Restaurant Quality Catering Stratford NH NH

The Truth About Family-Style Wedding Catering

Family-Style Wedding Catering is not a new trend. While not as popular as a buffet or a plated meal it has become another option for the dinner portion of your wedding or event.

Origins are as diverse as High-Society Europe and as simple as Boarding Houses with communal dinner times for residents where it was their only option. The origins are both “Bougee” and “Basic” depending on how you want to look at it.

Is Family-Style Catering right for your vibe? Maybe… Maybe not. There are some ideas to keep in mind.

Menu Curation is key. Your dinner menu must contain choices easily servable while the guest might be holding a bowl or reaching for a platter… “Pass the peas, please!”

Number of choices. You only have so much table space. Careful thought must go into the total number of menu items. The idea is for catering staff to bring each table their food one time. This one trip to bring everything has to be enough for eight to ten guests at the table while also considering Uncle Harry might want a second helping of beef.

Speaking of Tables… What about your tablescapes and decor? Not sure your frame of reference… but many of the weddings we cater… the tables are packed with decor to create the look and feel the couple is going for. How will these platters fit in?

From the Catering Perspective…

In a few ways a Family-Style Service is almost like a plated meal. Food is being delivered to each table as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

Guests will already have their plates, which should have been put down only right before dinner. This prevents guests from possibly dirtying their plates with any leftover apps from cocktail hour. “What do you mean?” When a guest has already used a plate and then they touch that plate with a communal serving spoon/ tong, technically they have contaminated the rest of the food when the serving utensil ends up back in the bowl or on the platter. This is why during a buffet service guests who go back for seconds are asked to get a new/ clean plate. Something to think about when Uncle Harry goes back for seconds in a Family-Style setting.

Caterers must have the correct amount of bowls and serving utensils for each table. The need for these extras can account for a higher budget. Afterall, there is more equipment, more collecting, more scraping, rinsing, cleaning and sanitizing that goes along with these additions.

Once it is clear that all guests have enjoyed dinner, catering staff will look for the obvious signs. Bowls and platters are no longer being passed around. Guests are sitting back in their chairs. Some may choose to get up and stretch their legs. Most dinner services allot about an hour total. Most of the time our dinner service takes far less time than an hour. We have helped as many as 200 guests through a buffet service in under thirty minutes. Depending on your guest count you may want to really think about how long a family-style service might take.

We like to keep things positive so we’ll end with the reasons a couple might consider Family-Style… Guests break the ice with others at their table. A unique experience for guests feeling like they’re back home at Sunday dinner are just a couple. We have also pointed out what you need to consider. The most important thing to remember is that some ideas work in theory or are fine for that influencer on social media but getting them to work flawlessly at your wedding or important event will take a lot of thought and planning.

What to Know About Catering Budgets

When exploring catering you might come across wording that says… “We will work within your budget!”

What does this really mean? The answer is not that simple. It can actually mean a few things depending on who you are talking with.

Ideally… working within the possible client’s Catering Budget Info would mean the catering service has various options that can fit into different budgets. It means the catering company has prices posted on their menus and other information out there that discloses how a budget is arrived at.

Working within a client’s catering budget can mean making recommendations on the quantity of food and which types of food and service level would be most appropriate.

Letting them have a quote in advance if requested so the possible client can see where their budget will land before making the decision to move forward.

The other answer to how a catering company will “work within your budget” is a little less honest and candid.

It typically starts with the catering company NOT having prices alongside menus. Possibly not much other information on how budgets are arrived at either.

In the less honest and candid approach it can mean the catering company “sizes up” who they are talking with and quotes a budget they think will be acceptable to the possible client. Because there are no prices posted these numbers might be different from client to client.

This number might be more or less if the catering company determines what the client can or cannot afford. This strategy is unfortunately used to overcharge possible clients that “seem” to have the ability to pay more. Just be careful.

The best approach you can use when looking for catering services is to narrow your search to companies that post prices online. Of course… quality and service are important too so you have to seek out a New Hampshire Catering Service that fits your vibe.

The Catering Staffing Ratio Question

The answer to the question about the correct ratios of staff to guests is sometimes a little more nuanced than you might think.

What type of event is it? Let’s say it is just a drop-off. Even very large drop-off orders can be done with one staff member. Sure… at times because of the size of an order and challenging entry or terrain it makes sense to send two staff members. For us… Most Catering Drop-Off orders are done with one staff member who has experience with drop-off catering.

When catering events are contracted as staffed events such as weddings, corporate, social and many others the type of food and flow of the event will determine how many staff are assigned to it.

A cocktail reception with some stationary and passed apps will probably get a one to thirty or thirty-five ratio. A corporate dinner with light apps and a buffet will probably get the same.

A wedding catering contract using china/ flatwares and water/ wine service at tables with apps for cocktail hour and then a buffet dinner will probably end up with a one to twenty-five or so ratio.

A plated meal will be somewhere in the one to twenty ratio.

For bar services we usually never staff more than two bartenders for events under 200 guests. The benefit of using the same catering service to staff your bar is that catering staff can jump in for a few minutes and help the bar team if needed.

This is not an exact science. A couple of variables explored…

It is very rare that our staff “call out” shifts. But it can happen. And if a call out occurs catering staff will be shifted around. There is a good chance that an event that day might have less staff working it than originally planned for.

The other variable that most do not think about is the skill level of the catering staff. Knowledge, training, experience and passion for excellence require less staff to pull off a seamless experience. There is definitely no point in great team members just standing around an event… By contrast… more staff that lack knowledge, experience and passion will not make much of a difference.

Appetizers and Hors D’oeuvres Catering Ideas

When it comes to appetizers and hors d’oeuvres catering, there is never “too much information.”

So we have a little more for you in this post…

Small bites can be a lot of fun… offering your guests a variety of flavors, textures, temperatures and more. But there are certain strategies to keep in mind when catering appetizers and hors d’oeuvres – depending on the type of event you are planning. Let’s explore three different scenarios so that your event comes together perfectly.

The Simple Open House…

In most cases the least amount of apps you will need for your catering order will be if you’re planning some sort of business/ open house event. Let’s say you’re opening a new office and are inviting the local business community to come by and celebrate. Chances are good these guests are not expecting dinner. These events typically happen between meal time. Your attendees are most likely going home to eat dinner after your event.

Your job is to offer your guests a quality, but tiny, amount and variety of small bites. Enough to get them through so they are not distracted by hunger. Enough to make them feel appreciated for coming. For this type of event a couple of basic stationary apps are just fine. Maybe even some simple desserts like cookies or brownies. Think about options where a small plate and cocktail napkin is all you need. Artisan Cheese, crudite or maybe some hot dips and one or two varieties of crostinis or shrimp cocktail for example. Keep it light… your gesture is only to serve to hold them over before their own dinner. You can keep the budget easy on this by simply scheduling as a drop off catering service .

The Elevated Vibe Open House, Charity Fundraiser, Networking Event or Cocktail Party…

This next step up event is probably going to mean your guests will be around much longer and “make a night of it.” Your business guests will let their significant other know… they will be heading to a business event, fundraiser, etc after work and not to count them in for dinner at home. For a cocktail party your guests may step up their attire and make an evening of it as a couple or group of friends.

You’ll want to plan to assume your guests will make your event their dinner. You’re going to want to order accordingly. This means… you aim for anywhere for eight plus servings per guest or more. Of course there is a point where enough is enough. You just have to remember… this will be their dinner if that is the expectation you set. To put a cap on the amount of apps you order we imagine anything over fifteen servings per guest would be too much. This is not an exact science. Every crowd is different. Certain apps are more filling than others. Some apps count for way more than one serving. For example… a slider station or grazing table we like to count as three servings into your total number.

While you can do this type of event as “drop-off catering” with some basic set-up and some sound advice… These larger events tend to be staffed catering contracts.

Appetizers/ Cocktail Hour Leading up to Dinner…

Any event from parties to business events can be set up with a timeline of appetizers and then dinner to follow. Of course, this timeline is very common for wedding catering.

Appetizers and Hors D’oeuvres Catering Ideas — Julia passing some yummy apps.

When ordering apps before dinner you should be ready to have fun with a few ways to play it.

First … you need to decide if you want to go light, medium or heavy. We have talked about this a lot over the years. One important thing to remember is the dinner coming after cocktail hour should help you decide where you land. For example… if you have a very large buffet dinner on the way… going heavy on appetizers is not a good idea.

After you decide on quantity, the next item on the list is if you want a combo of stationary and passed, hot and cold? You do what fits your vibe. Our thoughts… It is more work for us when variety is ordered, but we are ok with that! A variety is usually more fun for your guests. We love to create beautiful displays as the centerpiece of cocktail hour while staff walks around with a variety of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres!

Guaranteed Numbers for Catering Contracts

When researching New Hampshire Caterers for your wedding or important event you might run into a policy of “Guaranteed Numbers.”

This is when the catering service makes you guarantee a certain number of guests.

This policy will usually create a certain food spend too.

At times a guaranteed number on a catering contract makes sense.

For example… certain menus must be made in quantities for a minimum number of guests to make the order cost-effective.

However… you should be careful if any sort of “Guaranteed” number seems unreasonable.

Technically the only time a number should be permanent with no changes is after the “final-by date.”

After the final-by date a catering contract should not be modified for a few reasons.

When you get closer to your event too many changes on your catering order could increase the margin of error.
After a certain point products have been brought in for your event.
Catering Prep may have started.

Another but… The final-by date should be relatively close to your event date. Depending on the type of event it is very reasonable to close it off at a certain point.

For some events… our final date might be only a week prior. For larger events such as wedding catering where more advanced planning has taken place, the closeout date will be a little further out. Still reasonable.

It is important that you’re comfortable with whatever the policy is. And you will want to clarify if a particular menu has been given a fair “minimum number” vs… having to commit to a number of guests so far in advance before you have a firm idea on how large your event will be.

At Twelve 31 we have a few menus that require a minimum guest count but we do not stress about guaranteed numbers for catering services.

No Hasty Catering or Event Planning Decisions

When it comes to choosing catering or any vendors for your important wedding or event…. “Don’t Make Hasty Decisions.”

You’re researching NH Catering Services and other vendors. Asking all the right questions. Doing your homework.

You have a pretty good idea you want to go with this vendor (or venue). You circle back to get booked. Oh no… no more availability. Yikes! You start the process all over again. But this time you speed up and hastily nail something down because you fear the same thing might happen. Bad idea.

The key is to find the balance between doing your research, being decisive and procrastinating on a vendor that’s a great fit for you. Yes… Many people take a long time to make even the smallest decisions. We feel you.

When it comes to our catering service… We are pretty quick to give a prospective client all of the information they need to make a decision. The rest can easily be found online. We also let someone know not to “rush” in booking because our capacity is such that we can handle several events in a given day. The booking timeline is always left to the comfort of the prospective client.

When it comes to our venue… The Merrimack Valley Railroad… sure… tours can be tough to schedule at times. But there are plenty of photos and videos to help assist someone to feel like they have “been inside.”

Keep in mind that during this process all vendors are different. A tent company only has so many tents and crews to put them up… but maybe a DJ company has multiple DJs that all follow the same fun protocols and are trained to create the same experience? You get the idea. Strike the balance between moving quickly (when you have all the information in hand)and doing your homework. Just never be “hasty.”

Happy Planning!

Food Truck Catering Canceling on Clients

It was a random Tuesday. A few days before a very busy but not “crazy busy” Saturday.

A busy Saturday for Twelve 31 is several drop-off events, one wedding and another staffed event. And maybe throw in an event at our venue… The Merrimack Valley Railroad.

Crazy busy is all of the above with three weddings in the mix.

The Tuesday call…

“I had a food truck lined up for this concert I’m putting on where I am expecting up to 400 people. The food truck just canceled on me!”

Wow, was our response. That’s tough. Let’s see if we can help you … are you open to recommendations? “Yes”… was the reply. We can do a variety of our tray favs possibly similar to what your food truck was offering. Pulled Pork, Meatballs, Sausage/Peppers/Onions, Mac n Cheese, Rolls, Slider Buns… The quantities are up to you… but you may want to max out at twenty trays total.

“OK… let’s do it!”

We were able to fit this order in and get it delivered with basic set-up. Is that always possible? No… At times… Saturdays are closed off and nothing else will fit logistically and physically.

But the question is… Why do food trucks (or other catering services) cancel on people? We have heard this many times over the course of our many years in business.

Here is why food trucks cancel catering jobs.

It mainly comes down to “follow the money.” It is actually pretty simple. You have a food truck booked. Then, someone comes along and offers that food truck more money or has a larger event on the same day that you booked.

Or… you booked a food truck with no guarantee… they were just going to show up and hope to sell some tacos or bbq or burgers or whatever. Then… someone comes along and offers them a guarantee and money up front.

The reality is (most) only have one food truck to do food truck catering. It can only be in one place at one time. They have a small staff and can only reach so far. Therefore… the lure of making more money for the same day and basically the same amount of work will always be there. They have bills to pay. Will this always happen? Of course not. Many food trucks will honor their catering commitments no matter what.

But this also applies to catering services, not just food trucks. If a catering service has a limited ability and cannot handle several events in a day the temptation to take a bigger payday and cancel on a client will be there.

At Twelve 31 we can handle numerous events in a day… maybe it is a fifty person event and then another two events of 150 and 200. We are not lured by the promise of a “bigger job.”

Easiest Way to Lower Your Overall Catering Budget a Little

This conversation is common as we plan catering for all sorts of events.

Not just for wedding catering.

The question is about there being a champagne toast (or toast) at an event.

Very common for all sorts of events.

“Cheers to happily ever after!”

“Cheers to another year of growth for the company!”

Whatever it is.

The question is champagne or not?

And if you choose champagne – it brings up another question… “Real flutes or disposable?”

And it brings up one more question… “What type of champagne to buy?” As you know… they vary in price.

Now… what we are about to tell you might seem… “Anti-Champagne!” But we promise… we are not definitely not. LOL. We like a good mimosa like the next person.

Your other option for a toast… where you can save the budget a tad… and it is highly doubtful your guests will even connect the dots… is to simply do a “raise your glass” toast.

A guest could be drinking diet coke, beer, or whatever spirits you are offering and they just raise it and clank it.

Insider secret… A lot of champagne gets dumped down the sink.

Something to think about as you plan your event.

No Long Lines When Catering a Buffet Service

When it comes to “types of service” we specialize in either… A) Plated Meals or B) Buffet Style.

Let’s talk about Buffet Style Catering.

One concern of clients (and we don’t blame them)… is worrying there will be “big long lines of guests waiting for food.”

We agree… that would be no good!

How we prevent long lines is pretty simple.

We will always go table by table and control the flow.
Staff managing the buffet communicates with the staff releasing the tables to let them know when to “pause” so things can be replenished.
After a certain guest count we will make sure the access is two-sided.
After a greater guest count – we will create two – double-sided buffets.

Using this system and staffing adequately… we have witnessed guests counts of up to three hundred fed in less than thirty minutes.

What to know about Catering Staff for Your NH Event

We get the question often…. “Do you have catering staff?” The short answer is “yes we do.” Many of our staff have been with us for years. But there are things you need to know about Catering Staff as you plan your event.

At Twelve 31… ALL of our staff that work our events are employees of our company. What does that really mean? Simply… it means… They collect an actual paycheck for working.

We do not use 3rd party staffing firms. Mainly because your event… whether catering your wedding, a company party or a celebration of life demands the best we can offer. Continuity and people schooled in the “ways of Twelve 31” are a must at events. Of course, we bring on new people if we can see they’ll be a good fit. We always pair new catering staff with those who have been with us for years. Many of our event catering staff are part-time. Several also work full-time in the food/beverage industry or have previous experience in our industry.

Our catering staff earn great wages thanks to our awesome clients and compensation structure.

For your event… the fact that our staff are W-2 employees of our company means they are covered by our workers’ comp insurance. It is a serious topic and people sometimes forget about it when planning memorable occasions… But… Every event creates some sort of liability.

You want to deal with vendors who are “fully insured” of course… That means comp, liability, auto and bar insurance. You will want to be careful when a vendor is bringing people on as “independent contractors” to work under their (the vendor’s) direction at your event. Many small businesses mistakenly classify their help as“independent” to get around payroll services and payroll taxes. This is a big mistake. This practice doesn’t only create a liability for the small business (taxes and penalties for misclassification mostly), but it also creates a liability for you. Yes. You.

As you plan your important event it is a good idea to deal with vendors who have their “house in order” when it comes to this stuff.

We are so thankful for our amazing catering team. For example… The weekend before writing this post we were able to serve 365 at an event in Concord and another 80 at an event in a different region of New Hampshire. We also had some things going on earlier in the day too! You can’t pull that off without a great team.

1 2 3 4 ›»

Request a Consultation with Melissa

"We'd Love to Cater Your Event!"

Please give us a few details below and we'll get right back with you.