F&B expectations are up, F&B budgets are flat. What’s a planner to do? Plenty!
Start by discarding all your notions of what is impossible for food, drink, service, presentation and ingredients, says Patrick Cuccaro, managing director of Affairs to Remember in Atlanta. Instead, focus on the impact F&B can have on the total event and ways F&B can contribute to the overall success of your event.
Rather than telling your venue, caterer or chef what you want them to do, talk about what you want them to achieve. Then get out of the way and let them work out ways to meet event goals while staying within the overall event spending plan.
Be completely upfront about your budget. Know how much of it is dedicated solely to the food and service of your special event.
Ask for seasonal dishes—they’ll taste better, and they’ll cost less because they’re abundant.
Work with someone who walks the walk. Many restaurateurs and caterers have developed scripts that speak to this subject, but ask them exactly how they’ve accommodated farm-to-table requests and special dietary considerations with limited budgets in the past…then listen very carefully.
Don’t start the conversation with all the answers. Many clients have a “must have” list a mile long. A great chef will bring the answers to you! But you have to unlock the door to ideas first.
Don’t take their word for it. Ask for references, but be specific. Those pleased clients should be people who shared your own objectives.
