In short
- Before the price, check that the caterer is properly registered: health registration, HACCP self-monitoring, allergen information.
- Book a tasting and ask the right questions: staff, timings, drinks, extras.
- Read the contract: deposit or caparra, changes to guest numbers, cancellation.
- For outdoor events in Rome, you always need a written weather plan B.
Choosing a caterer is not just choosing a menu. It is choosing who will come into your venue with vans, kitchens and staff, who will manage the food safety of your guests and who will have to solve an unexpected problem at 22:00 on a Saturday. This checklist helps you make the checks in the right order.
1. The basic checks: is the business properly registered?
Health registration and SCIA
In Italy, anyone who produces and serves food is a food business operator (OSA). Article 6 of Regulation (EC) 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs states that every operator must notify the competent authority of each establishment under its control, for registration, and also report significant changes and closures.
In practice, the health notification is normally submitted through the council's SUAP (Sportello Unico per le Attività Produttive, the one-stop shop for businesses), which passes it to the ASL (local health authority). Depending on the type of activity, this is accompanied by the council SCIA (a certified notice of start of business) and registration in the Companies Register. An information sheet from the Modena Chamber of Commerce, for example, lists for a catering business the OSA notification through the SUAP, the SCIA to the council with a declaration of moral and professional requirements, notification to the Companies Register and, when heating installations exceed certain thresholds, a SCIA to the fire brigade.
Detailed procedures, forms and any fees vary from region to region. In Lazio the rules on serving food and drink are set by regional legislation, and the reference office for Rome is the SUAP of Roma Capitale, together with the ASL responsible for the area. You do not need to become an expert in paperwork: simply ask the caterer for written confirmation that the business is properly registered and where its kitchen is based.
HACCP and staff training
Article 5 of the same regulation requires operators to put in place, implement and maintain a permanent procedure based on HACCP principles: in practice, a self-monitoring plan that identifies critical points (temperatures, storage, transport, contamination) and the measures to keep them under control. Annex II, chapter XII, also requires food handlers to be supervised and trained in food hygiene to a degree appropriate to their work.
For a caterer this translates into very concrete questions:
- How do you transport the food, and at what temperatures?
- How much time passes between preparation in the kitchen and service?
- Who is responsible for self-monitoring during the event?
- Are the floor and kitchen staff trained in food hygiene?
A professional answers without hesitation. If the answers are vague, that is a signal.
Insurance
Ask whether the business has public liability insurance covering damage to people and property during the event, including the venue. Many villas and venues specifically require it from outside suppliers.
2. Allergens: an obligation, not a courtesy
Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 requires the presence of substances that cause allergies or intolerances to be stated. Article 44 extends the obligation to food offered without prepackaging to the final consumer or to mass caterers: this covers catering.
There are 14 allergens in Annex II:
| # | Allergen | # | Allergen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cereals containing gluten | 8 | Nuts |
| 2 | Crustaceans | 9 | Celery |
| 3 | Eggs | 10 | Mustard |
| 4 | Fish | 11 | Sesame seeds |
| 5 | Peanuts | 12 | Sulphur dioxide and sulphites |
| 6 | Soybeans | 13 | Lupin |
| 7 | Milk | 14 | Molluscs |
What to ask the caterer:
- Will you give me the allergen matrix for every dish on the menu?
- How do you show allergens at the buffet (cards, QR codes, informed staff)?
- How do you handle a guest with a severe allergy: a dish prepared separately, packaged, served first?
- How do you avoid cross-contamination in the kitchen and at the buffet?
For coeliac disease, vegan, kosher and halal menus there is a dedicated guide: catering for special diets.
3. The tasting
The tasting is when you find out whether a caterer is right for you. To make the most of it:
- Taste the dishes on your menu, not a generic showcase selection.
- Ask how they will be served. A dish plated for four people is not a dish served to 150 guests at the same moment.
- Bring just one other person. More palates mean more opinions and fewer decisions.
- Take notes on temperatures, portions, presentation and how you are welcomed.
- Ask whether it is free or whether the cost is deducted if you sign.
4. Staff: how many waiters you need
There is no waiter-to-guest ratio fixed by law. Industry guides give rough guidance that varies a lot with the format.
| Format | Common industry guidance |
|---|---|
| Served at the table, several courses | 1 waiter for every 8-12 guests |
| Buffet | fewer staff than a served meal: the job is restocking, clearing, assisting |
| Passed finger food | depends on duration and the number of pieces in circulation |
| Cocktail bar | at least one dedicated bartender, more if there are many guests |
Take these numbers as a basis for conversation, not as a standard. What matters is that the quote states the exact number of people per role (waiters, cooks, maître d', bartenders) and the hours of service. Also ask who coordinates the team on the day of the event and how you can reach them.
5. Contract, deposits and caparra
What the contract must contain
- Date, times, venue, expected number of guests
- Full menu and drinks included
- Staff (number and hours) and the cost of extra hours
- Hire and set-up included
- Total price, VAT, payment methods and due dates
- Deadline for giving the final number of guests
- Cancellation terms for both parties
- Weather plan B, if the event is outdoors
Acconto or caparra?
The difference is not just one of words. The Italian Civil Code defines the caparra confirmatoria (art. 1385): if the party who paid it fails to perform, the other party can withdraw and keep it; if the party who received it fails to perform, the other party can withdraw and demand twice the amount. A simple acconto, on the other hand, is an advance on the price. The percentage to pay is not fixed by law: the parties decide it. Read carefully how the sum is described and what the contract says about cancellation, including for reasons of force majeure. For significant contracts, a review by a lawyer you trust is never time wasted.
Changes to the number of guests
Almost every contract sets a date by which you must give the final number. After that date, you usually pay for the number given even if fewer people come. Ask whether there is any tolerance.
6. Weather plan B
In Rome, from May to October, outdoor events are the norm, but a summer storm or strong wind can arrive even with a good forecast. The plan B must be written down and answer precise questions:
- Where does the service move to if it rains: an indoor room, a gazebo, a marquee?
- Who decides, and by when? Putting up a gazebo takes hours.
- Is the cost of the plan B included or extra? If extra, how much?
- Is the field kitchen protected?
Heat is also an issue: in high summer you need shade, water always available and attention to storage temperatures at the buffet.
7. Questions to ask the caterer
Before signing, ask these questions and note down the answers.
- Have you already worked at this venue? Do you know the access, kitchens, times?
- Is the per-person price inclusive of VAT?
- How many waiters, cooks and bartenders do you plan, and for how many hours?
- What happens if the party runs late?
- Which drinks are included and how are extras paid for?
- Hire, set-up, table linen: what is included?
- How do you handle allergies and special diets?
- Who will be my contact on the day of the event?
- Until when can I change the menu and the number of guests?
- What happens to the deposit if I cancel, or if you cancel?
- What is the plan B in bad weather?
- If I bring in wine or a cake from outside, is there a charge?
8. Warning signs
- A quote with no detailed menu or no number of staff
- No clear answer about health registration and allergens
- Pressure to sign immediately "because the date is about to go"
- Payments requested only in cash and without a receipt
- No contract, or a one-line contract
Once you have found two or three caterers that pass every check, compare the quotes using the method explained in the guide on how much catering costs in Rome and then request a detailed quote for your event.
Sources
- Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, EUR-Lex: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/IT/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32004R0852
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, EUR-Lex (art. 44 and Annex II): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/IT/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32011R1169
- Modena Chamber of Commerce, "Catering" information sheet, an example of the start-up procedure: https://www.mo.camcom.it/promozione/sportello-genesi/schede-informative/catering-scheda-informativa/@@download/file/catering_agg.%202023.pdf
