Vibrant Table Catering & Events

Catering to the Senses

BLOG

Factual FAQs

All About Hors D’oeuvres: The Where, Why & How Much

Filed Under: Catering Chronicles, Factual FAQs

Hors d’oeuvres are to dinner what aperitifs are to wine: a little something before the main event; but can’t they be a meal on their own? Deciding if your event may or may not be the perfect Spotlight for hors d’oeuvres only- well we’ve got you covered. Some tips of the trade as to what’s what.
*   *   *

Hors d’oeuvres: “apart from the main work.”

What’s important to know is: How many hors d’oeuvres will my guests eat? You don’t want to be the hostess sending guests home hungry, but you also do not want too much food. Goldilocks and the Three Bears had it right; it takes some trial and error before you really know the right number of pieces per person for different events. Luckily, we have done the work for you and have come up with best estimates, by event type and time:

  • 2-4 pieces per person, 30-60 minutes before dinner, cocktail hour
  • 5-6 pieces per person, 1.5-2 hour event, preceding dinner time
  • 8-10 pieces per person, 2-4 hours event, heavy hors d’oeuvres
  • 12-15 pieces per person 4+ hour event, dinner replacement

Tips of the trade for hors d’oeuvres events:

  1. Hors d’oeuvre dinners are not always a less expensive dinner option. Although many people hope that ordering hors d’oeuvres will reduce overall cost, this is typically not the case!  Hors d’oeuvre dinners are often more expensive since the menu is more labor intensive.
  2. How can you make an hors d’oeuvre dinner option economical? Mix it up!  Be sure to include some heavier items like salmon sliders or braised lamb meatballs; take advantage of “platters” and avoid lots of handmade smaller pieces; add some other options like quinoa salad, baked brie or a mezza platter.
  3. Perks of an hors d’oeuvres dinner:
    1. Multi- stations- who doesn’t like variety of flavor?
    2. Cocktail atmospheres create a less formal service
    3. Live chef action. Watch chefs prepare your tapas!
    4. “When do you” vs. “When don’t you”:
      1. Venue matters – hors d’oeuvres menus are equipment and kitchen sensitive.  More so than the traditional buffet or plated dinner, hors d’oeuvres may require ovens, fryers and grills.  If your menu needs all three, the cost to rent equipment adds up!  And if an outdoor kitchen must be created for your event, it’s likely you’ll also need a tent, lighting, and then heating and side walls in the cooler months.
      2. If you want to encourage movement at your event, if perhaps there is not enough seating for all, hors d’oeuvres parties are absolutely great for mixers, networking and open houses.
      3. If the budget fits!

Hors d’oeuvre parties can be fun and dynamic – just remember to consider time of day, right amounts, event style, and of course, the kitchen!

*   *   *

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Do you have any experiences with hors d’oeuvre events? What have your experiences been? Any tips of your own? At the end of the day, we can only know so much.

PHOTO CREDITS

We are indebted to the photographers who allow us show their work. The white spoons filled with a bite of deliciousness was taken by Sara Gray. The plate of skewers was contributed by Evrim Icoz Photography.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Why let a pro handle your event rentals?

Filed Under: Bridal Boutique, Factual FAQs, Setting the Stage

How much are your time and sanity worth? The lucky few who have plenty of both may find that managing event rentals for your wedding, private party, or business event justify the potential, yet minor, cost savings. If your time is money and peace of mind is invaluable, Vibrant Table recommends letting a professional handle this essential but time-consuming aspect of your event – whether that be your wedding coordinator, event planner, or caterer. You WILL thank us!

*   *   *

Lower Work Load

What goes into planning and producing an event? There’s likely any combination of food, bar, lighting, linens, chairs, tables, pipe and drape, specialty lounge furniture, tableware, additional catering equipment, floral, other decor, entertainment, photography and videography. Manage your own vendors – equipment rentals or otherwise — and you’re responsible for…

  • researching what you’ll need from each vendor and how much of each item
  • comparing costs across vendors
  • communicating the inevitable multiple revisions to your order
  • confirming and reconfirming orders
  • keeping track of deadlines
  • coordinating load-in and load-out with the venue for each vendor
  • checking that everyone has delivered what’s expected
  • ensuring that everything gets returned to its proper home

One Contact

When your planner or catering rep manages your rentals, you call one person. We’re then responsible for reconfiguring your order and communicating changes to applicable parties. Aaahh… a sigh of relief.

KNOWLEDGE

As a beginning planner, you may not know what questions to ask. On the other hand, your coordinator knows what information vendors need to perform before the conversation begins – streamlining communication for all parties.

EXPERIENCE

Going with the pros means you reap the benefit of years of experience, failures as well as successes. We’ve already maneuvered the industry landscape so you don’t have to.

Sourcing

Going for a specific look? A professional planner knows the inventory and specialties offered by local and possibly even national vendors. We’re on top of new trends and products, and can help you navigate the endless possibilities.

Vendor Vetting

The pros know which vendors they can rely on to be professional and follow through. We know who always shows up on time, delivers quality materials, and offers fair pricing.

Connections

Your professional coordinator has access in a way that you, as a private individual, do not. We can call for last minute changes on a weekend. We can request free samples and sometimes vendors might even throw in a few extras for good will.

Save Time

You may not mind the endless communication that’s going to be involved in the months and weeks leading up to your event. But what about the days before and day of? Do you have time to inspect 100 linens and count 300 plates, forks, etc.?  Do you really want to be looking for the last 10 forks when everyone else has gone home?

Cost Savings

Yes, your coordinator will charge a service fee for managing rentals and vendors. Most will package it into their contract with you. However, they also can save you money. They can negotiate deals with vendors. Should you manage your rentals, you will probably make beginner mistakes. Perhaps you underestimated glassware for the bar or overlooked something as simple as extension cords. These mistakes can cost you in the long run as vendors scramble last minute to fill in the gaps.

Seamless Event Experience

Is your guests’ event experience important? Errors compromise service. Even the pros occasionally make mistakes, but they know how to respond to each emergency and can even call in favors. They’re working behind the scenes to find a solution, so your guests probably won’t even notice that something is awry. As a beginner, the likelihood of making a mistake that impacts your guests’ experience significantly increases

.

*   *   *

What do you think?

We rest our case. What do you think? Is it worth it to hire a professional to manage your event rentals? Have you chosen to manage your rentals in the past? Tell us about your experience. We love to hear from  you!

Photo Credits

We are indebted to the photographers who allow us show their work. The Victorian table top was shot at an Oregon Bride inspiration shoot and can be found in their Fall 2010 issue. The white and salmon room was contributed by Evrim Icoz Photography.

You Might Also Like

 

Non-Profit Fundraising Tips

Filed Under: Factual FAQs, Inspiring Ideas

During these difficult financial times, Non-profits struggle to meet an increased demand for their services while funding decreases. In honor of these essential community pillars, Vibrant Table has come up with a tip list to make your non-profit event dollars stretch further.

*   *   *

Attracting an audience

  • Research what else is happening in the community before setting a date. Portland Society Pages and Travel Portland offer comprehensive calendars on their sites. Ask your event planner friends to see if they know of any festivals or other happenings. Check the websites of any similar organizations and do a general internet search. You’re likely to conflict with something, but you can at least avoid conflicting with an event that will attract a large section of your target audience.
  • Keep an open mind about your event format. It’s ok to stray from the “standard” to keep your event fresh and attract new and future donors. Consider, for example, an after-auction party with reduced entrance fees, fun music, and a couple of drink tickets to get a younger demographic.
  • Entice registration with an attention-grabbing name that speaks to your audience, something like “Flash!”
  • Use social media to promote your event. It’s best to have an audience already established, so maintain a social media presence even during slow seasons. For large events, you may even consider creating a unique account. Network, network, network. Social media is SOCIAL; reach out to anyone and everyone you think may be interested in your event and cross-promote other events to spread good-will.
  • Add your event to Portland Society Page’s calendar. It’s FREE for non-profit organizations.

working with vendors

  • Don’t be afraid to pay a little more for experienced vendors. In the long run, they will save you more and might even help you raise more!
  • Hire a professional benefit auctioneer. They know how to work a crowd and will raise significantly more money than a staff member or volunteer.
  • Realistically share your budget to encourage a more efficient planning process. If your vendors know what they have, they will do their best to find ways to make it work. Plus, they may suggest ways to reduce costs that you haven’t thought of.
  • At meetings, be prepared to talk about what event elements are most important to your organization to help vendors identify the most appropriate cost-saving measures.
  • Offer your vendors sponsorship or promotional opportunities in exchange for discounts, such as ad space in your program, features on your website, or a verbal thank you in the greeting or closing.
  • Partner with vendors that have a strong social media presence. Ask them to promote your event. Provide them with all the necessary information (event dates, location, highlights,social media networks, hashtag, promotional images, logos etc.). The person you work with directly may not be the person managing the social media accounts.

choosing the Setting

  • Select a venue that includes the most services with the rental of the facility. Do they provide tables and chairs, discounted audio-visual services, dance floors, etc?
  • Ask about reduced rates for non-profit organizations.
  • Choose your date wisely. Venues are more likely to provide a discount for a mid-week day and off-peak seasons.

Feeding your guests

  • Limit your menu to reduce food costs. For example, serve your guests one entrée (with a vegetarian option) rather than two if providing a plated meal. For buffets, use smaller plates to reduce over-eating.
  • Is a local bakery willing to donate desserts or offer them at discounted rates? Talk to your caterer to make sure this is ok first.
  • Pass on the love. Ask your caterer about donating any left-over food to a local food bank.

Adding libations

  • To lower bar costs, offer a signature cocktail with beer and wine or limit the number of hosted beverages with drink tickets.
  • Contact local wineries and beverage distributors to see if they will donate their goods.
  •  Find venues and caterers that allow you to provide your own alcohol. Shop around for the lowest corkage fees.

Creating the look

  • Lighting will have the most impact on mood. Invest in lighting even if you do little else.
  • Select seasonal, local blooms and incorporate large focal flowers in simple ways. Consider floating dahlias in water-filled vases as a table centerpiece.
  • Can auction items be incorporated into the table displays? Not only will you save on vase rentals, a hand-made bowl filled with beautiful flowers is more exciting to take home.
*   *   *

Our Vibrant Community

Vibrant Table is honored to work with dozens of local organizations every year, including:

You Might Also Like

Photo Credits

Thank you to the local event and wedding photographers who share their talent with us.

Summer Hosting Tips

Filed Under: Factual FAQs, Inspiring Ideas, Setting the Stage

Are you planning a summer get-together? From menu to look to general comfort, Vibrant Table’s professional event staff has some ideas to make summer hosting a breeze.
*   *   *

THE FOOD

Non-alcoholic punches can be spiked at leisure.

Reduce the stress of entertaining by prepping ahead. We recommend plenty of cold sides with hot entrees that come straight off the grill. Have everything ready to go in the fridge, with little or no assembly required. Want to handle some things but not all? Your local caterer or deli will gladly help. Order times vary, so call ahead to see when you should place your order.

For menu ideas, peruse our picnic and barbecue menu or find recipes on our blog.

THE BEVS

Premixing signature cocktails makes serving much easier. For a wide range of guests, consider a fruity beverage that can be made alcoholic or non-alcoholic, such as a strawberry lemonade. Serve the lemonade in a bubbler and let them add the liquor at their discretion. Sangria is always a popular libation, and there are tons of delicious sangria recipes to choose from (104 on the Food Network alone!). A red wine lover? Try chilling a light red for a refreshing summer option.

THE PRESENTATION

MyDrap linens (via Elle Decor)

Pretty buffets by serving dishes at varying heights. Boxes covered in a linen work great. Think outside the bowl or platter for a fun twist. Consider fruit salad skewers or individual desserts in shot glasses or mason jars (reuse mason jars in fall canning). Stylish with a social conscious? China is the most sustainable option, but for larger groups we recommend banana leaf plates. Creative Director Kurt Beadell adores MyDrap, attractive cotton-linen napkins that come on a roll. They can be washed up to six times and offer a vast array of color options. Completely biodegradable, throw them into the compost bin when done!

THE GATHERING AREAS

Guests are drawn to food, music, and seating areas. To keep guests out of the kitchen, provide them with alternative gathering spots by setting up food and beverage stations in a more convenient location. Consider setting up the beverage station on the porch, with seating nearby. Create an area for outdoor games, such as croquet, badminton, or horse shoes.

THE DECORATIONS

Light pathways to save your guests’ ankles.

Choose a color scheme with 2 colors and work it throughout. An attractive garden needs few extra touches, but you might consider signs to direct your guests or labels for food items. Have a few blank labels on hand for items your guests bring. DIY flag strands or pom-pom balls can be added to brighten up gathering spots or food stations.

THE LIGHTING

Stumbles to the restroom are no fun! If you plan to go after dark, light all food stations, gathering spots, and important pathways. Popular solutions include hurricane candles, string lights, torches, or solar lamps.

STAYING COOL

Provide shaded areas for comfort.

Take advantage of naturally shaded areas. If your party isn’t at home, survey the event locale during the same hours as your event so you know where the sun hits. Lack natural shade? Consider a shade sail with a pretty cloth, muslin or canvas. Ikea has ready-made shade sails for $25, but we found this DIY tutorial on Apartment Therapy. Mint extract and water in spray bottles can be cooling misters. Kids love water guns or balloon fight, but prepare to be target practice!

BUG DISTRACTORS

Bugs are a fact of life with outdoor hosting, but there are some tricks to deterring them. If possible, connect a fan so that a breeze runs over the food display. Use attractive glass containers with lids (i.e. apothecary jars, cake stands, etc.). Lemon candles can supplement citronella, and there’s always the standby bug zapper. If meat-loving yellow jackets are a problem in your area, the best approach is to bait them away from the festivities with meat or seafood scraps (but not too far to be ineffective), taking care to place canisters out of reach of pets and children.

PORTLAND PARKS, PERMITS & RESOURCES

Based in Portland? Here are some handy links and resources:

  • Holding Your Event in a Public Portland Park – Leaflet outlining general things to know when holding an event in a public park. Offers broader information than specific manuals listed below.
  • Reserving a Park for Your Picnic -This brochure is for you if you want to reserve a Portland park for your event. Includes locations, rates, and how-to instructions. Download application.
  • Wedding Brochure – Planning a summer wedding in the Rose Garden, Hoyt Arboretum or other park?  This is the brochure for you. Portland Parks reserve quickly for weddings, so book early!
  • Special Event/Use Permit – Instruction manual for large public events.
  • Block Parties – Webpage devoted to hosting a block party. You’ll find tips, guidelines, and application links.
  • Additional Event Permits -List of permits that may be required for your event, including links for noise permits, fire marshal permits, or parades.

Your Thoughts

Do you have any summer hosting tips to share? Add them in the comments below!

*   *   *

You Might Also Like

Photo Credit

Portland-based Evrim Icoz generously donated the images of the punch and candles for this blog post. As always, we extend our gratitude!

 

Catering Misconceptions: Service & Labor

Filed Under: Catering Chronicles, Factual FAQs

This is the final post in a series exploring common catering misconceptions written in conjunction with Auriana Albree, Vibrant Table event coordinator extraordinaire. Read more of this discussion on our posts about  budget-related misconceptions and food and beverage misconceptions.

To close our series on catering myths, VIbrant Table explores why you should ask about staffing when shopping for a caterer, the role of your caterer’s event coordinator, and the different types of day-of lead staff. We hope you’ve enjoyed our Catering Misconceptions series and invite you to add your own experiences, questions. and advice in the comments below.

*   *   *

“Staffing isn’t a factor I should consider when shopping for a caterer.”

Attentive, friendly staff keep guests happy.

Service is a central element of any event experience. The number and quality of event staff are instrumental in keeping guests happy and your event running smoothly. Glasses are filled, food is delivered quickly, and transitions are seamless – allowing your guests to focus on enjoying the moment. This is particularly important for non-profit events; happy guests are more generous contributors and they’re more likely to attend your next event.

However, labor also composes a significant portion of your catering bill, usually somewhere between 30% to 50%. And for caterers trying to meet their clients’ budget needs, staffing may become the sacrificial lamb (and in rare instances it may not even be added into the initial proposal). Labor is often not a stated factor in the bidding process and, when it is, even seasoned event pros may not translate abstract staffing ratios into real time service levels – and it’s too late to change once the event is in process.

So, YES, staffing is certainly something that should be considered when shopping for a caterer. Ask about standard staffing ratios and what level of service can be expected. If the level of service does not meet your expectations, ask them to add more. If trying to meet a budget, clarify what service areas may be flexible and what is not. Confirm that event staff and all other labor are included in your proposal.

 “My caterer has an event coordinator. I don’t need a wedding or event planner, too.”

VT coordinator, Meg Goldman (right), and professional event planner Samantha Swaim of Samantha Swaim Fundraising.

Your caterer’s coordinator will help you with many of the details that a wedding/event coordinator will oversee. However, the caterer is primarily focused on areas surrounding the reception and food service. Vibrant Table offers extensive planning services, but we do not help manage RSVPs, put together your seating chart, scour markets for cute thank-you gifts, keep track of who walks down the aisle when, look for your next speaker, or tell the band they’re on in five. These sorts of details are essential to a smooth event. If you prefer to be part of the audience rather than conductor, we highly encourage contracting a professional planner.

“All caterers have an on-site manager.”

Vibrant Table provides an on-site event manager that is there from beginning to end. Essentially accountable for the day-of action, your Event Manager starts working with your coordinator weeks before your event to assure a smooth transition between planning and implementation. Event managers help manage equipment ordering, pack-out, your vendors’ arrival and departure, set-up, clean-up, and a whole lot more. However, some caterers lead staff is a service captain or head server. Lead servers are far less involved  than an on-site manager. They don’t attend walk-throughs, keep track of time lines, or coordinate with the venue and vendors. They focus entirely on food service. Ask your caterer who will be in charge of running your event and exactly what their responsibilities are.

“My caterer’s owner/coordinator will be there during my event.”

Chris Barrie has led Vibrant Table events since 2008 and now mentors new event managers.

Maybe, but not necessarily. If your caterer is associated with a popular restaurant, the owner may not be available to be at your wedding on a busy Saturday night. Smaller off-site caterers (and florists) do not have the resources to handle multiple same-day events, so they take one event per day and that’s it. Other caterers, like Vibrant Table, serve multiple events per day, especially during peak season. Our coordinators do their best to check in at all their events, but it may not be possible. They may have one wedding in Salem and another in Hood River at the same time – not to mention meeting with new clients, attending tastings and walkthroughs, and maintaining a healthy family and personal life. (Hence, our on-site event managers.)

No matter who’s overseeing your event, it is extremely important to carefully review your contract. Are all agreements and expectations clearly reflected?

 “Our event has a room flip (changing a room’s arrangement). Our volunteers or guests can help reset the room to save on service costs.”

Imagine a busy ant colony with one focus. Now imagine teaching your new puppy in the middle of a dog park. Your catering staff are professionals. They have the training and experience to convert a space in a short amount of time without forgetting the details. Your guests and volunteers, albeit eager to help, do not. Trust us.

My caterer promised me something, but I don’t see it in my contract. I really trust my catering representative, so I don’t need to ask them again.

Your contract should explicitly reflect all services and expectations, so don’t be afraid to ask your representative to include any verbal agreements in writing. Your contract is the go-to for you, catering management, and event staff. It helps ensure everyone is on the same page and no details are overlooked.

*   *   *

Tell Us What You Think

Has staffing ever made or broken an event that you attended? Have a question missed by our Catering Misconceptions series? Tell us all about it in the comments below!

Photo credits

As always, we extend a grand thank you to the photographers who generously allow us to use their photos.

You Might Also Like