What Type Of Catering Options Are There For Your Event?

Author: Helen Carter   |   0 Comments   |   Categories: Blog   |   Tags:

Whether you’re hosting an international business convention or an intimate wedding reception, if there’s food involved, it’s best that you hire a reputable catering company. The professionals who work at one are more than capable at helping you plan out the right spread for the type of event you’re hosting. They’ll also shop, cook, and prepare it all as well as serve your guests. It doesn’t stop there – they’ll also clean up so that you don’t have to! Wondering about the type of events where you may want to hire a professional caterer? Take a look down below!

Wedding Reception

A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Special days like this deserve a special meal. One of the most important parts of every event is the food. Impress your guests by including catering especially designed for weddings with multiple course meals, sides, and elegant personalized desserts. You are the master of this event, so you get to decide and pick everything that will be on the spread. Whether you want a formal dinner or a casual cocktail reception where everybody can feast on finger foods as they walk around, a great catering company is more than happy to deliver.

Cocktail Reception

Catering for a cocktail reception means small, bite-sized foods that will satisfy your guests while they drink a few signature cocktails. Hors-d’oeuvres can be made in bulk while you will want to hire an excellent bartender to tend to guests as they snack and chat. Cocktail parties are not catered by all companies, but there are some that will do them; do your research and look for a company that does them well. If you want servers to walk among the crowd and offer people delicate cucumber sandwiches and crab cakes, look for a catering company that can provide that service as well.


The Buffet

Everyone loves an all-you-can-eat buffet spread. You get the change to pick what you want, serve yourself as much as you want, and then go back for more! Also, who doesn’t love having a wide range of dessert options? For the event host, a buffet can cater to the picky eaters, the big eaters, and any other type of issue that comes with food at events because you can lay out all the options, and guests will find their way around. You will need a space for this layout, but it will be well worth it when you know there will be options for everyone. Most buffets are also self-serving, which will save you on having to hire servers.


Corporate Events

Corporate events can be underrated but can be fun. With sandwiches and snack foods, what’s not to love? Your even could be elevated with a catering company to help prepare, set up and clean afterwards. Corporate catering events are typically held at lunch and are designed to hold your guests over before a long meeting.


Office Catering

Office catering has become a bit of a trend. It is an excellent way to treat your hard-working staff and will promote employee happiness. Regardless of if you’re celebrating something special or just want to surprise your employees, look for an amazing catering company to help you make it a memorable event!

Elegant Touch specialises in catering services in Perth, get in touch today to see how we can help.

Related Article: Catering for Seminar – What Should You Get?.

What to Consider When Hiring a Professional Caterer

Author: Helen Carter   |   0 Comments   |   Categories: Blog   |   Tags: •

Regardless of whether you’re holding a small intimate birthday party or a large business seminar, a professional caterer may be exactly what you need. Food and drink is an important part of any event.

Caterers are there to add value to your event, whether it’s by providing a five-course meal with waiters, a buffet for a wedding reception, or finger food for a conference. There are plenty of reasons to hire a caterer. If you’re in the process of looking for one, however, don’t just grab your laptop and start contacting caterers in the neighborhood. Make it easier for yourself (and your caterer) by considering these four important things beforehand:

1 – When the event is being held
You need to know when your event will take place if you want to book a caterer. During the planning process, chances are you have a couple of potential dates but haven’t settled on a final date. Sure, you could call for more information about what your potential caterer can offer. However, you won’t be able to get as much done if you don’t have a final date in mind. It’s important to remember that weekend slots fill up quickly so if you’re planning a weekend event, make sure you book a caterer further ahead of time.

2 – The number of people you will have to serve
A range will suffice when it comes to the number of people you have to serve. Most experienced caterers can work with that. However, it has to be a realistic range. A caterer can probably work with a range of 40 to 50. A range of 50 to 100, however, is very different. Make sure you have a good idea of how many people will be attending prior to getting in touch with a caterer.

3 – Where your event is being held
Caterers who have been in business for some time usually have worked with many different venues and may even be able to help you find one if you haven’t settled on one yet. That being said, it would be better for both you and the caterer to settle on a location ahead of time. This makes it possible for them to give you a better price estimate. It will also help a lot with regard to the planning.

4 – The amount of money you want to spend
Some people don’t know or don’t want to share the amount of money they’re willing to spend on a caterer. However, it would be a good idea to set up a budget. This will make it easier for you to rule out ones that are definitely out of your budget and consider those that you can afford.

Wrapping up
It’s important to consider the basic information of your event prior to getting in touch with potential catering companies. This is not only because you’ll be forced to get started on the planning but also because you’ll be setting yourself up to plan effectively. It’s understandable that you may not have every single little detail figured out. However, the basics are important. Besides, great caterers may be able to help you figure out those little details and host an incredible event. Caterers specialize in using food and drink to add value to an event. Those with significant experience have attended and worked hundreds or even thousands of events. They’ll be able to give you tips on how to make sure your event runs smoothly.

When your event is successful, your caterer’s work has been successful too. By making sure your basic details are worked out ahead of time, you’ll be setting both you and your caterer up for success!

Elegant Touch specialises in catering services in Perth, get in touch today to see how we can help.

Related Article: Plating Like a Michelin Star Chef.

Catering for a Seminar – What Should You Get?

Author: Helen Carter   |   0 Comments   |   Categories: Blog   |   Tags: • •

You’re organizing a business seminar but have no idea what kind of catering to provide. Try to take the number of participants, the location, and atmosphere into consideration to start with. For a seminar with clients, opting for a buffet or sit-down meal might be best, whereas a team-building or employee seminar may be more suitable for a cocktail lunch.


Meal Type

Before deciding what kind of food to serve, identifying the objective of the seminar will definitely help. Whether it’s for training purposes, management or team building, answering these questions will define the aim of your seminar, thus helping you plan it further. Whether or not your attendees will be standing or sitting for the majority of this seminar can be an important consideration to make as the stand-up format might feel a little more informal and is generally recommended with more than 50 people. A sit-down or lunch or dinner may make the atmosphere a lot more formal and the meals may be a bit more substantial, making it perfect for a seminar meant for business partners or clients.


Cocktail Party Option

A cocktail event would normally be held either mid-morning or late afternoon. For this type of party, there are no tables and chairs, but there may be bar tables for guests to place drinks and other items. Food is arranged on one large table and guests will serve themselves. Plates and glasses are usually made of plastic or cardboard, cutlery is limited and the food is mainly in bite-sized portions, making it easy to eat.

Aperitif Cocktails

Generally, this type of cocktail party involves hot and cold food, sweet and savory bites and even appetizers served before a sit-down lunch or dinner.

Cocktail Lunch

This involves gourmet-style food served for lunch from midday.

Cocktail Dinner

This replaces dinner and is served from 6 pm.

Advantages to Cocktail Parties

These types of parties are great because they’re economical, requires less staff, less space, and is less cleaning after it’s over. Even though the atmosphere for cocktail parties is less formal, it is still ideal for meeting new people or building relationships. Guests can move more freely, making communication a lot easier.


The Buffet Option

Since a buffet means more substantial food, guests are generally seated. Buffets are best for lunch or dinner and this kind of catering will need enough space for tables and chairs, as well as the buffet itself. Even though guests can serve themselves, hiring a waiter can give a more formal feel to your seminar. With this option, the menu is more flexible and can include starters, salads, meat or seafood-based course and a dessert, possibly with a charcuterie platter or cheese board on the side. A buffet is generally either hot or cold, and you could provide a mix of cold and hot dishes to offer more variety. And just as with the cocktail option, the dishes and cutlery are often disposable, but if your budget allows for it, there’s nothing wrong with using actual cutlery.

Advantages to Buffets
Because the buffet option requires less staff, it will be cheaper. It will also be more comfortable as guests can sit down to enjoy themselves while having a proper meal. It can be quite the social even as well since guests can mingle and talk at the tables or even while getting a serving of food. Try to arrange a good amount and layout with your caterer to work with your number of guests to avoid having to queue up.

Sit-Down Meal Option

Also known as the three-course meal option, which is more formal as the guests remain seated and are served by waiting staff. Since the menu is provided in advance, things are more organized and schedules are easier to stick with. The downside is that guests will not be able to have second helpings and the wait between each course may be longer.


The Rest
If your seminar will take place throughout a full day, it is crucial to allow breaks in the middle of the morning and afternoon so that participants can get up, stretch and recharge. These breaks should include hot drinks or fruit juice, along with a sweet snack such as fresh fruit, biscuits, a cake or pastry. Finally, if your seminar is lasting more than one day, consider offering breakfast, preferably in a buffet format to save time.

Elegant Touch offers a range of catering options in Perth, get in touch today to see how we can help.

Related Article: Essential Tips For Afternoon Tea Catering.