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Savvy June 2020

Catering Standards

Nicole, on March 7, 2020 at 10:58 AM Posted in Planning 0 11

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I’m having second thoughts about our wedding caterer. She came highly recommended by a friend so we booked her. At the time of booking she said that we should do a tasting in March to finalize the wedding menu. I said ok. It’s now March, I contact her for the tasting. She informed me that’s it will be $75 pp to do the tasting of chicken, salad, and etouffe. Mind you my fiancé and I have already given her a sizable deposit. When I questioned, I’m told the $75 price tag iis due to her shopping time, level of execution, etc. and that these are industry standards.

I have no problem paying for a tasting before booking. Most of the vendors that I encountered stated that if we decide to use their services, the tasting would be waived or deducted from the bill. To me, this is a fair and reasonable business practice. However, to charge me a ridiculous amount of money for a tasting of 3 items after an event has been booked and a deposit paid is pretty shady.
I reached out to another caterer. They are available to do the wedding. My problem with them is the food isn’t as aesthetically pleasing as the other caterer.

At this point, I want to cancel the contract and rid myself of this negativity. However the wedding is a few months away on June 20th. Am I overreacting? I’ve been seething about this for the past week.

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11 Comments

Latest activity by Courtney, on February 24, 2021 at 2:30 PM

Master September 2019
Sarah · on March 7, 2020 at 11:11 AM
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What did your contract say about the tasting? Did it mention the option of a tasting and the fee associate with it? Most of the venues in my area charge around that for a tasting or you have to attend a specific group tasting which are only held on certain dates so for me this wouldn’t be a dealbreaker but you just have to decide what is more important to you.
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Legend November 2019
Caytlyn · on March 7, 2020 at 11:15 AM
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Agree with this. While $75 for a tasting would be high for my area, charging a fee isn't uncommon.
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Devoted August 2022
Sinaya · on March 7, 2020 at 11:17 AM
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If you really want to cancel the contract I would wait until you have another company booked since your wedding is approaching fast. Also, it is industry standard to charge for tasting, and not all companies waive the fee. My venue provides the catering and we also have to pay for the tasting. And you’re already not impressed with this other company you’re looking at. Remember you get what you pay for, so you have to decide if it’s worth it to go ahead and pay for the tasting. To me it’s worth it because people always remember if the food was good or not. Good luck!
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Savvy June 2020
Nicole · on March 7, 2020 at 11:23 AM
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The tasting or associated fees are not addressed in the contract.

Honestly, I don’t mind paying for a tasting at all. What I have a problem with is paying for a tasting after the event has been booked and deposit had been made. It was her suggestion that we do a tasting in March. I admit I should have asked the fees associated with the tasting. I do believe she should have mentioned it as well.
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Savvy June 2020
Nicole · on March 7, 2020 at 11:29 AM
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Thank you. I’m not canceling the contract until so have another caterer in place.

However, I’m very much on the fence with paying for the tasting. The method and tone in which was conveyed is what’s upsetting to me.
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VIP October 2020
Samantha · on March 7, 2020 at 12:05 PM
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Here it’s unusual to pay for a tasting so I would find it odd, but I’m not sure it’d be a dealbreaker.
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Devoted January 2021
Shelly · on March 7, 2020 at 12:28 PM
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We paid for our tasting and it is not waived from the final amount. It was cheaper then 75 a person, I think it was 25 if I remember correctly. And we experienced way more than 50 dollars worth of food if we went out to dinner so it was worth it. We also did our tasting before booking and paying a deposit. I would not hire another vendor over this. Yes, she should of let you know up front about the cost when she mentioned booking in March. But I would not hire someone else that isn’t as good over it.
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Expert July 2022
Jmz · on March 7, 2020 at 1:18 PM
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I definitely understand your logic that it's weird since you've obviously already hired them, why do you need to pay this fee? It's of course reasonable to pay if you're just testing out a caterer and haven't signed yet. That said, since PPs say it's not uncommon and you like this caterer more than the alternative, I think what matters most is whether it'll be less stress on *you* to just stick to your original plan. Maybe don't think of it this way of "I didn't like how it happened" and think more selfishly "is this more work for me than it's worth?" Just my thoughts! ❤️
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Super October 2020
Leslie · on March 7, 2020 at 11:24 PM
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I live in Chicago and I don’t think I’ve ever heard of paying for a tasting. If it’s more than the couple, maybe. We were not charged and they even offered us cocktails.
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Rockstar December 2022
Michelle · on February 24, 2021 at 1:52 PM
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You should never book anyone before getting a tasting. But the fee for the entire group is not unreasonable because you are paying for their labor to take time away from their regular work as if it's going out for a meal. That price per person is way too much.
Guests collectively remember whether food tastes good or not and don't remember or care what it looks like.
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Expert September 2022
Courtney · on February 24, 2021 at 2:30 PM
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I don't know about this one. I could see paying $75 total for the tasting, because it doesn't have to be full sized portions for a tasting imo. However $75 per person is outrageous. That's almost more than I've ever spent on a nice dinner for 2 people.
My caterer has an option to do a private tasting for $100, but that's for four people. I would clarify with your caterer if it's $75 for a certain amount of people, or actually $75pp.
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