A checklist you can actually use, including the questions that are uncomfortable for us to answer.
Most catering problems are not cooking problems. They are things nobody asked about until the week of the event. Here are the nine questions worth asking anyone you are considering, with how we answer each one. A few of these are not flattering to us. That is the point. A checklist that only makes one company look good is obviously worthless to you.
1. What is the all-in price, including service charge and tax?
Ask for the total for your actual headcount, not the per-person number. Ours: The Cookout is $13 per person, The Block Party is $18, plus a 20% service charge and 8.25% sales tax on the whole thing, service charge included. Fifty guests on The Cookout is $844.35 all in. If someone will not give you an all-in figure, you cannot compare their quote to anyone else's.
2. What is the guest minimum?
Ours is 40 guests and a $500 food and beverage minimum. That means a 25-person event costs roughly the same as a 40-person one, because the crew, equipment and setup do not get smaller. If your event is well under 40, we are honestly not your best option and a smaller local operation will serve you better.
3. Is the food cooked on site or delivered?
This is the question that changes the food most and gets asked least. We grill everything at your event, so nothing arrives pre-cooked. But be aware that on-site cooking needs space, and either power or propane access, and setup time before service. If your venue cannot accommodate that, a delivery caterer is the right call and there is no shame in it.
4. How many staff actually come?
Not how many are on the invoice. How many are standing at your event. Ask how it scales too. We run one grill station per 75 guests, so a 150-guest picnic gets two stations, not one working twice as hard. Ask any caterer what happens above their stated capacity. If the answer is that they cook ahead and hold it, you now know what your food will be like.
5. What happens if the guest count changes?
It always changes, usually in the last week. Ask when the number locks and what the cost is of moving it in either direction. We would rather hear from you as soon as you know than get a surprise on the morning. Tell us early and we adjust; tell us at setup and there are limits to what a loaded truck can do.
6. How far ahead do you need to book?
Ours is two weeks minimum, and spring and fall dates in DFW go earlier than that. If you are being told a popular Saturday in October is wide open a week out, ask why.
7. What about dietary requirements?
Ask what is included as standard and what is a special order, because that difference matters at an event where you could not properly survey everyone. A veggie burger is a standard choice in both our packages at no extra cost, alongside hamburger, cheeseburger and grilled chicken. Other needs we can usually accommodate if you tell us when you book. What we will not do is pretend we can handle a strict allergy protocol at a live outdoor grill. If that is your situation, say so up front and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right fit.
8. Who cleans up?
Ask specifically about the cooking area, the serving area, and the guest tables, because those are often three different answers. We handle our own setup and our own station. Get this confirmed in writing with anyone you book, or you will find out at ten at night when everyone has gone home.
9. What happens if it rains?
This is North Texas, so ask it every time. What you want to know is whether they need cover, how much, how far in advance the call gets made, and what it costs to move or postpone. We grill in a lot of weather, but a grill station needs a workable spot and you need somewhere for guests to stand. Having that conversation when you book takes five minutes. Having it during a thunderstorm takes considerably longer.
How to use this
Send all nine to every caterer you are considering. The useful signal is not just the answers. It is which ones get answered directly and which ones get a paragraph of marketing instead.
If you want ours in writing for your specific event, put your date, headcount and location on the order form and we will come back with real numbers and real answers.