Fifteen questions to ask a caterer before you book

The best questions to ask a caterer are the ones that make the caterer stop and think. I have been on the answering end of hundreds of these calls, and I can tell within two minutes whether a host has planned a party before. The ones who have ask about the delivery time, how the food travels, and what happens if the headcount changes. The ones who have not ask whether the food is good, which, honestly, every caterer says yes to.

The short answer: Before you book a caterer, ask fifteen things in four groups: the food (what is made from scratch, how it travels, what it costs per person), the logistics (delivery window, setup, what is included), the money (deposit, final count deadline, cancellation terms) and the people (who cooks, who delivers, who answers the phone on the day). A good caterer answers all fifteen in one conversation without hesitating.

Here is my list, grouped so you can run through it in a single call. Under each question I tell you what a good answer sounds like, and then, because it would be strange not to, what my own answer is.

Questions to ask a caterer about the food

1. What is made from scratch, and what is bought in?

Every caterer says “fresh.” Ask what that word covers. Are the sauces made in the kitchen? Is the meat cooked that day or reheated from a freezer? You are not being rude; you are finding out what you are paying for. A good answer names specific things: “we make the masa each morning,” not “everything is homemade.”

My answer: the masa, the red chile sauce for the pork, the tomatillo salsa for the chicken, and the fillings are all made in my Plano kitchen the morning of your delivery. Nothing sits in a freezer waiting for an order. You can read more about how we cook on the family story page.

2. How much food per person, and what does that cost?

Ask for a per-person number and ask what it includes. Vague caterers give you a total and hope you do not do the division. Clear ones tell you the portion and the price in the same breath. Our tamales are big, so two per person is a lunch and three is a dinner. At $30 for a half dozen and $60 for a dozen, two per person works out to $10 a head, and a dozen covers four guests at dinner. The menu page has the half-dozen and dozen prices.

3. How does the food travel, and how does it hold?

Some food is wonderful at the restaurant and sad after forty minutes in a van. Fried things go limp, plated things slide, salads wilt. Ask what the food looks like an hour after it arrives. Tamales are one of the few foods that were built to travel: the husk keeps them moist and hot, and they hold in a covered pan far longer than most catering does.

4. What can you do for guests with dietary needs?

Ask specifically about gluten, dairy, nuts and guests who do not eat meat, and listen for honesty rather than a blanket “we can do anything.” My tamales are made with gluten-free corn masa, but I am not a certified gluten-free facility. I would rather tell you that than have you find out at the party. My menu is short on purpose: chicken in green salsa and pork in red salsa. Both have meat in them, so a guest who does not eat meat needs something else on your table, and you know that before you order rather than at the party.

5. Can I taste it first?

For a wedding or quinceañera this is a fair ask. For a lunch for twelve, it is not, and a caterer who says so politely is being honest about their time. With us, the easiest tasting is a half dozen from the online store, $30, delivered or picked up at the kitchen, and it tells you everything.

Questions about delivery and setup

6. What is the delivery window, and who is driving?

“Around noon” is not a window. Ask for a range, and ask who is bringing the food. This matters more than people think, because a driver who has never seen your building does not know that the office door locks after 11:45. With us, you choose delivery or pickup and the date right in the online store, and the delivery fee is shown at checkout. For next-day orders the rule is plain: next day orders must be received and confirmed by us before noon the previous day, and only confirmed orders will be delivered as requested. My guide to scheduling a delivery window explains how to pick one that lands on time.

7. Exactly what arrives with the food?

Plates, forks, napkins, serving spoons, warming racks: each one is either included or your job. Get the list in writing before you pay. With us the answer is short: you get the tamales you ordered, chicken in green salsa or pork in red salsa, by the half dozen or the dozen. Plates, forks, napkins and the table itself are on your side, so plan them the same way you would for any party at home.

8. Is this drop-off, or do you stay and serve?

Most office lunches and backyard parties want drop-off. Most weddings want someone to stay. Know which one you are asking for before you compare prices, because the two are not the same product. Mine is the simple kind: tamales by the dozen, delivered or picked up at the kitchen, and your party runs the table. I wrote a whole piece on drop-off versus full-service catering to help you decide.

9. What is your delivery area?

Ask before you fall in love with the menu. We deliver across Allen, McKinney, Fairview, Frisco, The Colony, Plano, Murphy, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson and Far North Dallas; the service areas page lists each city.

10. What happens if my headcount changes?

Someone always adds six people on Thursday. Ask when the final count is due and how much it can move after that. The good answer is a date, plus a little flexibility in both directions. With us, a bigger crowd simply means another dozen in the online store, as long as it is ordered in time.

Questions about money and paperwork

11. What is the deposit, and when is the balance due?

Most caterers ask for a deposit to hold the date, and the rest closer to the event. Ask for both numbers and both dates. With us it is simpler: you pay online for the order when you place it in the store, so there is no separate balance to chase. There is a longer explanation in what to expect with catering deposits and payment.

12. Are there fees beyond the food?

Delivery, service charges, setup, rentals, gratuity: ask for the all-in total so the number you agree to is the number you pay. In my online store the delivery fee is shown at checkout, before you pay.

13. What is the cancellation policy?

Weather happens. Ask what you get back if you cancel a week out, and what you get back the day before. A caterer who has already bought your chiles and pork cannot always refund everything, and a clear policy up front is a sign of a kitchen that has been through this before.

Questions about the people

14. Who actually cooks, and who do I call on the day?

You want a name and a phone number that will be answered while the food is on the road. With us, I cook, and the kitchen line, call or text (469) 888-8398, is the number to use during kitchen hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 9 AM to 2 PM. My profile is on the Chef Maggie page if you want to know whose kitchen you are ordering from.

15. What do your recent customers say?

Look at reviews, but read them for specifics rather than stars. Ours describe tamales that are huge and packed with meat, a bit of kick in the salsa, and drivers who are friendly and on time. You can read them on the reviews page.

A one-page scorecard for the call

If you are comparing two or three caterers, write the answers side by side. The table below is the one I would use if I were the host.

Notice that none of the strong answers are about charm. They are about specifics. A caterer who gives you specifics on the phone will give you specifics on the day.

How to ask all fifteen without a long call

Write down the answers you already know before you pick up the phone. Date, time, address, headcount, the occasion, any dietary needs, and whether you want drop-off or service. With those in hand, the call is short. With my kitchen, most of the list is answered by the online store itself: two fillings, a half dozen for $30 or a dozen for $60, delivery or pickup, the date, and the delivery fee at checkout. My guide to writing a clear catering request shows a simple format, and if you are still deciding between kitchens, how to choose a caterer in Dallas covers the things to check before the call.

Ready to ask me?

Most of my answers are already in the online store: chicken in green salsa or pork in red salsa, a half dozen for $30 or a dozen for $60, delivery or pickup, today or a date ahead, paid online. That is how Maggie’s Tamales works for offices, birthdays, quinceañeras and holiday tables across North Dallas. Order online, or call or text (469) 888-8398 during kitchen hours and ask me the hard ones out loud.

Frequently asked questions

What questions should I ask a caterer before booking?

Ask about the food (what is made from scratch, portion and price per person, how it travels, dietary options), the logistics (delivery window, what is included, drop-off or full service, delivery area, headcount changes), the money (deposit, balance date, extra fees, cancellation policy) and the people (who cooks, who to call on the day, what recent customers say). Fifteen questions, one phone call.

How far ahead should I ask these questions?

Ask them when you first contact the caterer, before any deposit. For an office lunch that can be a few days out; for a wedding or quinceañera, a month or more. The answers shape the rest of the plan, so getting them early means you are not renegotiating the week of. If you are calling late, ask the logistics questions first, because those are the ones that decide whether the date works.

Is it rude to ask a caterer how much per person?

Not at all. It is the single most useful question you can ask, and any caterer who has done this for a while will answer without blinking. With tamales the arithmetic is simple: two big tamales per person for lunch costs $10 per guest; a half dozen is $30 and a dozen is $60. If a caterer will not give you a per-person figure, that tells you something too.

Should I ask for a tasting before I book?

For a large celebration, yes, and a good caterer will arrange one. For a small lunch, a tasting is more than the order justifies, so order a small amount instead. With us, a half dozen from the online store costs $30 and tells you exactly what a hundred guests would taste, because everything is made the same way every morning.

What is the biggest red flag when talking to a caterer?

Vagueness. “We will figure it out” about the delivery time, the fees, the final count or the cancellation terms. A kitchen that has fed a lot of parties has answers ready for all of those because it has already lived through every version of them. The second red flag is a price that keeps changing after you have said yes.

Where does Maggie’s answer these questions?

Most of them in the online store: the two fillings, the half-dozen and dozen prices, delivery or pickup, the date, and the delivery fee shown at checkout before you pay online. For anything else, call or text (469) 888-8398 during kitchen hours. Anything I cannot promise, I say so.