The food will taste good. It is supposed to. Here is what to ask about everything the tasting cannot show you.
A tasting is a caterer's best hour. Four dishes, cooked to order, plated seconds before they reach you, in a quiet room. Your wedding is not that. Your wedding is 140 of those plates leaving a tent at the same time, forty minutes after they were cooked, while a band sets up.
The food at a tasting is almost always good. That is not the information you came for. These are the questions that tell you what the tasting cannot.
About the food
1. How does this dish hold?
The most important question in this article. Some dishes are perfect twenty minutes after cooking and some are ruined. A caterer who has cooked a lot of weddings will answer immediately and specifically — this braise gets better, this fish needs to be the last thing plated, this sauce breaks if it sits. Vagueness here is the answer.
2. Is this how it will be seasoned on the day?
Tasting portions are small and are often seasoned brighter than a full plate would be. Ask whether what you are eating is the wedding version or the demonstration version.
3. What does the vegetarian plate actually look like?
Ask to see it, not hear about it. A vegetarian entrée that is the meat plate with the protein removed is a warning about how the whole kitchen thinks. The same applies to the vegan plate, the gluten-conscious plate, and anything you have asked for by allergy.
4. What would you serve if it were your wedding?
Slightly unfair, deliberately. You are looking for a caterer with an opinion, because opinionated caterers make better food than caterers who agree with everything.
About the service
5. How many staff will be at my wedding, and what are their roles?
You want a number, not an assurance. Roughly one server per ten to twelve guests for plated service and one per twenty for a buffet is the planning standard. If the proposal is meaningfully below that, the saving is coming out of your guests' evening.
6. Who is running the floor on the day, and will I meet them?
There should be one named person in charge of service, and ideally you meet them before the wedding. A captain who has walked your venue is worth more than an extra course.
7. Have you worked at my venue?
A yes is genuinely valuable — they know the kitchen, the load-in, and the curfew. A no is not a problem if the answer that follows is 'no, so we'll do a site visit.' A no with no site visit is the problem.
8. What happens if it rains?
For any outdoor South Florida wedding, this is a real question and it needs a real answer with a decision time attached. Ask who makes the call, how many hours before guests arrive, and what physically changes in the setup when it is made.
About the contract
9. What exactly does the service charge cover, and is any of it gratuity?
It should be spelled out in writing. A service charge is the caterer's operating cost, not a tip to the staff, and the two should never be presented as the same thing. If the answer is unclear, get it clarified in the contract before you sign.
10. What is not included in this number?
Ask it exactly this way. Rentals, linens, cake cutting, coffee service, vendor meals, overtime past a certain hour, and the cost of a second bar are the usual suspects. You are not looking for a caterer with nothing excluded, you are looking for one who tells you the exclusions without being cornered.
11. When is the final count due, and how far can it move?
Usually seven to ten days out. Ask specifically whether the number can come down after that, because it often cannot — food is ordered and staff are scheduled against it.
12. What happens to the leftovers?
A practical question with a real answer that varies by caterer and by local health rules. Ask it before the night, so nobody is negotiating over a hotel pan at midnight.
What you should be listening for
- Specific numbers rather than reassurance. 'About one server per twelve, so fourteen for your count' beats 'we'll make sure you're well staffed.'
- Volunteered limitations. A caterer who tells you what their kitchen cannot do at your venue is a caterer telling you the truth about everything else.
- Questions back at you. If nobody asks about your guests, your timeline, or your venue's kitchen, the menu you are being sold is not designed for your wedding.
- Willingness to be told the budget. A caterer who wants your number so they can design toward it is doing you a favour, not fishing.
“The menu is built around your event, not pulled off a list. Guest count, room, timing, and what your people actually eat all change what we cook.”
