How to Choose Your Caterer

I always remember when I have an incredible meal. Especially at a wedding or a corporate function. For some, it can make or break how great of a time they have. No one wants their guests to go home hungry or with a bad taste in their mouth. When selecting a caterer for your special occasion or corporate event, you are looking for excellent food, service, and the ability to work with the enormity of the detail involved in planning.

As you meet with caterers for the first time it is important to address certain elements of planning and get answers to the big questions that can impact your decision to hire them. Kahn’s Catering, a premier Indianapolis catering company, has an eye for the details and never leaves any element to chance. We know that a phenomenal meal can make for a fabulous night and have put together our tips on choosing the best caterer for your wedding.

Availability

First and foremost you need to see if your caterer is available on the date you require and find out what the booking and payment process is. It’s important to understand how to secure your date and what payments are needed. Kahn’s Catering requires a signed contract with an event deposit in order to secure your event date.

Depending on whether you are hiring a caterer for a wedding or corporate function will determine when you begin searching for your caterer. Typically weddings book their venues and caterers nearly a year in advance, and those dates can go quickly! If you’re searching for a corporate event, you can usually begin searching no more than 4-5 months prior to your event depending on whether you are organizing a gala, conference, meeting, or dinner.

Kahn’s Catering is proud to be the exclusive caterer at a variety of Indianapolis venues, making the planning process for your wedding or special event as easy as possible. Not only do you get a unique venue for your event, but an incredible caterer as well! View Kahn’s Catering’s exclusive venues. Not only do we caterer exclusively to these venues, but are the preferred caterer for other locations and have the ability to cater at a location of your choice, such as your home. Keep in mind, many venues may have a list of preferred vendors, including caterers, so once your date is chosen and the venue is booked that’s a great time to start contacting catering companies.

Investment

Not all caterers are created equal. It’s important to have a solid understanding of what the catering costs are such as food and beverage minimums and what is included in your caterer’s service.  Ideally, you should be provided with options or packages that suit your needs based on budget. Considering what is and isn’t included in the price can vary from one caterer to the next.

Kahn’s Catering offers Special Occasion Packages crafted for optimum enjoyment and loaded with extras that also allow you to customize your options based on your own unique style. These packages slightly vary based on our exclusive venues, but are perfect for managing all the details. For example, our Montage Special Occasion Packages offer free dance floor, private parking, table mirror, lamp, and votives, white or black linen with skirting, ceremony and reception set-up and tear down, and a custom wedding cake!  View more of Kahn’s Catering’s Special Occasion Packages.

Quality of Food

Before we can taste anything with our mouths we must feast with our eyes! When selecting a caterer you are looking for stunning presentation paired with sensational taste. Ask to see a portfolio of the caterers work with pictures of their food. It is important that your caterer has professional, commercial facilities and a team of talented individuals to serve your guests on the day of your event.
At Kahn’s Catering we believe in using the highest quality of ingredients available. Our executive chefs have years of experience catering to events large and small and put that experience into their work providing our guests with the best service, meal, and presentation available. View Kahn’s Catering Menu Photo Gallery.

Tasting Session

Check the caterer offers a tasting experience but be conscious that popular caterers may have limited availability throughout the summer season. A tasting will allow you to understand the quality, style, and presentation of their food and gives you an opportunity to explore how your own ideas can be worked in to their existing menus.

Kahn’s Catering takes their tasting one step further. Not only do our tastings allow you the opportunity to explore our menu, but you will also witness our high standard of service and what an event experience with Kahn’s Catering can be like. For our wedding clients that quality for a complementary menu tasting, they will have the opportunity to attend one of our three wedding menu tastings and experience butler-passed hors d’ouerves, a plated meal service, salad, desert, and small plate stations, and special stations such as an Italian Soda Station or champagne bar, as well as learn about menu planning from owner, Joe Husar.

Great Expectations and Setting the Scene

A great caterer should understand your overall vision for the day and listen to your ideas, they should be able to use their wealth of experience and build upon your ideas to go beyond your expectations of the day. Kahn’s Catering has that experience and our Event Specialist are prepared to listen to every detail you envision for your event. We believe in taking the extra step by putting our passion for events and entertaining into what we do in order to give you the day you’ve dreamed of without having to worry or stress.

It is important to remember the importance a caterer plays in your event. In most cases, your caterer is the last to dress your tables before the celebration begins. At Kahn’s Catering we take great care to ensure that every element of décor- including the flowers, tablecenters, and candles look perfect next to our tableware. We go above and beyond to ensure a couple or company’s vision is achieved at their event.  From providing you with a variety of linens from our preferred vendors to fine tableware, chairs of your choosing, and any other elemental pieces that will ‘set the stage’ for your special occasion, Kahn’s Catering takes note of the details to create an overall experience for both you and your guests.

Experience and Service

When you choose a caterer, look to select a team with experience in delivering exception and inspired weddings and events. Using social media and websites to see what events they have most recently worked on and their presence in the catering market.  Kahn’s Catering caters hundreds of events a year ranging from 20 person dinner parties to lavish affairs with hundreds of guests. View Kahn’s Catering’s events on our blog.

Finally, service is extremely important, equal to the quality and style of your food. It is important that you receive the upmost level of service fright from your initial inquiry, throughout your planning, right up until the wedding or event day itself. Kahn’s Catering provides you with their enthusiasm and excitement for events, and the expertise your event deserves. Our Event Specialist are with you every step of the way to help you with portion of your planning. Not only will we be there to assist with your menu tasting, selection, and picking out table linens, we will provide you with our list of preferred vendors that we have worked with previously and know will make your event a success. What’s more is that we will be there the day of your event to coordinate that everything goes smoothly and according to the plan we set. From cocktail hour to dinner to dessert our Event Specialist will keep things stress-free so that you can enjoy the incredibly party you’ve put together.

To tour the exclusive venues that Kahn’s Catering works with or to meet with an Event Specialist to discuss catering options for your event, call 317.577.3663!