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Frequently Asked Questions
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| Can you set the banquet hall for a reception or wedding ceremony? |
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The menus published by Lifestyles Catering represent only a small portion of the food items and menus that are available. These menus are distributed to give the client a sense of the style of our cuisine. Actually most menus are written specifically for a given event or celebration after a consultation with the host/hostess. Some of the factors that are covered in this meeting are the expected number of guests, the time of the day, the season of the event, any specific requirements or special requests, what the host/hostess is trying to accomplish with this catering event, the expected level of service and the budget of the event.
Our specialty is our consistently high levels of personalized, professional service.
No, we do not.
A coat check service can be provided for your guests for a charge of $2.00 per guest, minimum 50 to 100 guests, $1.00 per guest over 100. This charge includes all equipment needed and an attendant stationed at the coat check for a 6 hour shift. Additional hours, if required, will be charged at $18.00/hour.
We have a dinner, called the Chef's Table, that is held once a quarter, generally on the third Tuesday of the month. It is held at Willow Ridge Manor, starting at 6PM. Our Chef creates a new menu for each Dinner. The Chef's Table starts with an appetizer selection, followed with a buffet dinner and then finished off with dessert. The cost is $15.00 per person. To keep these tasting to a manageable size we ask that you call Lifestyles Catering and make a reservation to attend. All reservations are required to be guaranteed and pre-paid with a credit card. Follow this link to a schedule of the current Chef's Table calendar.
When a buffet menu is ordered we will provide all serving equipment (bowls and platters), utensils (tongs and spoons), and chafing dishes.
The Service Charge is to cover the added overhead costs involved in serving a catered event at a site remote from our central Kitchen. Examples of these costs are van maintenance and insurance, food transportation equipment and supplies.
We do not have the special facilities to provide a Kosher Menu. However, we are frequently asked to write menus in a "Kosher Style", no mixing of meat and milk and no use of pork or shellfish.
And if any of your guests keep kosher, we are happy to arrange for kosher meals from a local outlet that has been certified kosher by a Rabbinical authority.
No, the gratuity is left up to the generosity of the host.
The number of servers will be determined by the level of service you are expecting, the style of menu and presentation, and if the service is done on china or disposable plates. The number of servers will also be determined by the event location, (some locations require more labor to carry all of the equipment into) or a limited set-up time, (some locations allow for only 1 hour of set-up time so more labor would be necessary.)
In compliance with Colorado State Law, an off-premise caterer cannot have a liquor license because we do not have a permanent location where we can sell liquor. Therefore, a client is required to purchase their alcoholic beverages from a merchant with a retail license.
However, as part of our services we will assist a client with their selection of alcohol, in placing their order and arranging for the delivery of the order. Billing will be done directly by the liquor store. Follow this link to a more detailed description of our bar service.
It is up to the person who purchased the liquor to determine what will become of the remaining liquor. Frequently unopened, resell-able units can be returned to the liquor dealer for a credit. All opened bottles will be packaged up and sent with a designated person after the event. (It is strongly suggested that this person be a designated driver and has not been drinking during the event.) Most event sites will not allow the liquor to be stored on-site after the event.
Lifestyles Catering will schedule bartenders to staff the bar. The standard is one bartender per one hundred guests. This position will be charged at $20.00 an hour per bartender. Most event sites will require a trained professional bartender to staff a bar. This policy will lessen the likelihood of irresponsible alcohol service problems.
The bar service charge is $2.00 per guest for a Beer and Wine Bar and $2.50 per guest for a Full Liquor bar. This charge covers bar equipment, supplies including disposable drink cups, ice, and unlimited sodas. For the full bar we add mixers, (soda, tonic, orange and cranberry juice) and bar fruit/garnishes.
Labor charged for staffing the following positions: Servers, Bartenders, Station Cooks, Buffet Chefs and Back Steward, is $20.00 per hour. The staffing rate for Captain and Banquet Chef is $22.00 per hour.
If you inform your Catering Manager when in the planning stages we will be happy to package up the leftovers for a member of your party to take home.
The shift length is determined from set-up through tear down at the catering site, with additional time for travel. In most cases a set-up time of two hours is required before the guests are expected to arrive. After the scheduled ending time for the function, one half to one hour will be allotted for clean up and loading catering vans for transportation back to the catering offices. Set-up and clean-up time will vary from function to function, depending on the specific requirements of each client, location and function.
The standard uniform for a formal function is black pants and black top finished with a black apron. For easy identification, the event Captain will be uniformed with black pants and white top finished with a black apron.
It is our practice to prepare enough food so that any of your guests can go back to the buffet for a second helping. This amount will usually provide for unexpected guests.
We can set the reception hall and ceremony if needed, although we will need extra staff and time to provide this service. The charge for this service is $2.00 per guest or a minimum of $50.00.
The "Guarantee Count" is the count that we use to base the amount of food we need to prepare for a function. It is also the count that will be used to finalize the levels of staffing, rental order and prepare the final invoice. We will require the Guarantee Count usually ten working days before your function. This will insure that we can arrange staffing and purchase the necessary food.
The Guarantee Count can be increased with the approval of your Catering Manager, but it cannot be lowered.
Linens are rented through our rental source and charged directly to the customer.
The Booking Fee is a one-time, nonrefundable charge for the purpose of reserving the Event Date on our schedule. By paying the Booking Fee, you have reserved our services for your Event, which restricts us in booking other events. If you cancel the agreement or the event is cancelled, the booking fee is nonrefundable. However, the Booking Fee will be credited against your final catering bill.
Once an event has been planned, your sales coordinator will send you an Event Contract. This contract guarantees the price of your event. This Event Contract needs to be signed and returned with the requested deposit. The amount of the deposit will be approximately one third of the final billing.
The deposit is refundable until 120 days before the function. At that time the deposit becomes non-refundable, due to the low probability of the caterer being able to book another function to recover the lost revenue.
The final payment is due on the day after the guest count/guarantee is given.
Checks, Certified Funds and Cash. Visa and MasterCard, as well as Discover and American Express cards.
If a check is returned to us, unpaid for reasons of NSF (non-sufficient funds) or closed account, you will owe Lifestyles Catering for the amount of the check, plus $20.00 for a Returned Check Charge. This amount must be covered immediately by credit card or certified funds. If the debt goes into collections you will owe in addition, the greater of $20.00 or 20% of the check amount as collection costs.
According to the Colorado Department of Revenue,
"Caterers and other persons similarly engaged are eligible for sales tax on the total selling price or items sold and/or charges for service essential to providing meals and beverages."
"Nontaxable gratuities include banquet tips separately stated and added to the sales check by the vendor at a flat rate, and the amount is distributed by the vendor to persons who actually render the service."
(Please feel free to follow this link for verification of this practice,
www.revenue.state.co.us/fyi/html/sales24.html )Therefore, all items on the Catering Invoice, except a guest added Gratuity, is taxed at the appropriate tax rate. The tax rate is determined by the location of the catering function.
Lifestyles Catering
To Start this creative journey, call our Event
Designers at 303.232.7932 |
