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catering advice

hartkarhartkar
First Comment
in California-San Diego
Hello,     I'm getting married July 31 at the Vista Optimist Club.  They allow couples to choose any caterer and bring in our own alcohol, which I feel will really help us stay in budget.  My fiance wants two things: good food, and an open bar.  I recently talked to a caterer in Vista that the place (and a few friends) recommended, and for what I want to do (buffet stations- beef, maybe some chicken, salad, pasta, bread) they start around $42 per person.  This seems really high.  I swear, whenever I call to get a quote, when I say the word "wedding" I feel like the price triples.  I said something to the lady at the Optimist Club about thinking they were kind of expensive, and she told me that I wasn't considering that they also provide linens, full service, cake cutting, and they aren't charging a corking fee (for the alcohol I bring in).  We plan on having about 200 people at our wedding.  I can't seem to cut back on the guest list at all, and I am really envious of you gals with smaller guest lists.  $8,000 seems a bit steep for food.  Thoughts?  Advice?  Any other caterers I should check out??
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Re: catering advice

  • LeAnna&TomLeAnna&Tom member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I am using Personal Touch Dining and my cost per person for meals is $25 just of the food portion...The total was 12K for 200 guest, that is staff, choc foutain, chair & chair cover rentals.  You should call them and just get a quote.  We did lots of searching and they were the best price for the service.  They act like a day of coordinator. They will take care of things like dealing with other vendors. Make sure when you get quotes you ask for the same from each. Some charge 2.50 a guest to cut the cake.  I worked at the Coroando Community Center and our facilities staff said they were the best to work for.  They also are feeding the faclities staff at no charge to us.  Sarah is the girl to talk to.
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  • Alpine EngagedAlpine Engaged
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I'm doing a buffet and paying $46/ person.
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  • SprzoutSprzout
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    DEFINITELY talk with Personal Touch. We're looking at 100 guests, and our entire bill with them is a little over $5k. This includes cake cutting, appetizers, beef tri-tip and ravioli buffet, salad, bread, service fees, linens, plates, etc. The only thing it doesn't include is the tip & alcohol. They are really working well with us over everything, helping to coordinate things...And they've been really nice about everything. You might want to check into them...The worst that happens is you find they won't fit for your needs. Oh, and BTW, their food is REALLY, REALLY good!
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  • MauiMeInSDMauiMeInSD member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I went to a wedding there last year that was catered by Hennesey's in Carlsbad. They did a buffet with same sorta items you're looking for. Not sure on the cost but I know she was working with a tight budget too. I wanna say it was less than $20 a person. There was a lot of food and it was pretty tasty too so you may wanna see if they can do anything for you. GL!
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  • hartkarhartkar
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks everyone!  I got menus from Personal Touch, and they seem a lot more reasonable.  I'll look into Hennessey's too.  Is that bar food?  What kind of buffet was served?  What did you think of the wedding there?I'm surprised to discover that buffets can sometimes be more expensive than sit down dinners, because of portion control.  Tray passed hors dourves are also cheaper than stationed for the same reason. 
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  • MauiMeInSDMauiMeInSD member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    You'd think it'd be bar food but it wasn't. It was your typical buffet menu. Sliced roast beef, chicken, salads, mashed potatoes and veggies.. the norm. I think its a great space for a wedding and I'm surprised its not very popular. There's a bridal room for the ladies. They had the wedding ceremony on the back lawn. Photos in the front lawn. Cocktail hour on the patio. And the reception inside. Lots of parking and you can bring in your own alcohol. So for some, that's a big plus right there.
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  • hartkarhartkar
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks!  I got the estimate back from Personal Touch, and the total comes to $10,500.  What is a service charge if it isn't gratuity???  I'm already paying the service people $2,000 according to the quote, so what's a service fee?  Now that I have the total price, the price per person is $54 dollars a head, which is more than what I was quoted from the other place.  Are there any other places any of you recommend?  Or, are these normal quotes? 
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  • SprzoutSprzout
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    That's actually about average, unfortunately. I checked with some other places that were able to be chosen for our venue, and they ranged anywhere from $33/person to our $52/person.The cheaper places didn't do the linens, so we would have had to rent them; they didn't include the cake cutting, which can be anywhere from $1.50/slice up to $3/slice from the places I was looking at, so that would've added up, and with at least one of the places I would have had to either buy or rent place settings/plates for each person. That all adds up, unfortunately. :(Truthfully, if you're trying to do good food, you're looking at hiring a caterer, which means a fair chunk of change. You could always end up being cheaper by having someone bring a grill and BBQ, or do potluck or something, but that just seems a little tacky...:(
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  • hartkarhartkar
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I don't want to BBQ (though the thought has crossed my mind) because I don't want it to be at all tacky.  At the same time, paying $50 a head leads me to believe I'm getting premium food, not a buffet.  The place has all the china, so I don't need that.  I was really excited at first at Personal Touch's $28 a head price, but after everything is added on, it doesn't seem that great. 
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  • dsiembiedadsiembieda
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I used El Indio Catering. Cheap and good.
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