As social creatures, we have come up with various forms and tones of events where people gather for a specific purpose.
Events can be a celebration, meeting, lecture, contest – any gathering where more than one person is involved. And often when there are gatherings, there is food involved too.
Food preparation, serving, and handling are critical areas that impact the success of an event, which is why food, decor, and entertainment are often the areas people tend to focus on. It takes a lot of energy to ensure those areas are taken care of.
But there is one area that also eats up energy and time that is often overlooked -the after-event cleanup! Cleaning up while possibly intoxicated or tired is no fun! Especially when you have no one to count on to help you.
So let’s go through some of the things that you might overlook at your next event:
Who is responsible – The caterer or the Venue?
When an event involves a huge crowd, hiring a catering service to take care of the food, even the decorations, makes practical sense. More prominent or professional catering services offer a more comprehensive array of services that typically include after-event cleanup.
However, if you rent a venue, it is wise to clarify the after-event cleanup arrangement with them to know what you or your caterer are responsible for.
Some venues only require your or your caterer/bartender to clean up the kitchen and the bar. The Venue may not expect them to mop or vacuum to sweep, wipe down surfaces and take out their trash. Or they may only need you to collect your decorations and leftover food, and then you may vacate the Venue.
Scope of Catering Service
Budget is a significant consideration when hiring a catering company. Some catering companies offer “full service” where they will clean up plates and take out the trash at the end, some don’t.
Just because they offer “full service” means that they are expensive. It is always wise to shop for other companies to compare rates and services. In the same way, those who offer “full service” may not always provide delicious food to your liking.
You may encounter a dilemma where one catering company serves significantly tastier food and is cheaper but do not pick up plates or throw out the trash.
If having an after-clean-up service cannot be done by your caterer or the Venue, get in touch with kitchen staffing services to support you. Anytime Staff is a reputable kitchen staffing agency that supports businesses and venues in Perth/ Western Australia areas with hospitality staffing. We have a roster of polite and professional Kitchen Stewards who can help your team with simple kitchen preparations: washing, portioning, weighting, labelling products, cleaning up and so on.
RELATED READ: 5 Catering Tips To Help You Meet Your Client (And Yours Too) Expectations
The Efficiency of Cleanup Services
Venues usually have a fixed rental time where you must prepare and vacate the area after the event. Part of your event planning should include adequate time allotted for the cleanup, lest you want to extend hours and risk paying additional fees. Inform your cleanup and catering team ahead of time so there is no need for a venue representative to remind you of the hour.
The catering or cleanup staff must discreetly clean up at the proper time. You want to avoid an obvious cleanup happening while the event is still ongoing. Same for the sounds of clanging dishes or moving chairs in the background.
Inexperienced caterers may encounter problems handling cleanup and cleanup tasks efficiently, so you need to consider that.
In Summary:
As an event host, you want your guest to relax and have some fun. If cleanup after the event is an option your caterer offers, it may be worth every penny because all you need to do at the event’s end is to leave.
If you need to get a separate service from your caterer and want one or a few staff to assist your team, not only in food prep but also in clean up, call us at Anytime Staff.
We have a roster of professional chefs and kitchen staff that are available as short-term hires for :
- peak periods
- events/private parties and celebrations/pizza chefs
- fill in for an emergency or annual leaves
- start-up team for opening venues
As part of our team, we have polite, professional Kitchen Stewards to assist you in cleaning and organising your kitchens.
That’s it for this week.
As always, professional staff are on call at Anytime Staff!
That’s it for this week.
As always, professional chefs are on call at Anytime Staff!
Ciao for now,
Thomas
