How it works

Two paths: drop-off and full-service

How much planning your event needs depends mostly on whether our staff will be there. A drop-off order, such as a boardroom lunch or a breakfast meeting, is often confirmed in one or two emails: menu, headcount, delivery time, address and dietary needs. A full-service event, such as a wedding, a client reception or a milestone party at home, goes through a proposal, a site conversation and usually a tasting.

The steps below describe the full-service path. Drop-off orders skip the tasting and most of the site planning.

What a proposal includes

Your proposal is the document the whole event runs on, so it should leave nothing to guess. Ours lists:

• The menu, with dietary tags on every dish and the number of dietary meals
• Price per person, with the guest count it is based on
• Staffing: roles, number of staff and hours, at $38 per staff hour
• Delivery ($45 within our standard zone) and any travel charges
• Service charge of 18%, and what it covers
• Rentals, if we are coordinating them
• HST at 13%, shown as its own line
• Deposit, final headcount deadline and cancellation terms

If a number is not in the proposal, you should not see it on the invoice.

1. Send an inquiryUse the quote form or email [email protected] with the date, guest count, location, type of event and any dietary needs. A rough budget per person helps us suggest the right format.
2. Planning conversationWe ask about the venue, timing, service style and guests. For venues without a kitchen, we ask about power, water and load-in.
3. ProposalYou receive an itemized proposal: menu, price per person, staffing, delivery, service charge, rentals and HST, with all terms written out.
4. TastingFor weddings and larger private events, we test the shortlisted dishes with you and adjust the menu.
5. Confirm and depositSign the proposal and pay the deposit stated in it. Your date is held once both are received.
6. Final detailsConfirm the final headcount, dietary counts, timeline and floor plan by the deadline in your proposal.
7. Event dayOur team arrives with time to set up before guests do. For full-service events, a service captain runs the food service and is your single point of contact on site.
8. Wrap-upWe clear our equipment, handle leftovers safely, and send the final invoice based on the confirmed numbers.

Tastings

Tastings are usually part of wedding and larger private event planning. They are most useful once the menu is shortlisted, so we can test two or three options for each course rather than the whole catalogue. Bring the people who will make the decision, and tell us about any dietary meals so we can include them. The terms for tastings, including when they happen in the booking process, are set out in your proposal.

Final numbers and changes

Your final headcount and dietary counts are due by the deadline in your proposal, typically a set number of days before the event, because that is when we order ingredients and schedule staff. After that date, numbers can usually go up if we can still source food and staff, and the final invoice is based on the confirmed count.

For weddings, the last two weeks are when details land: seating chart with dietary codes, vendor meals for your photographer and band, timeline with the venue, and load-in times. We send a checklist so nothing depends on memory.

How far in advance to book

Lead times depend on the event type and, even more, the season. Industry guides such as EventSource note that the wedding season in Ontario runs roughly May to October, and popular Saturdays in June through September book a year or more ahead. December is the other crunch: corporate holiday parties cluster between mid-November and about December 20, and Thursday and Friday evenings go first.

Office catering moves faster. Our standard lead time for drop-off orders is 48 hours, and a recurring lunch program starts once the menu rotation, headcount and billing are agreed. If you need something sooner, call 647-830-0079: short-notice orders depend on the day, and a quick call gets you a yes or no faster than a form.

If alcohol will be served under a Special Occasion Permit, plan for that too. The AGCO asks for applications at least 10 days before a private event such as a wedding reception, and at least 30 days before most other events.