What are the key qualities of a good caterer?
What are the factors that should be considered in choosing a caterer?
Whether you are looking for caterers for an intimate dinner party or a large-scale corporate event, the following are factors to keep in mind when looking for a good caterer.
Menu choices and flexibility
The first question you will want to ask is what kind of food can be catered? At The ALS Group we offer international food options from a wide and varied menu, alongside a host of others choices. If you want buffet catering for your guests, you can choose from a corporate buffet menu, a party buffet menu or even choose something a little different, a Bao Buns Buffet! Alternatively, our chefs will work with you to create a bespoke buffet package to suit your needs.
If à la carte catering is more in keeping with your event, we offer a fine dining menu as well as a canape menu and of course we can create a bespoke menu to suit your guests’ exact requirements. For events that are less formal, why not consider BBQ catering or a selection of street foods?
Top quality food prepared by qualified chefs
It goes without saying that when providing professional catering for your event guests, the food served needs to be of the highest standard and prepared by top class, qualified chefs. Talented chefs will always produce and deliver the highest quality dining experience for your guests and at The ALS Group, we pride ourselves on our 5-star food hygiene rating with all our staff being fully compliant with the necessary legislation to ensure your guests will be safe.
Excellent service
We consider the way food is served at events to be an art form, and a good catering company will have staff who are experienced in serving every type of menu to your guests. Our waiting staff is flexible; for more formal events our staff is silver service trained and experienced in providing a mingling service where waiters can pass discreetly around guests with trays and platters. For more informal events, our waiting staff can oversee your self-serve buffet if required. Whatever your event, you can rely on staff with the experience and expertise to serve your guests in the most professional way.
Experience
Look for a professional caterer that has been involved in the industry for a while as they are more likely to have a greater breadth of experience and a wider skill set than a new firm. At The ALS Group, our 25 years’ experience has equipped us to deal with the pressures of any situation and our staff is always calm and positive in the face of challenges.
Budget and communication
Good caterers understand the importance of effective communication with clients and colleagues, and where clients are working within a strict budget, a good caterer will work with you to ensure that your event expectations are in line with your budget and that the catering fits your brief. Do not hesitate to ask lots of questions – a good caterer will be happy to answer any queries to help you decide if you will be able to establish a successful working relationship with them.
Extra services
Events organisation involves so much more than catering and many catering companies will have a list of recommended suppliers. However, The ALS Group provides a friendly one-stop shop, and is able to offer a comprehensive service for all your events requirements. To help ease the stress of organising your event, we can provide entertainment, marquees, catering, furniture hire and much more – for more information about our catering, or any of our other services, get in touch today by email or phone on 01526 397995.
