When you’re planning your next event, whether it’s a wedding, a birthday party, or even a corporate meeting, catering is one of the most important decisions you’ll need to make. Food is not just a way to feed your guests and attendees, it’s a way to set the mood and atmosphere of your event. But before you sign any catering contract, you’ll want to make sure you know the right questions to ask and how to get much-needed details to help your decision.
At Stancato’s catering, we’ve been serving hundreds of events since 1971 across Northeast Ohio from our Italian restaurant based in Parma, OH. This guide of ours will help you choose the right caterer, how to schedule your event catering, navigate your menu creation, choose your catering style, and also ensure your catering stays within your budget!
Locking in Your Event Date and Time Frame
When talking to any caterer, usually their first question to you will be “When is your event?”. A caterer needs to know the date, time of day, and the duration of your event to ensure they are available, and it will also have an impact on their food prep, staffing capabilities, and what kind of delivery window they’ll have.
Some tips to help make it clear to your caterers about your event:
- Be clear about your timeline, including setup time windows and takedown/cleanup time windows.
- Explain what kind of event you’re having, whether it’s a wedding, a birthday party, a football game day event, or anything else.
- Plan ahead! Lock in your event date and time frame ahead of time with your caterer to ensure that you get a reservation and your caterer will be able to schedule for chefs, get the necessary ingredients, and plan out a seamless flow for your event catering.
Once you and your caterer have a mutual understanding of when your event is happening, you’ll need to make sure that your chosen venue works well with the caterer’s services.
Choosing the Right Venue for Catering Logistics
Your venue will play a major part in your catering logistics—are you having an event in your backyard, a party hall venue, inside your home, in a corporate meeting room, or a large conference center? Some venues have their own kitchens and prep areas, while others may require mobile setup and warming equipment in order to keep food fresh to serve.
Here’s a table to help organize your venue types and considerations to account for:
| Venue Type | Kitchen / Prep Access | Space for Setup | Logistics & Equipment Needs | Best Catering Styles | Key Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backyard & At-Home Events | Usually no proper kitchen area; mobile equipment required. | Limited to property layout. | May require tents, warming trays, and generators for some equipment. | Buffet, shared family-style, drop-off delivery. | Check power access, weather forecasts, backup power, and seating space. |
| Outdoor Park / Pavilion | Usually no kitchen/prep area; mobile equipment required. | Open air; may have picnic tables/chairs; additional seating often needed. | Portable prep stations, ice chests, warming trays, and/or staff for food safety. | Buffet, food stations, boxed meals. | Secure permits, plan for weather, ensure food safety throughout the event. |
| Banquet Hall | Typically full kitchen access and prep space. | Large; designated service and seating areas. | Easy access for staff, tables, and rental equipment. | Buffet, plated, shared family-style. | Confirm kitchen/prep rules, timeline restrictions, and any in-house catering policies. |
| Event Centers & Hotel Ballrooms | Full professional kitchen with ample prep space. | Designed with ample space for buffets and service staff. | Ideal for on-site staff coordination. | Plated, buffet, cocktail/beverage service. | Review contracts, exclusivity agreements, fees, vendor rules, and workplace/union rules. |
| Private Club / Restaurant Venue | Full on-site kitchen and prep space. | Purpose-built for food service. | Existing staff and equipment ready to serve. | Plated, family-style, buffet (often party rooms), cocktail/beverage service. | Outside catering may be limited; inquire about restrictions. |
| Corporate Office / Conference Room | Limited prep space; typically no kitchen. | Dependent on office layout. | Best for delivery drop-off; warming trays and disposable dinnerware. | Buffets, grazing platters, boxed lunches. | Coordinate elevator access, delivery windows, and cleanup times with caterer. |
After choosing your venue, you’ll need to determine how many people will be eating—this will have an effect on your menu size, portions, and budget.
Finalizing Your Guest Count
You’ll need to have a proper headcount of your guests before getting to your menu design. With an accurate guest list, you can make sure you don’t overspend and don’t run out of food—a concern that many hosts have!
Expect your caterer to need a final count 1-2 weeks prior to the event—usually minor adjustments can be made though. Make sure to take notes on your guests with food allergies or dietary restrictions, and if any children and how many of them are attending. Fortunately, if a few extra hungry guests show up, Stancato’s Italian cuisine makes for easy-to-share foods like pasta, bread baskets, and salad—but you’ll still want to ensure that you balance your menu selections and servings to ensure a smooth catering experience that also stays within budget.
Building a Realistic Catering Budget
Your catering budget will vary depending on your guest count, menu complexity, and the level of service you’d like to have. Stancato’s catering menu has many selections that are designed to serve multiple people per order, making it easy to have delicious dishes cooked in bulk to serve your crowd. But there are also complete meals you can order to have served to each guest.
For a good idea of how to determine your budget, here are just a few examples of Stancato’s menu and how some items may have different pricing structures:
Antipasti and Appetizers
- Half Pans serve 10-15 people
- Full Pans serve 25-30 people
- Example: Arancini ($42.99 for Half Pan / $85.99 for Full Pan)
- Example: Cocktail Meatballs ($35.99 for Half Pan / $71.99 for Full Pan)
Bread and Salad
- Half Bowls serve 10-15 people
- Full Bowls serve 25-30 people
- Example: Mediterranean Salad ($34.99 for Half Bowl / $69.99 for Full Bowl)
Complete Meals
- Minimum of 15 orders – may order more in increments of 5
- Comes with Chopped Salad with Italian Dressing and Dinner Rolls
- Example: Angelina Complete Meal (Includes Chicken Parmesan, Cheese Stuffed Shells, and Spinach Florentine) – $13.99
The Pasta Bar
- $16.99 per person (designed to serve 25 per pasta bar)
Entrees
- Example: Beef Morel ($79.99 for Half Pan / $159.99 for Full Pan)
- Example: Chicken Paprikash ($42.99 for Half Pan / $85.99 for Full Pan)
With items like these in mind, one way to determine your budget is to think of how many guests you’ll be having and divide them into batches of 10 or 15. How many batches of guests do you have? That should tell you what kinds of bowl or pan sizes (half or full) you’ll need to order. Then determine how many types of dishes you’ll want to get to create a balanced meal for everyone.
But what about if some of your guests have food allergies, dietary needs, or restrictions?
How to Handle Dietary Needs and Restrictions with Italian Cuisine?
Do you have guests with dietary needs, religious-based restrictions, or lifestyle requirements for food? Fortunately, at Stancato’s, Italian food is incredibly adaptable, making it the perfect choice for events with guests of varying food requirements. Whether it’s gluten-free pasta, nut-free desserts, or meatless entrees, it’s possible in the Stancato’s kitchen.
Here are some dietary restrictions and needs that you may encounter while communicating with your guests:
- Food allergies such as nuts, shellfish, etc.
- Gluten sensitivity
- Dairy intolerance
- Vegetarian / Vegan
- Pescatarian (does not eat meat, but eats fish)
- Religious dietary rules including kosher and halal
Food safety and guest comfort are paramount to us, so it is important to share any and all food allergies and dietary details with our Stancato’s Italian catering consultants when booking your event catering.
Now that your budget and menu have been properly established and all guest dietary needs accounted for, it’s time to decide on your catering style and level of service.
Choosing Your Catering Style: Buffet, Plated, or Family-Style
Your catering style will help set the tone for your event—buffets encourage mingling, socializing, and guest mobility, while plated meals are excellent for creating a formal atmosphere. Family-style refers to having large dishes that can be shared at each table, which creates a sense of warmth and interaction without having the guests go to a buffet table.
Whatever the way you envision your event’s meals happening, Stancato’s can make it happen! Our discussed earlier in this guide, along with our complete meals and plated entrees, we have incredibly shareable dishes in pans and trays that are perfect for buffet and family-style setups. No catering idea is beyond us!
What Service Level of Catering Should You Choose?
Stancato’s offers its catering services in three types of packages: Pickup, Delivery, and Full-Service.
- Pickup is where you can get your catering straight from our Italian restaurant in Parma, OH, right next to downtown Cleveland. With this service level, you can also make last-minute catering orders, for all your events that need food in a pinch!
- Delivery means we’ll deliver your catering order to your venue, saving you the trip!
- Full-Service means giving your event catering the works! You’ll have our professional staff there to deliver your food, set up the dishes and equipment, and even perform the cleanup. Meanwhile, you can focus your attention on the event and all your guests!
Now that you have the guest count, a menu decided, and even the kind of catering service you wish to have, you can now focus on ensuring a smooth preparation phase. To do so, you should consider having a checklist!
What Should Your Pre-Event Catering Prep Checklist Have?
To ensure a stress-free catering experience, make sure to perform these tasks at least a week in advance.
- Finalize your guest list and notify your caterer of changes
- Confirm your menu
- Provide your caterer with all detailed setup instructions
- Share your event timeline with caterer
- Share venue access notes with caterer
- Share delivery instructions with caterer
The earlier you have every step in this checklist completed, the more prepared you and your caterer will be to ensure a seamlessly executed event.
How Early to Book?
Typically, the earlier you book, the better to ensure you can secure your date and have time for preparations and tastings.
For larger events such as weddings, conferences, and graduation parties where there may be a hundred or more guests, you should consider booking 6-12 months in advance.
Smaller events such as anniversary dinners, small backyard parties, and football game parties with your friends should be planned at least 2-4 weeks in advance.
But beyond logistics, you must make sure that the caterer you’re hiring fits your event’s needs precisely.
How to Vet a Caterer: Questions and Criteria
Making sure you’re picking the right caterer goes beyond just the menu, you’ll want to make sure you thoroughly vet the quality of the caterer using customer reviews, references, and even by inquiring about licenses or insurance. You should also ask for tastings so that you can experience the food before you finalize your menu. Ask about how last-minute changes or orders are handled, and if dietary requests are accommodated for. Also important, pay special attention to how well the caterer communicates, responds to your inquiries and questions, and how well they answer you or explain their services.
Stancato’s has been serving countless customers for over 50 years! Tradition is not just in our recipes—it’s in our promise of quality that the people of Cleveland have long trusted. Our thousands of Google reviews have us at more than 4 stars. Even Tripadvisor has us at 4.5 out of 5.
Once you’re covered the logistics and vetting your caterer, now comes the fun—enjoying delicious Italian cuisine with your guests and attendees!
Ready to Plan with Stancato’s?
Across Greater Cleveland’s many communities, Stancato’s has served families, couples, and businesses for their event catering needs. Whether it’s an intimate anniversary dinner, an exciting backyard birthday party, or a memorable wedding with hundreds of guests, the Stancato’s Cleveland catering team will make sure you get the quality food and reliable catering expertise your event deserves.
Contact Stancato’s today for free catering consultation and learn how we can make your next event delicious and unforgettable!