A turnkey service (in Italian, chiavi in mano, literally keys in hand) means the caterer handles everything the event needs: kitchen, front of house, table linen, set-up, sometimes cake, flowers and music too through partner suppliers. Other caterers only do kitchen and service, and you find the rest.
The advantage is a single contact: fewer phone calls, less risk of gaps between one supplier and the next, one person running the day. The limit is that you choose less, and the partners' items arrive inside the caterer's bill.
What to ask
Always ask what that everything includes, item by item, and have it written down. Ask which services the caterer does itself and which go to outside partners, and whether you can replace one with your own supplier. The full picture is in the guide to caterers' additional services; for weddings see the list of suppliers.
