Compare the actual food provision
Check the pork menu, bread and accompaniments, three salads or seasonal vegetables, and the chosen potato dish. Record alternative meals and requested extras separately. Two quotations with similar names can describe different food selections or quantities, so ask each to state what is actually being supplied for your meal numbers.
Compare the service commitment
Identify who prepares and serves the food and the agreed service window. The hog roast buffet has chefs carving meat and staff helping with accompanying dishes. Check any additional duties you need explicitly. Include the rule that service ends when the booked quantity is served or the agreed period ends, whichever happens first.
Compare venue and cost assumptions
Share the postcode, access information, proposed cooking and serving position, and available power. Electricity is required; supplier power needs advance arrangement for an agreed additional charge. Ask how travel, delivery, VAT treatment and any venue-related requirements appear in the quotation. Do not assume they are included or that an unlisted charge will necessarily apply.
Compare the handover responsibilities
Check tableware, setup and end-of-service arrangements as carefully as the menu. Standard clearing covers the caterer's equipment and preparation area. Broader guest-waste removal or venue cleaning needs express agreement in the quote. Record the remaining-meat plan too, then resolve omissions before treating quotations as equivalent or choosing on price.
Your next decisions
- Send the same date, venue, meal numbers and food brief for comparison.
- Match menus, alternative portions, additions and booked food quantities.
- Compare staff duties and the actual food service period.
- Clarify travel, power, VAT treatment and any other cost assumptions.
- Check tableware, waste responsibilities and the remaining-meat arrangement.