New Year's Eve catering in Rome

How to choose a New Year's Eve caterer in Rome

31 December is one of the most requested evenings of the year, and one of the longest for those working. Service starts in the evening and goes past midnight: the toast, desserts, sometimes a second buffet towards dawn. That is why not every caterer takes events that night, and those that do handle only a few.

Start with three facts: where you are celebrating, how many of you there are and until what time. A cenone (the big New Year's Eve dinner) for twelve people in an apartment in Parioli, a party for a hundred guests in a farmhouse on the Appia Antica and a company celebration in a hotel in EUR are three different jobs, with different teams and costs. Put them in your request and ask straight away whether the date is free: it is the first question, before the menu.

The possible formats

• A seated cenone: starters, a pasta course, a main course, then the toast and desserts. It needs front-of-house staff all evening and space to plate up.
• Buffet and food stations: better suited to a standing party, with themed corners (raw fish, cheeses, fried food) that stay open until late. For an idea of the most requested stations, read the guide to buffet stations for events.
• Delivery only: dishes ready or to be reheated (warmed in the oven before serving), delivered on the afternoon of the 31st. It is the simplest format for a family cenone, but at midnight you do the serving.

A practical tip: decide beforehand who opens the bottles and who serves at midnight. If there are staff, build the toast into the service schedule, with the flutes ready; if not, have everything delivered so that you only have to open it.

The cenone menu

The cenone has some fixed dishes, the same all over Italy: lentils with cotechino or zampone (rich pork sausages) after midnight, as a wish for the new year, followed by panettone, pandoro, nougat and dried fruit and nuts. For the rest, Rome caterers offer meat, fish, international or Roman menus, which in many families means fish on the evening of the 31st, with fried salt cod and minestra di arzilla (a Roman ray and pasta broth).

The caterer can follow tradition or suggest a different menu: ask for two versions, a classic one and a lighter one, and compare. For ideas on dishes and variations, with sample meat and seafood menus, read the guide to the Roman New Year's Eve menu. Mention vegetarians, guests with coeliac disease and allergies straight away: in the last week of the year menu changes are harder to manage.

Drinks, music and after midnight

The toast is the central moment of the evening. Decide whether you buy the sparkling wine or the caterer supplies it, and whether there is a corkage charge (a fee for each bottle brought in). If you want an open bar after midnight, ask who runs it and until what time.

The music usually isn't the caterer's job, but it needs coordinating: times, spaces, power supply. If the party is at a venue or in a villa, check the cut-off time for music and for closing. If it is at home, the building rules and good sense with the neighbours apply.

Fireworks and firecrackers are often regulated by city ordinances: if you plan to use them at a venue, ask the manager first what is allowed.

Corporate New Year's Eve

Some companies mark the end of the year with an event between Christmas and New Year, or on the 31st itself for clients and partners. Here what counts is electronic invoicing, a programme with times, a final guest list and a single contact. For the organisation, read how to organise a corporate New Year's event and the page on corporate catering.

How much does New Year's Eve catering cost

We don't give a fixed price: each caterer works it out from its own items. On this date, staff hours after midnight, any holiday supplement, hire and transport on an evening of heavy traffic weigh in particular. Ask for an itemised quote and compare like-for-like formats. To get your bearings, read how much catering costs in Rome.

What to ask before you confirm

• Is the 31st still free? How many events are you handling that night?
• Until what time do the staff stay, and how much does each extra hour cost?
• Is there a supplement for New Year's Eve?
• Is the midnight toast included? Are the glasses and the sparkling wine yours or mine?
• Until when can I change the number of guests without penalties?

Once you have the date, the place and the guests, request up to 3 quotes in a single request. There are more guides on the subject on the page about New Year's Eve catering in Rome.