Cheap...or not so Cheap... - The PASH Wedding Forums and Message Boards

alongroadahead08 · #1 02-19-2008, 03:07 PM

Ok I need my ladies. I'm getting mixed reviews here. My parents think this is a tad expensive, and some other girlfriends think this is a tad expensive. I have a question about my caterer, and what i'm getting for my money. I need your answer of cheap, or not so cheap.

Menu:
3 meats:
a roaster of pulled pork
a roaster of cream of chicken sandwiches
2 roasters of swedish meatballs and bbq meatballs
2 sides:
a roaster of green bean casserole
a roaster of cheesy potatoes
Buns for sandwiches
2 large veggie trays including
cauliflower, carrots, cherry tomatoes, mixed peppers and cucumbers
2 large cheese trays including
swiss, cheddar and colby jack cheeses
all condiments including:
BBQ sauce, salt and pepper, pickles, and pretzels and chips
all paper products including
cake plates
dinner plates
napkins
silverware

All this for a 250 person reception for $1775.

So, is this cheap...or no so cheap?

wynelle · #2 02-19-2008, 03:25 PM

Well, $1775 for a 250-person reception sounds wonderful...

but what you described doesn't seem like enough to feed 250 people.

and there was no mention of beverages.

I know at our local delis and grocery stores a "large" veggie tray serves 25-30 people

(ps what is a cream of chicken salad sandwich? I only know cream of chicken soup)

Brandonsgirl · #3 02-19-2008, 03:32 PM

I agree...for 250 people thats pretty awesome! But then it just depends on the area you're from...but make sure that that's enough to feed 250...and if you really think it is...then go for it! I think it's cheap!

ladedah · #4 02-19-2008, 04:13 PM

Well, that makes it a little over seven dollars per person....I don't think that is bad at all for that.....I guess it depends on your area...

Have you consulted other caterers to see a comparison??

alongroadahead08 · #5 02-19-2008, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wynelle

Well, $1775 for a 250-person reception sounds wonderful...

but what you described doesn't seem like enough to feed 250 people.

and there was no mention of beverages.

I know at our local delis and grocery stores a "large" veggie tray serves 25-30 people

(ps what is a cream of chicken salad sandwich? I only know cream of chicken soup)

The large veggie tray he described said it would feed 50-60 people and would have extra to refill each if it gets low.

He's a good friend of FH's and mine..and he assures me he's going to have PLENTY of food. He's catered quite a bit here lately. I fully trust him...the roaster of food I provided was actually just MY rough estimate. He's never fully said how many it would take. I assumed it would only take that much. I'm a bad guesser at that sorta thing.

A cream of chicken sandwich is hard to describe. It's not really chicken salad...it's a warm sandwich. It has cream of chicken soup in it, shredded chicken breast...and a few other ingredients. It's actually really good.

alongroadahead08 · #6 02-19-2008, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladedah

Well, that makes it a little over seven dollars per person....I don't think that is bad at all for that.....I guess it depends on your area...

Have you consulted other caterers to see a comparison??

Yes, the original one we were going to go with before this one was charging me almost 2300 dollars for 2 meats, one side, a relish tray, a cheese tray (one a piece) chip, pretzels, punch and pop and silverware. I'm getting an extra meat, and extra side, and more condiments for cheaper.

Sh@ks18 · #7 02-19-2008, 04:45 PM

I think a little over $7 pp is a good price.

feb-bride · #8 02-19-2008, 04:47 PM

IMO, $7 per person is CHEAP. We paid $10 per person, and that was even cheap to me (the caterer we used normally charged $17 per person for what we got).

amberube · #9 02-19-2008, 05:36 PM

No matter what the location is, I think anything under $10 is a really good price in today's reality. This is one of those things you can't get from China

Julz518 · #10 02-19-2008, 06:15 PM

I think that is incredibly reasonable!
I'm paying close to $20 pp for my reception!

And I think around here, the kind of food you are getting would usually be $12-$15 pp.

RJE080703 · #11 02-19-2008, 06:53 PM

Thats about what we paid, and we had less of a selection of food and sides... We paid $5.50 pp, but it was 1 meat, 2 sides, bread, and condiments!

For most of the caterers we looked at with a selection of food like that was more like $10-$14 pp...

khemosabi2 · #12 02-19-2008, 08:47 PM

That is CHEAP! We're paying $60/person. It includes full open bar...but still!!

Heather · #13 02-19-2008, 09:11 PM

We paid $85 pp that covered cocktail hour, dinner and full open bar all night. $7 pp is amazing...

JessLynn · #14 02-19-2008, 09:41 PM

We're paying ~50pp with cocktail hour, sit down dinner, and open bar all night. That also includes the 20% gratuity, so all I have to do is add the stinkin 7% NJ sales tax on top of that.