3 Tips to Cut Your Food Catering Cost

Planning for large social gatherings or business events can be both exciting and stressful, especially when food is involved because people love to eat but the type of food catered can affect your budget.

Between all the diverse tastes and special diets, it can be overwhelming as you have to consider a variety of aspects from the catering menu, beverage selection, equipment, and any food-related logistics for your event – all of which can affect your catering cost.

Even if you have a limited budget for the event, you don’t want to skimp too much on your food catering as it’s one of the most remembered parts of any event.

In this article, we will share three tips on how to cut food catering costs to help you get the most out of your budget along with some food catering ideas that you can select from Chilli Manis.

Tip 1: Discuss your budget with the food caterer

Food catering services in Singapore usually have peak and off-peak seasons, which can be of great advantage when you’re planning for a large gathering or business event. This is because the cost of hiring a professional food caterer tend to be highest during peak seasons such as the holidays or vacation months.

Organising your event during the off-peak seasons will give you room to discuss your budget with various food caterers since there will be stiff competition on which food catering company can offer the best services within your budget. Besides, they can suggest alternatives that lower costs and give the best value for your money.

Tip 2: Avoid serving plated meals

Serving plated meals for your business event or social gathering is by far the priciest of all catering styles. While it may make your event look fancy and luxurious, it can add a financial burden because of the amount of effort it takes to pull this serving style off. You will also need to hire extra waiting staff to serve food to your guests at their allocated stations.

Instead of serving plated meals, you can opt for alternatives such as food stations or buffet style catering. Not only will you be able to serve local favourites to your guests, but you also get to save money by doing this at a fraction of the cost.

Tip 3: Serve seasonal comfort foods

Offering seasonal foods during your social gathering or business event will usually cost less than opting for out of season foods. This is simply because vendors factor in other expenses such as procurement cost, transportation fees, and value-added taxes in reselling out of season foods.

Rather than introducing out of season foods that may not be suitable for your gathering or event, serving seasonal comfort foods will ensure that each of your guests has a memorable time during the event. Besides, you get to reduce food wastage.

With these three tips, you can certainly host a gathering, be it small or large, formal or informal with less hassle at a lower cost. Moving forward, let’s take a look at the food catering ideas available at Chilli Manis.

Food Catering Ideas and Cost

As one of the food catering services in Singapore, we offer a diverse range of menu options to cater for any style of event or gathering at affordable rates. For large social gatherings or business events involving more than 20 people, we have several menu categories that can meet your catering needs and requirements:

Executive Bento

As the name suggests, meals under this menu category are packed in disposable microwavable containers for convenience and easy distribution, making them ideal for small corporate events or business lunches.

There are four types of bento meals offered under this category with the first being Peranakan Box – Classic Nonya which costs $10 per box while the Premium Bento costs $10.50 per set. If you want more variation, the Luxe Bento offers eight menu selections at $12.50 per set while the Ultimate Bento has seven menu selections at $15.50 per set.

Full Buffet

Under this menu category, the meals offered can be curated to fit your budget or impress your guests during special celebrations like birthdays, weddings, and housewarming parties. Ranging from Asian Delights Buffet to Peranakan Signatures and International Buffets, each menu selection comes in 8 to 13 different courses starting from $14 per pax.

High Tea/Cocktail

There’s a common perception that you have to serve full-course meals during special events. While it’s a general suggestion, high tea or cocktail party has become more common, making it the perfect food catering idea for a small housewarming party or just to catch up with your family friends.

With two types of menu selection – Light Tea Reception and Deluxe Tea Reception – that comes in 3 to 10 different courses starting from $4 per pax, you can still host a high tea at a lower cost.

Seminar Packages

Aside from catering for social gatherings and small business events, we also cater for large events like seminars, training sessions, and workshops. Choose from our Full Day or Half Day menu selection with rates starting from $21 per pax.

Looking for the right food catering service for your gathering or event in Singapore?

Choosing a food catering service for your event is not as easy as it looks. Every gathering or event is different so you want to make sure that your caterer can meet your needs and requirements.

The best caterer can balance the quality as well as the presentation of the food while delivering the best value for your money. When you choose a food catering service from Chilli Manis, you’ll have a variety of dishes and side menu items to choose from.As a halal-certified caterer, we seek to present the best food catering service in Singapore. Keen to try our food catering service? Contact us at 6250 1112 or email sales@chillimanis.com.sg.