Kitchenability

10.01.2018

Catering Vs. Self-Catering

Catering Vs. Self-Catering: Which is the Best Option for Your Next Event?

 

How your food tastes and how it is served are important components to the success of any event. Regardless of how well organized your event is, if your food does not taste good, if there isn’t food enough to cater to all of the guests, or no servers are present to accommodate your guests, your event will earn negative responses. Worse, your event may even become memorable for all the wrong reasons. This can bring serious consequences especially if the event is associated with your business. If you don’t want any of these to happen, consider the options of either catering or self-catering food for your next event. Leaning towards any of these can help you provide good food and good service to your guests.

 

Catering and self-catering might help you achieve the same goals, but the two can be different in a lot of ways. These differences, both big and small, can make or break the success of your event. To help you decide which kind of catering to use or avail, consider the following:

Do you want to cook for your guests?

Some people love cooking. They consider cooking as an avenue to relieve stress, practice their hobby, and actually have fun. If you feel the same way towards cooking, self-catering might be a more suitable choice. When you self-cater food for your next event, you’ll have the liberty to cook different kinds of dishes. This can even be the perfect opportunity for you to finally have guests try out a dessert you’ve been practicing for weeks!

 

On the other side of the coin, if you detest cooking and everything about it, opt to have a catered event. This option allows you to serve different kinds of dishes to your guests without needing to prepare it yourself. This option also works if you have too many responsibilities before and during the event. You’ll have more time in your hands that can be used to accomplish other tasks.

Do you have any allergies?

 

When you have food allergies, you have to be careful with the food you eat. If you’re lactose intolerant, you have to be keen on the ingredients that go into your dishes and drinks and make sure these don’t contain any dairy products. If you don’t do this, you’ll end up having diarrhea and bloating. In situations like these, self-catering might be a better option. Since you’ll have the liberty to prepare and cook any dish, you can choose those that don’t trigger your allergies. Although catered events might give you the flexibility to select dishes, you might have to pay more or settle with limited varieties.

How many guests are you expecting?

The number of guests should be one of the most important considerations in your decision. Sure, you might love to cook, but can you manage to cook for a hundred guests? Do you actually have the time and resources to cater to this number of people? If you can, will the food taste the same? If you’re expecting at least a hundred guests for your next event, choose to have it catered rather than prepare all of the food on your own. The former is a better option because caterers like Elia Taverna Catering are already experienced to cook and serve for a large number of people. Additionally, they have the tools and equipment to cook for large amounts of food without compromising the quality of the food.

 

How much money are you prepared to pay?

An event will never be complete without a budget. You’ll need this resource to pay for the venue, marketing materials to announce the event, and professional fee if you are inviting hosts and speakers. If your budget is already tight, opt to have a catered event. Although this option might seem expensive, this will actually help you save money because caterers will buy the ingredients in bulk and they already have suppliers who can give them the best price for the ingredients. This option will also be convenient because you don’t have to go to the local supermarket and do the grocery shopping by yourself.

 

Self-catering, on the other hand, can lead you to spend more than what you originally budgeted. Since you don’t have any suppliers to work with, you’ll end up buying overpriced ingredients. This can also be stressful and time-consuming especially if you’re cooking for a lot of guests.

How flexible should guests be for their meals?

 

Depending on the type of event you’ll have, you might need or not need your guests’ presence in one venue at the same time. For example, if you’re planning for an upcoming businesses seminar where you’ve invited speakers, a catered event will be more appropriate. This option usually comes with servers who will accommodate guests during a specific timeframe, which means that guests will eat at the same time. This guarantees that your guests will be present the moment the speaker starts his or her lecture.

 

Preparation Goes a Long Way

 

Regardless if you’re more comfortable having a catered or self-catering event, preparation is key. If you’re planning to cook on your own, you should already decide what kind of dishes you will cook. If you’re planning to hire another business or individual to have a catered event, start looking for options as early as possible. This will give you ample time to compare their products and services and come up with a sound decision.