Arranging a large event can be stressful – there’s so much to think about. Spend a bit of time and effort arranging your catering, however, and at least you will know that your guests will be well fed and watered. Read on for some tips on arranging large-scale catering. Firstly, you need to know well in advance when and where your event will be as your caterers will need time to prepare for a large number of guests, drawing up menus and preparing the food.

You should find out as soon as you can how many people will be attending the event and whether any of them have any allergies, religious food needs or other special requirements. You should tell your caterers as soon as you find out so they can adapt their menus if necessary and provide food options for everyone. All of the food on the day of the event should be clearly labeled with relevant information so people know what it is and what’s in it.

You also need to be very aware of your costs – your overall budget and how much of that is for catering – as it’s easy to go over budget when taking care of a large amount of people. Get a good idea of how many will be attending as caterers often charge you per person. They also offer a range of menus for different prices based on the cost per person, so make sure you know your options and they know your budget so your menu stays on cost.

Because a lot of the food will have to be prepared ahead of time, you might want to consider the issue of storage. Find out what storage facilities are available at your venue and alert your caterers if they will need to provide storage as some of them don’t offer this service. Also consider transportation – how far is it from the caterers to your venue? You could use a caterer local to the event venue or using one recommended by the venue if you can’t get a caterer with transport.

You also need to give a bit of thought to whether you want to have a formal sit down meal or a buffet. A lot of event managers recommend a buffet for big events, but make sure you have people to serve the food so the queue moves along quickly. Inform your guests prior to the event about what food will be on offer so they won’t hold up the queue by taking ages to decide what they want. A bit of advance planning should ensure your catering runs smoothly.

More : The Lotus Food Company