What is the Administrative Fee? Is it a Gratuity?
The Administrative Fee is a charge for the Time of the Caterer. It covers menu design, client interaction, site visitation, and all pre-event coordination, planning, and revisions. It also helps to defray the costs of Governmental Fees such as licenses and permits as well as the costs of Liability and Worker’s Compensation insurance and other Business Costs. Gratuity for on-site staff is not included and is greatly appreciated. Price is for Cash or Check Price. All Credit Card Transactions are assessed a 3.95% Merchant Transaction Charge. The fees assessed by Merchant Processors are quite hefty especially for larger cost events.
Do you have a specialty?
We specialize in bringing Classic French and Italian techniques to modern cuisine utilizing the best in locally sourced ingredients. We have a world influenced professionally trained staff that has experience in creating dishes from around the world. If you have something that you know you would like just ask! If we cannot execute it to the highest of standards we would tell you. It hasn’t happened yet!
Where do you prepare the food?
We utilize a commercial kitchen to prepare the food for your event. We prefer to execute the final cooking processes onsite to ensure the highest in quality. This strategy can add additional cost because we will need to create a kitchen onsite in some cases by renting Cooking Equipment (other times we can use an existing kitchen) but the final product is of a much higher quality. We understand that this is not always possible and we will keep the food at the highest quality possible given the specific circumstances of your event.
Can you provide Alcohol?
Yes we can provide you a full service bar. Bar can be set up as a hosted or a cash bar. You can also provide your own alcohol if you prefer.
Do you charge a “cake cutting fee” or “corkage fee”?
No, we do not.
How many servers do I need?
The more servers you hire, the better and faster service you will get. We usually recommend 1 server per 25 guests for buffet and 1 server per 20 guests for a plated service. A plated service also requires additional Chefs in order to execute the event.
Do you do tastings?
Yes, we schedule our tastings during the week. We charge a $125 tasting fee for two people. You can bring additional people for $25/person extra fee (non refundable) up to 5 people (including wedding planner or 4 people without wedding planner). The tasting fee needs to be prepaid and is fully refundable if you decide to book your event with Convivial Catering. Tastings are available for events bigger than $5000 only. Tastings are held at our commercial kitchen.
When is the final count due?
The final count is due 7 days before the event. This count is considered a guarantee. When your party is booked, you will be provided with a contract with the final count date.
Can you cater my event if the venue does not have a kitchen. ?
Yes, we can create a Kitchen onsite. If this is not possible we can bring the food already prepared. In this situation the food will still be excellent but because it had to be prepared ahead of time the quality will not be quite as high as when we complete the cooking process a la minute.
Can you provide all of the rentals needed for the event?
Yes. We can handle all your rental needs (dance floor, lighting, tent, draping, etc.) through our vendor partners. We can get you everything you need to execute your event.
How should I budget my wedding reception?
Here’s a breakdown that we believe is balanced that could help you in planning your wedding (of course priorities may vary for each person): Venue (15%), Food and Beverage (28%), Wedding Planner (6%), Photographer (10%), DJ (5%), Flowers (6%), Cake (4%), Wedding Dress (15%), Groom’s Attire (5%), Miscellaneous (6%).
