Christmas is finally upon us & the last buffet has been prepared. The kitchens have been scoured & all the staff are departing for a well earned rest. Even as we were washing up & packing away from the final Wedding Buffet (ah a Winter Wedding, how romantic)
The Bride (let's call her Suzy) was a pleasure to work with. Clear ideas of what she wanted, but prepared to compromise on some of the more difficult requests. Everything confirmed in writing & checked beforehand. The day went smoothly & everyone was happy.
Compare this to some of the requests we've had over the last weeks. A call late on Monday afternoon from a new customer, wanting a full 'turkey dinner with all the trimmings' for 50 on Tuesday lunchtime. Did their caterers let them down? No just a spur of the moment decision.
Another new customer called wanting a cold buffet of sandwiches, savouries & dessert for 30. Budget £50 including Vat. That's just over £1.40 a head!
Finally a call at 11.15 asking for a buffet lunch for 10. Customer will collect it at 11.30. From time to time existing customers forget to book, or have a last minute emergency & we'll always try to help, often resulting in a last minute dash to suppliers, but given as we cook everything to order, this was beyond even us!
So my Christmas wish to customers old & new would be to spare a thought for your caterers. Give as much notice as possible & be realistic with budgets.
Happy Christmas Everyone
