Catering Creations: FAQ

A:  We fully understand the importance of your event and we know that there are so many options to choose from.  We want to make sure you have all the information and options to make your catering decision.  The first step is to schedule a consultation.  We typically meet in person at the Catering Creations store, but we can also schedule a phone consultation.  Please call us to set up an appointment!  From there, we can get you a written catering proposal and menu along with information about the event flow, set up, and estimates for serving staff and rental items.

A:  Yes, we have casual monthly to bi-monthly Group Chef’s Dinners here at our store so that you can enjoy a full buffet dinner with a multitude of menu itmes and gain insight into the quality of food that we serve.  Please contact us if you are interested in receiving an invitation to the next group Chef’s Dinner.  Our Group Chef’s Dinners have been very well received and many of our clients attend more than one Chef’s Dinner during the planning stages of their event.

Our next Chef’s Dinner is scheduled for the evening of Wednesday, September 3, 2014.

Please note, we currently send our Chef’s Dinner Invitations via the Web Invitation: “PunchBowl”.  If you are unable to recieve these email inviations through your firewall etc., please offer us another manner in which to invite you.

A:  Yes.  Because we make most of our menu items from scratch and are not using canned and pre-made products, we are able to address special dietary restrictions in our preparations of almost every menu item.  Because we make our sauces with corn starch and not flour, and because we use quality meats & food products (without fillers) most of our menus are already gluten free. However, items with Gluten are prepared in our Commissary.  We utilize safe cleaning practices and provide food products that have 100% gluten free ingredients, but the risk for cross-contamination still exists. We concider ourselves Gluten Friendly.

For vegetarian requests, we can offer several vegetarian selections to your menu or we can give you an entire event menu with all vegetarian items for which even your most avid “carnivore” guest will leave your event full and satisfied.  Please let us know at your consultation if you or some of your guests have dietary restrictions.

A:  Yes.  Unlike many other caterer’s our staff will cut the wedding cake as part of our standard service at no additional charge to you.

A:  A deposit of 1/3 of your food/menu cost will hold our services for your date.

A:  No.  Just as restaurants will have different pricing, different standards of service, and different qualities of food, so will caterers.  You have a favorite restaurant that fits your tastes and fits the price you are willing to pay for that meal.  You also have restaurants that you select for certain purposes:  An inexpensive Quick Lunch Service, A Special Occasion, or a Casual Family Dinner.  A Catered Buffet with your favorite Entree is not going to taste the same or cost the same from each caterer.  For instance, a Fast Food Restaurant’s Hamburger does not look, taste, or cost the same as a Hamburger at your favorite Family Restaurant.

A:  No.  The service fee is not a gratuity.  The service fee helps cover business expenses such as gas, insurance, corporate taxes, planning time, etc.  As an industry standard, most catering companies charge a service fee.  Unlike most caterers, our service fee is only charged as a percentage of the food/menu portion of your bill.  Service fee is 20% to 25%, depending on location and date.  Bar charges, labor charges, and rental item fees are not subject to our catering service fee.

A:  At Catering Creations, we do not use any canned or pre-made products.  We make all of our dressings and sauces from scratch and we always use quality meats (no fillers) and fresh ingredients.  Doing this costs us a little more money, but it provides you with a quality product.  We are proud to bring you an amazing culinary experience for a very reasonable price.

A:  Yes, for most menus, children under 12 years of age are half price (minimum $8.95).

A:  Yes, we can offer an alternate served/plated meal for children under 12 for $9.95.  Typically, it consists of Chicken Fingers, Macaroni and Cheese, and Fresh Fruit.  Or, if you would like for the parents to have a little more time to enjoy your event, we can provide a “Pseudo Pizza Party” for the children with our babysitters or your babysitters in an alternate area of your venue.

A:  No, we do not make wedding cakes.  However, we employ a very talented pastry chef that can make a wide assortment of other desserts.

A:  The final count is extremely important.  This is the number of guests that you plan to attend your event.  We need to know how much food to make for your event.  It is important for you to provide the most accurate final count so that you have enough food.  It is also very important to be accurate because this is the amount you will be charged for.  We order food products such as produce, meats, and dairy from food distributors approximately one and a half weeks prior to your event.  Kitchen staff will start prepping for your event early in the week preparing sauces or dressings from scratch.  We need to know how much food to order from our vendors and how much to start prepping for your event.  Once we have ordered the food, we cannot allow a decline in your guest count because purchases and prep work have already started on behalf of your event.

A:  We make enough food to feed the number of guests you give us in your final count.  We make healthy portion sizes.  The truth is that you would most likely be able to feed some extra guests, but there is not a standard amount of extra food that we “pad” your guest count by.  For example, if you say 100 guests, we do not automatically make food for 115 guests.  We make healthy portions for 100 guests.  While you may have food for more than 100 guests, please remember that we also need accurate guest counts to coordinate your rental items such as guest seating tables/chairs, china plates, forks, glasses, bar items, etc.  If more than your final guest count arrive at your event, you run the risk of running out of food.  Additionally, we charge you for the final guest count times your menu cost (and per person bar cost) unless the actual number of attendees is higher than your final count.  In which case, we will charge for the actual number of guests that attend your event.

A:  Catering Creations is committed to our community.  Each year, we donate 10% of our profits to local charities.  We are supporters of several local organizations both in our volunteer time, services, discounts, and donation dollars.  These organizations include our primary pet projects:  The Omaha Food Bank, The Ronald McDonald House, Metro Community College Culinary School, and The Child Saving Institute.  We receive a large number of requests for donated gift certificates and for donations of our catering services.  We would love to be in the position to be able to honor all donation requests, but we are not.  We cater many fundraising events each year and we do our best to offer an excellent product for a very reasonable price.  We are happy to provide references from any of Organizations for which we have catered their Fundraising events.

A:  Yes, all of our photos were taken from our own events by either our own staff or by a professional photographer.  We do not use stock marketing photos or photos from trade shows or conventions for our website.  Some of our photos have come from:  Something New Productions, The Design Studio, and Sterba Photography.