15 Questions to Ask Before You Book a Caterer

A confident caterer welcomes questions. Ask these before you sign anything — the answers tell you as much as the menu does.

Availability & logistics

• Are you available on my date, and have you worked at my venue?
• How many events do you take on per day?
• Who is my point of contact on the event day?
• What's your lead time for confirming the final guest count?

Food & menu

• Can the menu be customized, and do you offer a tasting?
• How do you handle vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergies?
• Do you use seasonal or local ingredients?
• How is the food kept at temperature and served on site?

Money & terms

• Can I get an itemized quote — what's included vs. added?
• What are the service fee, gratuity and delivery charges?
• What deposit do you require, and when is the balance due?
• What's your cancellation and refund policy?

Trust

• Are you licensed and insured?
• Can you share recent reviews or references?
• What happens if something goes wrong on the day?

If a caterer can't give you an itemized quote or proof of insurance, keep looking. The good ones make this easy.

Caterer VA shows licensing and insurance status with a Verified badge, surfaces real reviews, and lets you message caterers directly — so you can ask every one of these before you commit.