Headcount: The most commonly asked question for the party/event organizer who does not know how many people will be attending, is “what should they do?”
The answer is you need to decide on a number and that is how much food will be cooked based upon that estimated headcount. The event organizer has to decide the level of risk of running out of food. To be blunt, In other words, it is not the caterer’s fault if the event runs out of food.
Do you charge a different rate for children?
No we do not charge a different rate. We recommend you estimate on kids eating ½ or less than adults, obviously depending on age. Since we are not a restaurant we are not really charging by the plate we just use the total estimated head count to gauge how many ingredients are necessary for the event.
Does your catered meal include full service, i.e. Meal prep, serving/servers, and clean up? If cleanup is provided what all does it involve?
Price includes off-site food & equipment prepping & onsite cooking of catered food, setup of food line, employees replenishing & restocking, plates, napkins & cutlery, take down & cleanup of all food related items. Catering staff members will bus tables and change out garbage can liners throughout the event.
What is your average price range? Is it priced per plate or by the pound?
Price is dependent on menu choice and current market prices for meat. We, like other caterers, charge by the plate. Some BBQ restaurants “catering” sell by the pan or by the pound. Please review the Menu with prices and sometimes a custom order requires a custom price. (Request a quote)
When would you need to know the final headcount and final menu choices? How will delivery, setup, and breakdown work? When would you need to access the venue?
Bare minimum would be a week before the event however the earlier the better. We typically arrive the day before an event to drop off equipment if possible. We start to breakdown the food line after the party/event starts to wind down. We like to access the venue approximately a week before the event to discuss location of food line and to double check water & electricity.
Will you prepare the food at the venue and need to make arrangements with the venue?
We typically do our food prepping in a Health Department approved commercial kitchen in Pasco. We would like to access a kitchen at the venue if it is available however if it is not available we can be self-sufficient.
Are there any additional taxes, deposits, fees, gratuities involved beyond the pricing you provide?
Price includes off-site food & equipment prepping & onsite cooking of catered food, setup of food line, employees replenishing & restocking, plates, napkins & cutlery, take down & cleanup of all food related items and required Insurance, Permits & licenses to provide catered food within the state of Washington. Which includes, but not limited to, Health Department approved commercial kitchen, Equipment (Catering truck & BBQs & Tools), Material (Ingredients), Labor (Catering staff) & consumable materials (Wood pellets, Fuel, etc…). Washington State Sales Tax is additional. Beverages & dessert is available at an additional cost. There will be no additional costs or fees beyond what is indicated on the estimate (i.e. Gratuity). Deposit: 50% Pre-payment and 50% a week before the day of the event for all new clients
If the dinner runs longer than anticipated, is there an overtime charge?
No, we do not charge for a party that runs longer than planned.
What do you do with leftovers, provided there are any?
Under Washington State Health Department regulations we, the caterer, are supposed to throw all leftovers away. However as long as we maintain the proper holding temperature for the food we have many times have donated leftovers to the Union Gospel Mission in Pasco to feed the homeless.
As far as the proof of insurance, Business license, and food handlers permit, is that something you need from the venue itself?
We do not need any of those items from the venue however sometimes the venue requires those documents from us. City of Pasco requires Proof of Insurance and Business License for us to cater within the city park. The Benton-Franklin County Fairgrounds require we provide Proof of insurance and that they are listed on the Certificate of Conformance. Just to name a few as examples.
Finally, what are you suggestions? What services do you provide that we may have forgot to mention? And what services do you not provide that we may have overlooked asking about?
Our suggestions are as follows: