How to Host a Successful Catered Party
Perhaps you want to celebrate an anniversary, a birthday, an engagement, or just have a nice dinner. Whatever the occasion, you’ve probably decided to host a catered party. There are several tips and tricks to host the most successful catered party. We’ve compiled our top three tips in this blog post to help you with your next event. Read on to discover our secrets!
Know Your Guests
This is by far the most important tip for hosting a successful catered party. Just like a comedian does, you have to know your audience. For example, you probably wouldn’t serve smoked duck and caviar at your toddler’s birthday party…unless your two year old has some oddly sophisticated taste buds! Understanding the wants, needs, allergies, likes and dislikes of your guests will allow you to plan the entire event accordingly. Knowing who and how many you’re serving will make it easier to choose from menu options, seating arrangements and serving style.
Have a Detailed Itinerary
The secret behind any successful person or event is organization. Having a detailed itinerary, or even an outline of the event will relieve a lot of stress off the host when planning a catered party. A timeline will also help the overall event run smoothly. After you select your menu you can develop an itinerary. Here’s an example of a timeline for a catered party:
- 5:00 pm: Guests arrive
- 5:00 pm-6:00 pm: Cocktail hour serving spanakopita and bacon wrapped scallops
- 6:15pm: Begin seating guests
- 6:30: First course is served – Caesar salad
- 7:00: Main entree is served – Chicken de Rhone
- 8:00: Dessert is served – Creme Brûlée
- 9:00: Guests depart
Working with an experienced caterer will ensure your planned itinerary runs smoothly and on time.
Create a Seating Plan
Especially for more formal dining events, having a seating plan is elegant and helpful. When you establish a seating plan, it increases the efficiency of seating your guests in order to stay on schedule. Try to create a fresh mix of people at the table(s) so new connections can be made. Creating a great seating plan requires knowing your guests, as we mentioned earlier.
Ready to be the Hostess with the Mostest?
Are you ready to host the perfect catered party? Remember our tips: know your guests, have a detailed itinerary and establish a seating plan. With the help of Four Seasons Catering, your catered party will be the talk of the town for weeks to come! Contact us today to get started, or check out our catering menu.
Jesse Jamison says
You’re not kidding, I agree that the most important part of hosting a successful party is knowing your guests. The last thing that I want is to see my guests unhappy with the food or the night’s activities. So, if I’m don’t know my guests well, then I ask them for suggestions of things that they like.