Caterers in Northeast Florida

How to choose a caterer in Northeast Florida

1. Decide on the service style first

   Drop-off trays, buffet with attendants, stations, food truck, family style, and plated dinners are different jobs with different staffing. A plated dinner for 150 in a downtown ballroom needs servers, a kitchen plan, and rentals. A drop-off for 30 at an office in Nocatee needs chafing dishes and a reliable driver.

2. Ask if they have worked at your venue

   St. Augustine's historic venues often have tiny kitchens, stairs, and loading restrictions, and beach and farm venues may have no kitchen at all. A caterer who has done your venue knows where the power is and how long the walk from the van takes. If not, insist on a site visit.

3. Verify license and insurance

   Ask for the Florida food service license number and a certificate of insurance. Most venues require both, and a caterer without them cannot legally load in. Home cooks selling under the cottage food law cannot serve hot catered meals, so be careful with cheap offers in neighborhood groups.

4. Get a tasting and a line-item proposal

   A proper proposal shows per-person food cost, staff hours, rentals, delivery, service charge, and sales tax separately. Service charges of 18 to 25 percent are standard and are not the same as a tip. Compare proposals on the all-in number, not the per-plate headline.

5. Plan for heat and weather

   From May through September, outdoor buffets need shade, ice, and a short service window. Ask how the caterer keeps cold food cold on a beach in August and what their plan is if an afternoon storm hits at 5 p.m. Good local caterers have done this a hundred times.

What catering costs in St. Johns County →