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Catered Events And Private Parties
It might seem as if I'm the perfect person to ask where a good place can be found to hold a meeting, private party, reception, or other catered affair. But I'm not. Here's why. Every party is completely different, dictated by the tastes, needs, and budget of the host. A given caterer or restaurant will hold a brilliant event for one person, and then produce a terrible affair for someone else, perhaps even at a higher price. What's more, unlike restaurants, private parties are not open to my investigation. So it's impossible to gather critical information. However, I will try to give you some ideas if you write me with all of the following facts about your event. Please be very specific. 1. What part of town would you prefer? 2. What kind of food do you like? 3. How much do you want to spend per person? I need a specific range of dollars, including tax and tip. ("Moderate" or "money no object" mean different things to different people.) Tell me whether this includes wine or drinks or not. 4. Dressy or casual? 5. Do you need a private room? 6. What date, day of the week and time are you looking to do this? I will try to answer your request, but cannot guarantee it, because of the blizzard of e-mail I get daily. I will not answer requests that don't have all the questions above answered. To send your information to me, click here. Important Things A Host Should Know. I'd like to give you two pieces of advice not appreciated my many would-be hosts. 1. If you have more than about ten people, set a menu (with perhaps two or three entree choices) beforehand. While it might not seem like a big deal for a restaurant to serve from the whole regular menu, in fact this causes enormous logistical problems that will bring down the goodness of your meal. Trust me on this. 2. Do not ask for a table of more than eight people. Large tables are very difficult for a restaurant to fit into its dining room. Besides, when there are more than eight people at a table, the person at this end and the person at that end may as well be in different dining rooms, for all the conversation they'll have. Break that party of sixteen into two sixes and a four or two eights. (Exception: Big tables are okay in a private dining room.) Revised 3/10/08 Copyright © 2008 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. |
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