This is a thread that was started in our old BlissWeddings.com forums by e-star on 5/11/05. Feel free to add your comments by pressing Post Reply.
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posted by e-star
I'm trying to decide on a caterer for my reception. One of the big factors will be having a generous amount of food so guests don't go away hungry. I've got 2 caterers on my short list and both are offering steak as the main entree. My FH is a hearty eater and he loves his red meat. Is it rude to ask the caterers about their food portions and specifcally the size of the steak they will serve? How would I phrase this?
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posted by feb-bride
Just ask how many ounces of steak per serving.
I'd also look into having a second entree available, like chicken or fish. Not everyone likes red meat.
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posted by maroki13
I totally agree with feb, I do not eat red meat and probably wouldn't eat if there was no alternative entree.
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posted by NovemberGal
Quote:
Just ask how many ounces of steak per serving.
I'd also look into having a second entree available, like chicken or fish. Not everyone likes red meat.
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Or a vegetarian option, which even those who are not vegetarian can eat if they don't want beef. I'm not a vegetarian, but I love lots of vegetarian meals, and will sometimes ask for them anyway.
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posted by wynelle
You know, generally there is a standard size for portions. If you are worried about guests leaving hungry, then you may wish to add additional things to the meal which are less expensive than a larger sized steak. Like an additional vegetable. Or a supersized salad. or potatoes cooked au gratin which are more filling than a baked potatoe. Maybe a few more appetizers with the drinks before dinner. Say a fruit tray, or a domestic cheese tray.
One caterer we know has a 6 ounce "petit filet," and a 9 ounce "standard" and a 12 ounce "jumbo". The cost goes up by about $4.00 for each jump in size. Most women only want the 6 ounce, some men want the 12 ounce. But it is much less expensive in the long run to just add more veggies and salad.
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posted by syringa
I would agree with Wynelle. Also, if the meal is not sit-down, but a buffet, you might want to have someone serving the meat. That way, you don't have some of the men taking 3 pieces while others get none.
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posted by feb-bride
We did what syringa suggested. We had someone serving the meat; everything else was self-serve.
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posted by e-star
Ok, both caterers say they can do 7-8 oz steaks and a second entree.
I've taken wynelle's suggestion and asked about hors d'oeuvres during the cocktail hour. Caterer A will do 6 types and estimate each guest eating 12 pieces overall. Caterer B will do 6 types too and says she is generous with her portions but only estimate guests eating 9 pieces. Who is more on target here?
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posted by syringa
As a coordinator, I think that 12 pieces per person is too many. I would go with the 9 pieces or even less. If guests know that a dinner is to follow shortly, they will eat less than they would if the hors d'oeuvres were the only food to be served.
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posted by e-star
Am I just needlessly worrying about the amount of food that would be served? Caterers wouldn't skimp on food would they?
Being in NYC, I have nightmares of the main entree being a tiny piece of meat sitting in the middle of a large plate with 1 or 2 baby carrots as decoration! Some of our male guests are 6' or taller and have BIG appetites...
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posted by syringa
You are not needlessly worrying about the food. If you are holding your reception at a facility that has in-house catering, you have less worry than if you are holding it in a place where you hire a caterer to come in and who must bring the food with them. In that situation, if they run out, you are out of luck. If the facility has in-house catering, their kitchen is right there and they have access to more food.
For portion sizes, ask them what they consider to be reasonable, such as 3/4 cup of .... and 1 cup or xxx ounces of ...... If you feel that they are skimping, then tell them that you would like more.
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posted by feb-bride
I was worried about guests leaving early because they were hungry after dinner. What I did, instead of having appetizers before the meal, was to have appetizer-type foods put out on the buffet table about an hour AFTER the meal. This way, guests could help themselves during the dancing.
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posted by e-star
That's a good idea! I was going to serve finger foods towards the end of the evening in case people were still hungry after all the dancing, but caterer advised me against it-said it would have meant paying extra to keep the chefs in the kitchen.
I'm having little finger sweets to serve after dinner but will see if I can do half and half, so those who are still hungry can keep nibbling on savoury foods. I'll also ask that certain guests get more potatoes and veg at the sit down dinner.
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posted by syringa
If you ask for cheese and crackers,vege trays or any other item that can be served cold or at room temp, the kitchen staff can prepare them ahead of time, so there is no reason for them to stay behind except for one person to remove the dirty dishes.
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posted by feb-bride
I did stuff that chefs did not need to stay behind to prepare. I had bread platters (assorted breads, such as banana nut, chocolate chip, etc.), cheese/cracker platters (I prepared them ahead of time and kept them in the fridge), cookie platters, and mini-sandwich platters (prepared ahead of time and kept in the fridge). We used disposable silver platters; clean-up consisted of tossing them in the trash at the end of the reception.
choosing a caterer
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