7 Catering Mistakes People Make (And How to Avoid Them)

Every catering disaster is one of seven mistakes. Here they are, and how to not make them.

After enough events you notice that catering goes wrong in the same seven ways, over and over. None of them are complicated and all of them are avoidable.

1. Ordering for exactly your headcount

The most common one by far. People bring people. People come back for seconds. Order for 20 percent more than you have confirmed and you will never think about this again.

2. Ordering too many dishes

Twelve items does not read as generous, it reads as chaotic, and most of it gets thrown away. Four or five dishes done properly will always beat ten done nervously.

3. Giving the caterer an arrival time instead of a serving time

Tell them when you want to eat. They will work backwards. If you give an arrival time, the food either sits and goes cold or shows up while people are still parking.

4. Not checking the venue rules

Some halls do not allow outside catering. Some charge a fee for it. Finding this out a week before your event is a genuinely terrible week. Ask before you book anything.

5. Forgetting the mild and vegetarian options

Someone at your event does not do heat and someone does not eat meat. If you have not planned for them, they eat bread and salad while everyone else eats properly. Two dishes fixes it.

6. Booking too late for a big event

Under 30 people, a few days is fine. Over 100 or a wedding, you want two to four weeks, and more in Ramadan or wedding season. See our guide on how far in advance to book.

7. Never tasting the food

You are about to spend a thousand dollars or more. Ask to sample it. Any kitchen confident in its food will say yes, and the ones who refuse are telling you something.

Get it right

We are a family-run halal Sri Lankan and Indian kitchen in Scarborough. Catering starts at 20 dollars per person with a 20-guest minimum. Read the questions to ask any caterer, then come to our catering page.

Want to skip the mistakes? See our halal catering page or call us at (647) 449-2924.

Five more that catch people out

The seven above are the classics. These come up almost as often, especially with drop-off catering.

Assuming someone will serve

Many caterers, including us, deliver packed food and leave. We do not send servers or run cooking stations. If you do not name a person to open trays, set out spoons and refill, the food sits closed while guests wait. Pick that person before the day, not at the door.

Forgetting the drive time

Our kitchen is in north Scarborough. Markham is about 15 minutes away; Mississauga or Brampton can be 45 to 55, and Burlington up to 75. A long drive is fine for biryani and curries, but it means booking further ahead and giving a realistic serving time.

Making the whole menu hot

Devilled dishes are a highlight, but a table of Chicken Devil, Beef Devil and maasi sambol leaves children and older guests with rice. Keep one or two hot dishes and balance them with something like Potato Milk Curry or chicken korma.

Not asking about allergens

Read the dish descriptions. Kottu roti on our menu comes with egg omelette, vattalappam has eggs, maasi sambol has dried Maldives fish, green-pea cashew curry has cashews, and yogurt sambal and mango lassi contain dairy. Flag these on a small card next to each tray.

Taking halal on trust

If halal matters to your guests, ask which body certifies the meat and whether documentation is available. Ours is HMA-certified chicken, beef and lamb, and we provide documentation on request.

Putting every tray out at once

Hot food should be eaten within about two hours of being set out, unless it is kept hot in chafing dishes. At a long event, put out half the trays when people sit down and keep the rest covered and warm for the second round. The food stays better and the table never looks picked over.

One budget check before you sign

Multiply honestly. If 60 guests are getting Chicken Biryani Combo 1 at quoted for your event, is confirmed in your event quote, not "about a thousand". Round headcounts up, not prices down. See questions to ask a halal caterer or how many people catering feeds.