Things to Consider Before Booking Your Catering Event…
What is your serving time?
Fresh food is the best food! You don’t want to be holding hot food for too long a period before serving. Also, you’ll want to be able to keep cold foods cold before serving. If you are picking up your order, plan on getting it within one hour of serving time and plan ahead on heated and cold storage space. If necessary, we can have your food cold and “ready to finish” in your oven with directions.
Pick Up or Delivery?
We can arrange a delivery time that reduces the amount of time foods need to be held before serving to maintain their freshly cooked flavors. In the case of larger events with a cocktail hour before a meal, it may be necessary to arrange more than one delivery.
Delivery fees vary based on location , AM or PM and weekday or weekend.
Do you require warmers, a server, or chef?
For added support we can arrange for a member of our staff to come to you venue. It is suggested that groups of 35 people or more retain the services of our servers to help change out hot pans, serve your guests and facilitate the buffet. We can even send our chef to you to cook on site for a special touch!
Paper & Plastic or China, Flatware & Linen?
We offer Disposable Paper & Cutlery or we can also arrange for the rental of china and linens, for a complete package.
How Much is Enough?
Define what objective you want to achieve with the food you order.
Are you planning on a light snack or a full meal? Perhaps your event is a day long meeting that requires more than one meal and snacks offered. Are you ordering a dish or two to bring to a pot luck affair? You may be looking to The Village Butcher to supplement foods you are preparing on your own in which case you should write down what you plan on making to better plan what you will need to order.
Know your group
What are their preferences? Is your group mixed in age? Older folks tend to eat less than a high school football team. Are there any allergies to be concerned about? Vegetarians to consider?
Some guidelines to help ensure you order the correct enough:
Always round up estimates, don’t round down.
Anticipate which food selections will be more popular with your group and serve more of them. For example, Brisket tends to be more popular in a casual setting, while other proteins like chicken or pork may be preferred in a more formal setting.
The more choices you offer, the smaller portion size per person you need to offer.
However, you can assume that most guests will taste everything, so overall consumption per person will go up.
Also you still want to have enough of the more popular items for everybody, so keep in mind , that variety is great, but too much variety can be a bad thing.
See Suggested Menu Planning Portion Guidelines on the next page.
Catering FAQ
What is included in my catering delivery order?
Every catering delivery order comes with serving utensils and any relevant House-made BBQ sauces. We have found that many guests frequently want to use themed or coordinated items, or have their own, so we do not include them with the cost. Plates can be added at an additional cost.
Chafing warmers can be added upon request for an additional fee, and will require additional service as well.
How far in advance do I need to place my catering delivery order?
We ask that you place your order by 2pm for next day lunch delivery, off the In-House Lunch Menu, but shorter times may be accommodated depending on delivery details. Your order can be placed well in advance of your event date.
BBQ orders, especially those for more than 25 people, should be booked at least 5 days in advance to help ensure availability.
Can I pick up my catering order?
We offer both pickup and delivery services to meet your catering needs.
What size groups can you cater for?
We can handle anything from small to medium groups of 10 to 50 all the way to large occasions of several hundred people for your party or your meeting. Smaller groups (10-30) can generally book with shorter notice, but we recommend larger groups book in advance.
What is the minimum order for delivery?
The minimum order to qualify for delivery is $250 of Catering items (before taxes, coupons and delivery fee).
Is there a delivery fee?
All orders are subject to a 10% delivery fee up to $500, then 5% for every dollar thereafter. The delivery fee covers the cost to package, transport and set up your event (where provided). The delivery fee is not a tip for the Catering Specialist - please feel free to tip your Catering Specialist based on your experience.
When is it appropriate to request chafing dishes and fuel?
For occasions where time between setup and service is extended or you have an event with a prolonged service, we recommend adding chafing dishes and warmers to your order to maintain food temperature. Also, chafing dishes are great when a higher level of presentation is wanted. Chaffers require either a staffed event or may be subject to additional pick-up fees.