Catering & Events Operations Tools

Where off-site food goes wrong

Catering separates cooking from serving by hours and miles. Food is prepped in one kitchen, held, loaded, driven, and served somewhere else by a crew that may have been hired for the day. Every handoff is a chance for temperature or labeling to slip.

• Long transport and holding windows between the kitchen and the venue
• Several menus at one event, each with its own allergens
• Event staff and day crews whose certifications need checking
• Venues that require certificates of insurance and permits up front

Rules that follow the food off-site

The kitchen is only half the job. These rules travel with every order.

• Permitted kitchen: catered food has to be prepared in an approved, permitted food facility
• Catering operations and host facilities: CalCode has specific rules for caterers serving at sites like offices and event spaces, so check how your county permits them
• Holding in transit: 135°F or above for hot food and 41°F or below for cold, with a record you can show on arrival
• Allergen and ingredient information: labels on buffet items and answers the crew can give about dietary requests
• Alcohol at events: pouring requires the right ABC license or permit, and servers who pour need RBS certification

One wedding, from prep to pack-up

Two days out, the kitchen lead runs the prep checklist and logs the cooling of braised short rib. On event day, the crew records temperatures as hot boxes and coolers are loaded, again on arrival at the venue, and during service. The event lead checks off allergen labels for the gluten-free and vegan menus, confirms the bartenders' RBS certificates, and notes a cold-holding issue on the Fix list so the next event's packing list gets changed.