As the old saying goes – timing is everything! When you’re hosting an event, making sure that everything is running smoothly and on time is always a priority. Whether you’re hosting a buffet, happy hour, or a sit-down dinner with full bar service, making sure that everything is in order can make or break your event.
Let’s break down the different types of timing that can come into play during large event and small event catering.
Punctuality of Vendors and Staff
No matter if you’re requesting full event catering or drop-off catering services, it’s incredibly important that all necessary vendors or staff have arrived and prepared their assigned tasks before guests arrive. This punctuality is obviously important to the logistics of the event, but also to the overall ambience. If guests see vendors and staff arriving to the venue unprepared, it can create a hectic environment that can be difficult to ignore.
Working with a professional catering company will make it more likely that all working catering staff are on the same page in terms of arrival times, and that the food and vendors arrive to the venue as planned.
Making Sure the Food is Just Right
The main hallmark of any successful catering event is – you guessed it – the food! Perhaps one of the most important factors when it comes to timing an event is making sure the food is presented at the right time, place, and temperature.
For small events or drop off catering, this includes making sure all food arrives at the event hot and ready to go and, if needed, the catering service has provided heating elements to maintain the temperature of the food throughout the event. During large event catering, serving an entire table or event at once involves transporting all prepared food from the kitchen to the guests within just a few minutes.
At Randy Peters Catering, we pride ourselves in getting hot food to our guests, exactly as planned. In fact, even when there is a distance between our kitchens and your desired venue space, we bring in multiple delivery vans so we can have a direct line between the two. For our larger events, these vans work overtime to transport individual courses to our guests as they are finished being prepared, making sure that everyone gets a hot plate in front of them.
Playing a Role Throughout the Event
Although perhaps less obvious, catering services play a fundamental role in the progression of any event, so it’s incredibly important to share your desired schedule with the catering company in the planning stages.
Think about the last big event you attended. Most events measure their timing in food or courses. At office or local venue events, most people arrive in time to get into the buffet line. At larger events, the progression of the happy hour to sit down dinner is an important shift, and can include speeches or dedications. Finally, most guests know an event is wrapping up when the dessert or final drinks start making their rounds.
Whether it’s setting out the buffet, changing over the room for a full dinner service, or setting out the dessert course, all of these changes serve as cues for your guests to understand the overall timing and expectations of the event. Making sure these changes run without a hitch ensures that your event runs exactly on time – and makes a huge impact on your guests.
Your Roseville Event Center & Catering Company
If you’re looking for a local event center near you, consider Randy Peters Catering & Event Center. We offer three sophisticated event spaces that can accommodate events large or small. We also provide event catering and bar service and can personalize menus to meet your individual preferences. Give us a call at (916) 726-2339 or send us a message today and let us help you plan a party to remember!
