In short
- A caterer's price per person covers the menu; almost everything else can be included, extra or from an outside supplier.
- The items to clarify: set-up, hire, staff, bar, cake, flowers, music, marquees, cleaning, cloakroom.
- Every caterer makes different choices: ask for a written list of what they bring and what they don't.
- Decide early who coordinates all the suppliers on the day.
A reception is not just the menu. There are tables to dress, glasses to count, waiters, a bar, a cake, flowers, music, sometimes cover against rain and someone to clean up at the end. The caterer brings some of these things and not others. This guide lists all the services around the food and tells you what to ask about each one.
Why the extras matter
Caterers in Rome vary widely. Some offer a full service, often called chiavi in mano (turnkey): kitchen, set-up, hire, sometimes music and flowers, with a single point of contact. Others do only the kitchen and the dining room service and leave the rest to you. In between there is every combination.
The problem is not which model you choose. The problem is comparing two quotes that don't contain the same things. A lower price per person may not include staff or table linen. A higher one may already include flowers and set-up. To compare them you have to put them on the same footing, item by item.
The map of services: who does what
The table below is indicative: it describes the most common situations, but every caterer and every venue makes its own choices. Use it as a checklist, not a rule.
| Service | Often included | Often extra | Often an outside supplier | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dining room staff | Yes, for the agreed hours | Hours beyond the agreed time | Rare | Dining room staff |
| Crockery, glasses, cutlery | Yes, standard range | Special ranges | Hire company | Glassware and crockery |
| Table linen and table setting | Basic | Colours, fabrics, charger plates | Decorator | Set-up |
| Bar and drinks | Water, house wine | Open bar, cocktails | Outside bar | Open bar |
| Cake | It depends | Showpiece cake | Pastry shop | Wedding cake |
| Flowers and centrepieces | Rare | Sometimes | Florist | Flowers and centrepieces |
| Music and entertainment | No | Sometimes | DJ, band, entertainers | Music |
| Marquees and gazebos | No | Sometimes | Hire company | Marquees |
| Cleaning and take-down | The caterer's own area | Full cleaning of the space | Cleaning company | Cleaning and take-down |
| Cloakroom | Rare | Sometimes | Hostess agency | Dining room staff |
Set-up and table setting
The mise en place is how the table is laid: tablecloths, napkins, plates, cutlery, glasses, place cards. Almost every caterer brings a basic range. The differences arise in colours, fabrics, charger plates and centrepieces.
If you have a specific style in mind, ask to see the ranges available. In an empty venue, such as a farmhouse in the Castelli Romani or a villa on the Via Appia Antica, the set-up builds the atmosphere from scratch. In a historic palazzo in the centre, less is often enough.
Hire: crockery, furniture, equipment
The caterer usually brings what is needed to cook and serve. Tables, chairs, lounge furniture, lights and heaters may belong to the venue, the caterer or a hire company. The guide to hiring equipment for events has the complete list.
Staff
Waiters, maître, barmen, cooks on site. The number depends on the format: table service needs more people than a buffet. Ask how many people are planned, in which roles and for how many hours. For an idea of the ratios, read how many waiters you need.
Bar and drinks
Wine with dinner is often included in the menu. The open bar after the cake, with cocktails and spirits, is more often a separate item or a dedicated supplier. If you bring your own wine, ask about corkage: it is explained in extra catering costs.
Cake and desserts
The cake can be made by the caterer, a pastry shop of your choice or the venue. If it comes from outside, some caterers charge for storing, cutting and serving it. Ask about this beforehand rather than finding it on the invoice.
Flowers, music, marquees
Flowers and music almost always come from outside suppliers. They matter to the caterer for two reasons: space on the table (a tall centrepiece and a crowded buffet don't go together) and the timing of service (the first dance should not fall while the mains are coming out).
Marquees are an item of their own. They are needed for the weather plan B or for a space without cover, and they bring safety and permit questions to check.
Cleaning, rubbish and take-down
At the end someone has to dismantle the kitchen, take away the rubbish and hand the space back. The caterer usually cleans its own area. Full cleaning of the venue may fall to the venue itself or to a cleaning company. The finishing time matters too: many venues have a limit beyond which you cannot stay.
Full-service caterer or separate suppliers
| Model | Advantages | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Full service | One point of contact, less coordination, a single quote | Less freedom in choosing individual suppliers |
| Separate suppliers | You choose each one for style and price | More contracts, more phone calls, more risk of gaps |
| Mixed | Caterer for kitchen and set-up, outside suppliers for flowers and music | You need to be clear about who coordinates |
There is no right choice for everyone. If you are short of time, full service takes work off your hands. If you have precise ideas about flowers or music, separate suppliers leave you more room. In practice, many people choose the mixed model.
Coordination: who keeps the timings
The more suppliers there are, the more you need someone to make them work together. It can be a wedding planner, a corporate event manager or the caterer's dining room manager. Always ask:
- who the point of contact is on the day;
- whether they also manage suppliers they did not choose;
- when they arrive and when they leave;
- who holds the running order for the day and who sends it to the others.
Prepare a single running order, with the arrival, set-up, service and take-down times of every supplier. Send it to everyone a week before.
Questions to ask the caterer
- Can you send me a written list of what is included in the price per person?
- Are staff, crockery and table linen included? For how many hours?
- Do you also offer set-up, flowers or music, or do you work with trusted suppliers?
- If I bring my own suppliers, are there costs or restrictions?
- Is the bar yours or an outside supplier's? How is it calculated?
- If the cake comes from a pastry shop, is there a serving fee?
- Who coordinates the suppliers on the day?
- What do you clean and take away at the end? By what time?
To finish
Before comparing two quotes, take the table on this page and mark for each caterer what is included, what is extra and what you need to find elsewhere. Only then do the prices become comparable. The guide on how to read a catering quote helps you do it.
If you don't know where to start yet, find the right caterer for your event by answering a few questions, or look at the list of caterers in Rome. When you have the date, guest numbers and venue, request a quote and ask for each service to be listed separately.
