Selecting the Perfect Food & Beverages

Transforming ordinary parties into extraordinary events.

The Great Event by Darryl Scotti Events, is a full service corporate event and party planning company that services the San Francisco Bay Area specializing in social gatherings, event planning, casino parties, company picnics, lighting and decor design. In business since 1987,  working with some of top Fortune 500 companies and the top Bay Area employers for almost 30 years, it still seems like the beginning.

Why, you wonder? Because the entertainment and event planning industry is constantly changing.  While up for the task to continue providing added value for trusted clients planning event, DSE becomes your right hand and problem solver. Every little detail and latest trend is considered, including keeping the customers stress level at an all-time low holding their hand through the entire process so you get to enjoy the experience. The Great Event is there to support you and make the event successful, on time and on budget.

 

Selecting the Right Food & Beverage

Any good party has a few ingredients. Your seating arrangements, décor, specialty drinks, etc. All of them are important, but the food served is often at the top of the list in priority and often causes the most stress. Now there is a ton of information about choosing food items and we can’t hope to encompass it all in one article. Let’s see if we can break it down into three main parts.

 

Know Your Party.

A black-tie fundraiser is a quite a bit different than a BBQ. Both are awesome but caviar and salmon mousse doesn’t generally fit the backyard theme, and ribs don’t generally court congressmen. Every party has a persona and keeping the food on mark is a good idea. The Great Event keeps in mind things like décor, selected theme elements and special needs your event may require. The theme trumps all and sets the tone for everything else at your event.  If your hosting a local fundraiser to raise money for community activities, we look to include things that elevate and create the mood.

 

Know Your Crowd.

Barring the above for a moment (because theme still does come first), the second thing to consider is “who” will be attending your party. What sort of things do your employees, friends or family enjoy? With your guidance, The Great Event will match your offerings to what sort of people will be attending. If your party consists of a large vegetarian collective, it’s probably a good idea to leave the bacon in the pin. Sometimes it’s difficult to gauge who will be there. Sometimes you just don’t know, but you will often have an idea. Especially, of whom the function is primarily for, and that alone can help guide us in our decisions… GREATLY.

 

Know Your Budget.

This is always a difficult topic, one neither us nor the client likes to breach. It can be awkward, offsetting, etc, but hiding from the inevitable can’t last forever. The inevitable is, well, inevitable. Some think the event planner should be the last to know your budget however, a great event planner only interested in building a lasting relationship takes a budget, large or small and works it like magic.

So, when thinking about your menu, keeping your budget concerns along for the ride will greatly help both you and The Great Event when you’re hiring the staff needed to work your event. No matter what, you will want a decent range of items. Make sure to choose some warm, some cold, some savory and some sweet items. Knowing early which things are a “must” and which would simply be nice to have is important. It saves time, it saves aggravation and is just a good idea. And being able to tell The Great Event which is which, or having a few ideas that we can help you price out and eventually narrow down… is priceless. Have options, have a plan, a realistic one, and all will be smooth sailing.
To learn more about our offerings, please give us a call at (408) 298-3001 or fill out our “Quote Form” by clicking HERE