Five facts that let any kitchen give you an honest quote.
A good brief is short. Tell the caterer the date, the guest count, the venue, the style of service and your budget per guest, and you will get a real number back instead of a range.
Start with the guest count
Everything else scales from it: staff, crockery, kitchen size and cost. A rough number is fine. Say whether it could move by more than ten per cent.
Describe the room, not the theme
We need to know about power, water, a service entrance and how far the kitchen is from the tables. The theme can wait for the tasting.
Share the budget
A budget is not a target for us to hit. It tells us whether to propose a plated dinner or live counters, and saves everyone a week.
