Backyard barbeques are simple enough to cater for on your own: it's easy to prepare and cook food for a small group. However, if you're holding a large function, the logistics of ordering, preparing, and cooking food for your guests become complex. Often, you'll find yourself strapped to the barbeque or trapped in the kitchen for the entirety of the event, rather than out mingling with your guests and enjoying yourself. Imagine trying to cook sausages and steaks for forty people and upwards: it would take hours of preparing and cooking. Not only this, but self-catering is often more expensive than hiring a catering service to do the job for you.
A caterer will be able to give you a fantastic price per head for each of your guests according to the meals you order. In addition, you'll have the luxury of being able to socialise with your guests and enjoy your own party. A catering service will take away the responsibility of ordering, preparing, and cooking meats and salads for your function: they'll even take care of the washing up!
Enjoy New Flavours
Forget the traditional 'snags and steaks' barbeque menu: talk to your caterer about introducing some fun, fresh flavours to the menu. Summertime is the perfect climate for seafood: think fresh, crisp salads and juicy, citrus-infused prawns. Alternatively, you could serve a range of kebabs: chicken marinated in Thai curry, or lamb marinated in red wine and studded with rosemary. Your caterer will have a range of unique and flavoursome dishes to tantalise your tastebuds.
If you're interested in keeping your barbeque traditional, you can still serve simple sausages and steaks: talk to your caterer about sourcing good-quality, free range meats for your barbeque. Think pork sausages and thick, juicy Angus steaks. Top off a good old-fashioned barbeque with a range of delicious salads: Mediterranean vegetables, pumpkin and couscous, fresh Greek salad, or freshly-made coleslaw. Your caterer will have a whole range of salads for you to choose between.
You can even talk to your caterer about introducing some of your own ideas to the barbeque menu. If you've got a few old family favourites or a personal twist to introduce to the menu, discuss your ideas with your caterer at a tasting session. A good caterer is one who is creative, innovative, and happy to work with some of your own ideas.
Take Some Time to Brain-Storm
Hiring a catering service to take care of your barbeque means that you can turn your attention to other aspects of your function. For instance, if you're holding a function with family and friends, you might like to take extra time to plan different games and activities to keep your guests amused. Similarly, if you're holding a wedding or a hallmark birthday or anniversary, you can use your extra time to plan the order of events including speeches, toasts, and other entertainment.
Similarly, if you're holding a corporate function, you'll need all the time you can get to organise a well-oiled, smoothly-run event. Allow your catering service to take over the organisation of food and beverage: instead, use your time to arrange the order of speakers, slideshows, presentations, and entertainment.
Once you've arranged all of the entertainment for your event you should draw up an itinerary and give a copy to your caterer. This way, you can collaborate with your caterer to organise the order of food service so that your guests are kept amused and well-fed for the duration of your event.
All Types of Service
Just because you're holding a barbeque doesn't mean that you're restricted to one style of service. Talk to your caterer about the type of function you're holding to get advice of the best way to serve your meals. If you're holding a slightly formal event such as a corporate dinner or a wedding reception, you might prefer to arrange for your meals to be plated and served at the table. If your function is a relaxed affair, you might want to serve as a banquet or buffet instead. Each style has its own advantages: your caterer will be able to recommend a certain service style according to the level of formality of your event.
When you're holding a large-scale barbeque, don't feel as though you have to be solely responsible for the catering. Hiring a catering service takes the burden of organisation from your shoulders: you can delegate some of the planning to someone else, and you can be more social and relaxed during your event. So grab a beer, enjoy a free-range steak or a marinated kebab, and make the most of your barbeque!