How to book a wedding caterer without a food tasting
Many caterers require large deposits or signed contracts before allowing a tasting, which forces couples to risk thousands of dollars on food they have never tried. This barrier makes it nearly impossible to confidently choose a vendor, leading some to walk away and look elsewhere.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Using restaurants or caterers that family and friends have previously used so the food quality is trusted
- 2Attending local wedding expos to sample food prior to booking
- 3Offering to pay a separate fee for a pre-contract tasting
- 4Avoiding vendors that do not offer tastings prior to booking
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I’m just so surprised I have to essentially throw so much money down before even knowing what it tastes like.”source ↗
“Wow, I have no idea how I will choose then. I can’t imagine just putting down thousands of dollars to then find out what the food is like.”source ↗
“we were not interested in spending thousands of dollars on food we haven't even tried, so we didn't go with them.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 5How to find reliable staff for a food business
- 2How to find restaurants that fit two different diets while traveling
- 3When should you serve food at an afternoon kids birthday party?
- 2Why do restaurants charge a fee for sharing a meal?
- 2Why do restaurants charge extra for basic sides and additions?
- 3Why is eating out so expensive now when the food quality is worse?