Essential Ideas To Cater To Larger Groups
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Larger groups mean you have to really concentrate on the pre-planning process. All details should be mapped out when you cater for large groups. Here are some of the essential ideas that need to be worked out properly before you dive right in.
Calculate Quantities of Beverages and Food
Food
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Determine what courses you will be serving like breakfast, lunch, dinner, or all of the above. If you are planning on just catering to one course then it will be easier to figure out the numbers involved when it comes to how many people are coming. Always remember that, no matter the course you serve, you should plan on the food lasting through a two hour long window.
Think about the type of people that are coming. You should expect to have more food prepared if the guests are going to be part of any athletic sport. It is a given that you will need to have larger portions or more available if you are going for the buffet style.
You will also have to consider the type of party as well. For wedding, people will generally want a full course meal at the reception. If it is a simple cocktail party, nothing too fancy, you can simply have finger foods and not a large amount in the quantity of them.
Beverages
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Drinks are looked at much in the same way as food. Depending on the type of party, it will tell you not only how many drinks to have but also how many of each type of drink. Once again, weddings will be a little more extravagant so you may have to factor in more alcohol or champagne.
If this will be a function in which there are children, then alcohol is not on the list but you can always add something else in there in its place. Kids will often enjoy many different types of juices and also chocolate milk as well. Many kids do not consume too many drinks so you will not have to have a large number of beverages available.
Something that seems to get left out of the equation when getting quantities for drinks is how much ice you are going to need. You will need to know how much and how long you will have to supply the ice.
There are also many different events that can be catered to and with that goes the point of knowing how exactly to cater to those quantities. Here is what to keep in mind:
Transporting and Storing
When our moving food from one place to another you have to know how to transport that food and also the number of people needed to help move the food. The appropriate vehicles and refrigeration will be needed as well. Packs that can either warm or chill food are a great idea for keeping food the right temperature.
For the beverage, each type of drink should have its own container that is around 5 gallons. When there will be only one type of beverage offered, a 10 gallon container is around the average size you should carry with you.
Buffet Serving
The types of pans used in buffets are different. This is when you will need to use aluminum pans and coverings so that your food can be contained in large quantities and kept fresh easily. This is especially good considering most buffet style events are mainly drop-off points.
Large beverage tubs are need for this as well, since they will be set up only once.
On-Site Food Preparation
You can save a lot of time by making sure you have all the burners and grills that you need ahead of time. Have all pans washed and set out so that they are ready to be filled as soon as the food is done.
Desserts can be made very easy by making it a fun event for the guests. Have particular areas set up so that the guests can actually create their own type of desserts.
All of these tips are good points to remember for any event. When you cater for large groups, just make a point to plan out each step as you need it.
If you have any questions or comments you can ask us in the comments or head on over to our catering in Toronto website.