farmer's Market (they let you bring in whomever you want to use), and all three scheduled consultations and follow-up tastings with no obligation to sign anything, no questions asked.  Maybe this is more of a venue-specific issue than a caterer issue?  Meaning, independent caterers that aren't exclusive to a venue may be more flexible about setting up tastings to sell their services, whereas a place like Bella Collina or the Ballroom at Church Street may be selling the venue more so than the food, knowing that if you fall in love with the place, you'll find something on the menu that will be satisfactory to you.  I do know that the Ballroom at Church Street uses Puff n' Stuff exclusively as their caterer, if that helps.

CC24

I know with a caterer we checked out they said NO tasting without a signed contract from the reception hall. Maybe that's what they meant? Personally I wouldn't sign anything without tasting it first.

jmucheech21

Irisheyez, the ones I looked at that had their own catering were Celebration, Harmony, and Lakeside Inn.  All the other venues, you had to bring in a caterer, but we decided on Celebration, so I can't speak for whether or not the specific caterers let you come sample.  

I agree I wasn't thrilled about this set up, but we loved Celebration.  My fiance is a photographer so he had worked a wedding there before and said he thought the food was fine.  We also had another friend that got married there and she agreed.  So, we're hopeful the quality will continue.  I am a little nervous, but then at the same time, I guess the chef could change at the venue after we tasted and then we'd be in the same boat, so I guess there really is never a way to be completely safe!!

It sounds like from what the other girls are saying, you have a better chance doing tastings with independent caterers.  Best of luck!!  

cjbwifey2010

I never knew that you could have a tasting prior to signing a contract! i wonder if my reception venue lets you do that...

We looked at the menu and decided that some of these items sounded pretty good! FI is a chef so it wasn't going to be too difficult, especially if something wasn't right. We did end up having 2 tastings because FI couldn't find a protein that he really liked. When we went back the 2nd time, we had chosen a MUCH better selection, and we are so happy with the choices that we made!

I guess it all works out  

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swtbliss

Yes, this is very common especially if you are having your wedding at a venue where you cannot bring outside caterers (almost ALL hotels and country clubs say you can only get f&b through them). I don't think you should be worried about the food because if you love the venue, you can work with the chefs until you arrive at a menu that you all agree upon. Make sure before you sign the contract that you communicate with them that food is really important to you. When you finally do have a menu tasting, pick out the things you want to try and if you don't like it, tell them and ask if you can have another menu tasting with new suggestions. Yes if you are paying that much, you deserve to make sure it's food you like! Good luck!

AileeneG

Eek! That would kind of scare me to sign a contract for food I had never tried.