Author: enderun

What’s the most exciting part of choosing a caterer for your wedding? The taste testing of course! Catering services in Metro Manila will always offer a food tasting session for their clients. This is important since the tasting gives clients a good idea of the quality of the food. Food tastings must be done before you hire caterers. If a catering service doesn’t offer this, it’s a sign that you should try a different caterer. Although the main purpose of food tastings is to taste the food, flavor isn’t the only factor you should be evaluating during the session. What other reasons are there to take time out of your busy schedule for a food tasting?

1. You Get a Feel for the Actual Level of Service

Events catering is valuable not just for the actual food, but for the service they provide you and your guests during the wedding reception. Always remember: great service makes great food taste even better. Your tasting session also doubles as a type of “audition” for the catering company. This goes for both the quality of food and level of service they provide. Make sure you take notes of how attentive and courteous their servers are while you taste the food.

2. You Gain a Better Understanding of the Menu as a Whole

Menus aren’t just slapped together with whatever the chef felt like adding to a piece of paper. A great chef takes a lot of time crafting a menu to ensure each dish featured is harmonious. This is especially true for set menus since each dish is served in an order that helps enhance the taste of the next plate. Going through each course gives you a great idea of how the menu plays out and whether or not it fits your theme, expectations, etc.

3. You Can Have A Few Items on the Menu Replaced

There will be times when you dislike a particular dish in a menu. When this happens, speak up. Catering providers are more than happy to substitute a dish or two from your preferred menu. Being honest with your caterer allows them to provide you with a much better service. Other reasons to have menu items replaced include special dietary restrictions or food allergies. Food tastings are an important part of hiring the right catering company for your wedding, so make sure you participate in one before you sign a contract. Fortunately, respected caterers, like Enderun Events, offer complimentary tasting sessions to their clients. If your preferred caterer offers this service, make sure you take advantage of it!

After you’ve locked down where you’ll be holding your reception, you’ll need to choose a reliable wedding catering service. In most cases, you’ll need to decide between two options: plated service or buffet As is usually the case, both plated service and buffet set ups have their share of pros and cons. Let’s go over both options to help you get a better idea of why these two styles of catering are so popular for wedding receptions:

The Case for Plated Service

If you want a more formal wedding reception, choosing plated service is the way to go. Your guests will absolutely feel like royalty as they are served each course by experienced wait staff right at their table. There are two additional practical reasons why plated service is desirable: The first reason is that everyone gets their food at the same time. Many of us have experienced long lines in buffet set ups, and it can feel terrible to be the last table called for the buffet. Plated service makes sure everyone is served the same food at the same time so none of your guests go “hangry”. The second reason is that plated service will often run five or more courses. The time in-between each course easily allows you integrate the reception program into the schedule. This allows you to add typical wedding speeches, games, dances, and other creative activities to keep your guests entertained.

The Case for Buffet

Buffet set ups are becoming more and more popular for wedding receptions in recent years. The keys here are variety and choice. With a buffet set up, everyone is given the freedom to choose what they want and how much they want. This is great because you don’t need to worry about picky eaters or diet restrictions. Another case for choosing a buffet set up? Guests are encouraged to mingle and visit friends from other tables. It’s inevitable that certain groups will become separated due to limited seats per table. The time spent in between return trips to the buffet allows guests to visit family and friends that may be seated in other tables. Lastly, buffet set ups are generally the more affordable option. Some people may believe that buffet service is more expensive, but the fact of the matter is that you tend to save more money simply because you only need a few servers at for each buffet table as opposed to one or two servers per table.

Which Should You Choose?

There are no surefire criteria that will help you choose between buffet style and plated service. It all really boils down to which one you prefer and which you think your guests will enjoy more. With that said, the best option moving forward is to choose a wedding caterer in Taguig, such as Enderun Events, that provides both styles of service. This way, it’s easier to compare food options and prices, allowing you to make the best decision for you and your guests.

What is an event without great food? From weddings to milestone birthday parties, great food makes any event a little more memorable. This fact is more pronounced for events in the Philippines since food plays such a large role in our culture. This is why many organizers spend a lot of time trying to find the perfect caterer for their events–but what exactly makes a particular catering service “perfect”?

It can be a little difficult to choose the right caterer for your event due to the sheer number of catering services serving Metro Manila. How should you go about choosing you caterer? Here are a few tips to help you out:

Interview your prospective caterer

It can be a little difficult to gauge a caterer just by going through their menu and prices. Set up a meeting with the caterer you are interested in a month or two before your event. This conversation is a great way to evaluate a caterer and can be indicative of the quality of service they offer. This is also a great time to discuss your event’s specific needs as the caterer can adjust their services to meet your needs or refer you to a partner vendor who can provide what you need.

Ask about previous events they have catered

Experience matters, but not in the way some people may initially think. Instead of looking solely at how long a catering service has been in business, it’s best to look at the type of events they have catered. Caterers that primarily cater to corporate galas are better suited to working at charity galas over a backyard children’s party, allowing them to work more efficiently. Simply put, match catering services to the type of event you are planning.

Check the chef’s background, if possible

Do your homework and look up the head chef for the catering service. A chef’s background and experience in the kitchen has a significant influence on how happy you and your guests will be during the event itself. Why? It’s because the chef is the one most responsible for the quality of the entire meal. If possible, ask the chef to be a part of your initial face-to-face to get a better feel of the chef’s personality and drive.

Make sure you schedule food tasting

As Gordon Ramsay puts it: “Always taste the food.” That said, always ask the caterer if you can taste the food on your preferred menu. A proper food tasting is also a great time to ask the ingredients that go into every dish. This is especially important if you know certain guests have food allergies or strict diets (pescatarian, vegetarian, etc.). Many caterers would be happy to switch out a few dishes in your preferred menu.

Look at the whole picture

While food is the primary reason why you want to hire a great catering service for your event, it shouldn’t be the be all and end all. A great caterer pairs fantastic food with impeccable service. Be wary of drop-off caterers who only deliver the food and leave you to do all the serving. Full-service caterers have highly trained staff members who work hard to make your event memorable. This allows you to focus on enjoying your event instead of worrying about set up, serving, and clean up.

Overall, hiring the right caterer for your event boils down to finding the one who is able to meet your wants, needs, and budget. Follow these tips to help you narrow down your choices to the caterers that offer the best fit.