There was a time in the history of food catering when the service is regarded as only for the rich and can afford people.
That was the trend in the past as these days, catering services can be hired for various occasions especially for events with a lot of expected guests and attendees.
A catering service may either be on-premise or off premise.
If food is prepared then served to a group of people in a single location, that is called an on-premise.
In that location there is a kitchen where the food is cooked and prepared.
Then in a nearby and separate area is the place where the cooked meals will be served.
The off-premise catering on the other hand also involves transporting foods but to a farther location.
Therefore, this type of catering is more involved in practicing safety concerns with food packing.
There are hot and cold foods to be packed differently but both should be done to prevent spoilage and spillage.
The most commonly used tools to pack foods for the off-premise catering are portable warming units, refrigerated trucks and cars and insulated coolers.
It is of utmost importance that foods prepared by the caterer are safe, of high-quality and are free from ill-causing germs.
There are many caterers in history which were known to have faced lawsuits for charges of food poisoning.
Some were unfortunate to have their businesses close down due to the incident.
Therefore at all times, foods must be handled and prepared correctly.
Catering is not only concerned with providing delectable foods.
Along with the proper preparation is the suitable presentation and serving of the dishes.
The other details which a caterer should ensure are tables, tents, flowers, entertainment and other requirements to cater the foods properly.
All these must be prepared and planned with all suitability.
During the meeting, the caterer must already determine the menu preferred by the client as well as how they want this to be presented.
The client may have particular preferences for the style of food serving, of how each portion of food will be placed on the plates.
The client may want that each plate be garnished.
It is also the caterer's duty to take care of the room decorations and arrangement, as well as the design of the table and the flow of people waiting for their turn to get foods.
Buffet is usually preferred by most clients and so a caterer must be adept at planning this kind of set-up.
During the event, the guests must be provided with as much comfort as possible.
If there are no big tables to place the plate on, there should be a small table or a food tray that can be placed on the lap.
Should the venue be in a small room, it is best to keep away all chairs and serve the foods near the wall.
Arrange the buffet table in such a way that dishes are available from both sides of the table.
A very nice centerpiece may be placed on the buffet table to give emphasis for the occasion or to just enhance the table decorations.
The guests should fall in an organized line so a small room would not end up congested while they await their turn on the buffet table.