If you're planning a large event for adults, there's a good chance you're looking into options for liquor catering. Many liquor stores offer catering, but it's a service that may be unfamiliar to many people. Ensuring that your guests get the best possible experience and that your event proceeds as smoothly as possible means taking a little time to understand how liquor catering works.
Fortunately, an experienced liquor shop can help take care of many of the details, ensuring the process is relatively easy and painful for you. Still, it's important to keep these three tips in mind before selecting a store to provide alcohol for your event.
1. Catering and Delivery Aren't the Same
Many liquor stores that offer catering also offer delivery, but these are two drastically different services. If you're planning on a small get-together for a few people and need to get some alcohol on hand quickly, delivery might be the correct choice for you. However, catering is a more appropriate option when planning a large event with many guests.
Catering is typically a more involved process, and the shop will work with you to select the appropriate drinks for your occasion. In addition to delivering them to your event's location, they'll usually help you bring them in, get set up, and potentially even offer clean-up afterward. Stores may have different features as part of their catering services, so it's worth asking what they include.
2. Your Initial Consultation Matters
One of the most important parts of working with a liquor store to cater your event is benefiting from their experience and knowledge. A professional store can provide you with a dedicated wine list, recommendations for craft beer, or even detailed ingredient lists for mixed drinks. If you're hiring a bartending service for your event, the liquor store can work with them to keep your bar stocked.
Most of these decisions will come from your initial consultation, so it's important to take this process seriously and spend enough time explaining your needs to the store. If you or your guests have special preferences or restrictions, explain them as early as possible. It'll also be important to discuss the size of your event, its length, and the number of guests you expect.
3. More Details Will Create a Better Experience
What kind of food will you be serving at your event? Do your guests generally prefer mixed drinks, wine, or beer? Are you using an open or cash bar, or will you simply serve drinks to guests yourself? Whatever the case, your choices will affect the number of drinks you'll need to keep on hand and, potentially, the types of drinks best suited to your needs and budget.
The more details you can provide the liquor shop, the better they'll be able to develop an appropriate plan to cater for your event. Remember that catering helps reduce your workload and free time to plan other aspects of your event. However, it's still critical to provide detailed information to ensure your liquor shop can fulfill your specific requirements.