Thankfully, we get a lot of calls about catering here at The Larchmont Larder.

We love parties and are happy to guide our potential clients through the harrowing planning phase.  We know there’s quite a bit of confusion as to what it actually costs to throw a party and we’re here to tell you – there is no simple answer.

“How much does it cost to throw a party?” is akin to asking “How much does it cost to go on vacation?”

Do you want to camp for a few nights in Yosemite, or do you want to take your family to the Four Seasons Resort at Kuda Huraa in the Maldives?

Metaphorically speaking, we love camping AND we love the Maldives and we can help you get to either destination.  We just need to know which way we’re heading first.

We don’t have a lot of rules at The Larchmont Larder about how you should spend your money, and we aim to be as transparent as possible with our fees.  No need to play chicken with us, i.e.

Us:  “Do you have a budget in mind for your party?”
Client:  “Why don’t you tell me how much it will cost first.”

We wish we could … but until we determine whether you want to have fifty-plus of your closest friends over for a three course lobster dinner or if you’re looking to pick up self-serve sandwich trays and salads at the store, we truly have no idea what the invoice will look like.

A FEW QUESTIONS

So, we decided to come up with a few questions that will help us to navigate the party world together.

What is your guest count?
What kind of party do you plan to have?  A tray pass/cocktail event where guests feast on passed hors d’oeuvres, a buffet, or a sit down dinner with or without hors d’oeuvres?
Do you need to rent tables, chairs, dishes, glasses, flatware, linens and etc… or will you be using your own?
Are you planning to hire staff or will you be handling all the service yourself?
Do you have a specific menu in mind or would you like us to create one for you (no charge, fyi)?
Do you have any food allergies, likes or dislikes?
How much money would you like to spend on your event?

Here are a few things to think about.  In general, when you host a tray pass party – you save on rentals, but need more servers, and when you host a buffet, you incur a higher rental bill (unless you own your own chafing dishes), but may pay a bit less for labor.

REGARDING RENTALS

Regarding rentals, the rental companies give caterers a 10% discount.  We take that 10% (and nothing else) to compensate for the time it takes us to coordinate your rental order.  Rentals can be quite confusing and time consuming, so it’s money well spent.

In regard to labor, the more you have, the more taken care of you will be.  Our labor generally works like this:

Five hour minimum.
Prices range from $25 to $35 an hour for servers, bartenders and assistant chefs, on up to $50 an hour to bring in the big gun, the Head Chef.
We total your labor and add an 20% service charge to cover benefits and payroll taxes.

PICKUP ORDERS

Remember, we love PICK-UP orders too.  By pick up, we mean you bring us your platters, we prepare the food for you, you pick it up and you serve it yourself.  This is a very economical way to have fabulous food without a bunch of bells and whistles.  We don’t even mind if you take all the credit!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Here’s an interesting tid-bit … as your guest count goes up – your food cost goes down.  The more people you invite, the more we’re able to give you a break on cost.  So go ahead and invite Uncle Al, even though you know he’ll drink too much and act inappropriate!

And for what it’s worth – please don’t EVER feel embarrassed to share your budget with us.  We work with budgets of all shapes and sizes and we treat every order the same.  No judgment here.  We’re simply happy you called.  We feel deeply honored to take part in your events, no matter the scale.  We’re happy when you’re happy – end of story.

Please keep in mind, we are constantly sourcing top purveyors and we offer nothing but high quality seasonal food, so price-wise we can’t compete with the Thai place around the corner from your hairdresser or the sandwich shop in your office building.  Always compare apples to apples and know that when you come to The Larder, that apple will be big, juicy and delicious!

We truly look forward to working with you!

With Best Regards,
Michael and Katie