Top 10 Money Saving Catering Tips

It's looking like your limited means is not allowing you to engage a caterer for your special event. Worry not, you don't have to resort to self-catering. We give you 10 ideas on how you can cut back on expenses.

#Tip 1 Be Precise Catering for the most accurate number of guests not only avoids wastage but also saves you a tidy sum!

#Tip 2 Buffet Galore Have your party catered buffet style rather than a formal sit-down affair. You won't have the added cost of paying for service staff, plus your guests will get to choose the food they like.

#Tip 3 Day over Night How about having a day event instead of dinner? Dinners are often more expensive so you can save quite a bit just by changing the timing of your party to lunch or even brunch.

#Tip 4 Quality >>> Quantity Go for quality, not quantity. Instead of having eight good courses, why not just five sublime dishes?

#Tip 5 Economical Yum Forgo the bank-busting delicacies like lobster, caviar and truffles. Choose economical yet delectable fare like pasta and chicken. Ask the caterer to switch the wagyu beef or organic ingredients to conventional, less costly but still delicious, ingredients.

#Tip 6 Piggyback Latch onto another event. If your caterer will be serving another event close to the time of your party, request a similar menu. You should save some moolah, since it costs much less to prepare more of the same food than to build a meal from scratch.

#Tip 7 Popular is Bad Avoid popular days and times and the caterer will be more amenable to giving you a discount. Friday and Saturday evenings are normally popular with weddings and other celebratory events. Pick other timings and save some money.

#Tip 8 Refer $$$ Promise to refer clients. Caterers live and die by referral. You will be able to wheedle a nice discount for your catering event if the caterer sees business potential in your referrals.

#Tip 9 Set Reminder You don't have to eliminate alcohol, just close the bar early. An hour before the party comes to a close, limit to non-alcoholic beverages such as soft drinks, tea or coffee.

#Tip 10 Match Made in Heaven Last but not least, find a caterer that can work with your budget. Different catering companies serve different types of markets. Find one that suits your needs so you don't end up paying a premium. An up-market catering company is overkill if your event is a simple birthday celebration.