Know Before You Hire: Food Catering Basics

Like any business, food catering has its own terminology. You're likely to feel lost in an alphabet soup if you don't get a handle on the lingo early in the process. Understanding food catering is simple once you learn the basic terms.

General Food Catering Terms

Tasting: Before you select the food for your wedding, you'll want to have a tasting. Schedule a time with your caterer to taste all of the available options. Make sure that you include each course and also any table wines that will be served.

Sommelier: A sommelier is a food catering expert who can help you select the appropriate wines. In order to become a sommelier, he or she must have taken courses and passed certain tests.

Per-Head: Most food catering companies charge per head, which basically means "per guest." Keep in mind that most catering companies offer a fifty percent (or more) discount for children and vendors.

F&B: Stands for "food and beverage." Often you'll see this term associated with the word "minimum." Most food catering companies require that a food and beverage minimum be met in order to secure an event. Saturday nights tend to carry the highest food and beverage minimums.

Types of Food Catering Services

Butler Style: Men and women in fancy garb pass appetizers to your guests, complete with napkins and little plates. Fake English accent is optional.

White Glove Service: Butler service on steroids. When you add white glove services to the agenda, you'll have wait staff at your beck and call throughout the event. Grandma will likely be impressed if you go this route.

Family Style: Bowls and platters of food are served en masse, as guests pass the dishes from person to person. Great for smaller weddings.

Plated (Sit Down) Dinners: The food is prepared in the kitchen and served to guests on individual plates.

Buffet: Guests serve themselves or are served by waitstaff at individual carving stations. This is a great choice for brides and grooms who want several food catering options.

Bar Options

Cash Bar: The guests pay for their own drinks. Typically, the food catering service will include ice and garnishes at no extra charge to the couple.

No-Host Bar: Same as the cash bar. Refers to the fact that bride and groom are not hosting the bar.

Beer and Wine Bar: No hard alcohol is served, but beer and wine are provided by the bride and the groom.

Host Bar: The bride and groom have opted to pay for guest drinks. Host bars can last anywhere from one hour through the duration of the event.

Open Bar: The bar is considered open for patron consumption and drinks do not require any payment.

Rate This Article

OVERALL RATING

YOUR RATING

Saving Rating...

Log-in to save your ratings!

Recommend This Article

Digg
Reddit
Del.icio.us

ServiceMagic Articles To-Go

See Catering Articles