At a professionally catered party you would expect the food to be a focal point of the event. It is not unusual for a catering company to also have been responsible for the arrangement of tables and decorations. A catering company understands that the way tables are arranged and/or decorated can have a dramatic effect on how the food looks. A catering company will charge more for a full service aside from increased profit they also have the advantage of making sure the food they have provided is presented in the best way possible. Every event a catering company provides food for could have potential future customers there – it is vital that the service is always the very best. At a very professionally catered event the caterer would be charging the client a lot of money and this would have to be reflected in the food. Food would have to have exactly the right flavors and would also have to be cooked to perfection.
If a caterer has agreed to provide decorating services they will have to do so in the specification of the client. It is likely there will some sort of theme or color scheme to adhere to, this is especially likely in the case of a wedding.
An event caterer will also provide waiting staff at any event they are providing their services to. The waiting staff do not have any responsibility in relation to the preparation of food but they are usually heavily involved in the decoration of the venue. They will wait on tables and serve food and drink. It is the caterer who is responsible for the preparation of food. Food may be prepared at the event or before hand with finishing touches being done on arrival. Preparing food at the event will depend on whether there are facilities available to do this. A caterer will either charge a client based on a per person rate or a flat charge for the whole service. This usually depends on what type of food service it is. For instance it would make sense to charge a client a flat rate for a buffet type service and a per person rate for a three course sit down meal.