Frequently Asked Questions
Do you provide full service?
At Ciao Y’all Catering we serve our own food. Unless otherwise specified in your contract, all buffet and plated services are fully staffed with professional servers. All buffet items are served to guests. The cost is $100 per server, with a required one server for every 25-30 guests. Your first server is your chef and is at no charge. We do not pass appetizers, unless specifically requested and at an additional cost.
What additional fees are added to the menu pricing?
Ciao Y’all Catering charges a travel fee for all events further than one hour round trip from our West Asheville commissary kitchen. Our travel fee is $125/hr travel for more than one hour roundtrip and this includes up to 4 servers. We charge $100 per server based on the size of the event. Additionally, there is a 15% service charge will be added to your bill on the cost of the food. This goes to a 10% tip to your servers (more is always appreciated) the additional 5% goes to admin and ancillary costs.
Do you provide Plates, Flatware, Tableware and Linens?
Should you want us to provide you with any serving accoutrement we can arrange for rentals such as plates, linens, flatware and tableware. The rental company will be in charge of all delivery and pickup of said items. In addition, if you need our staff to scrape, clean and stack plates there is an additional charge of $200 an hour for cleanup. Should you choose to use disposable items we can provide compostable bamboo and palm plates and flatware as well as paper napkins at a market price of $2 per guest. This includes a salad/app plate, an entree plate, a fork and knife and two high quality paper napkins. Additional plates for desserts or salads will be extra. We do not provide linens.
What else do your require for service?
We require one 8 ft table for any charcuterie or canapé service. In addition we require one additional 8 ft table for every 6 options. So, if you have 2 salads, 2 pastas, 2 proteins and 2 sides that is 8 options.
Do you do dessert?
We offer cheesecakes or cannoli at market price. We work with local bakers that can offer a wonderful arrangement of other options.
What about alcohol?
In the state of North Carolina, depending on your venue, it is your responsibility to purchase your own alcohol as well as a temporary license to serve said alcohol. In addition, you should hire a professional bar tender. Liquor must be purchased from our state run ABC stores. We work with several superb local bartenders that start at $250 for 4 hours that can serve the provided alcohol. Your venue or wedding planner should help with your permit.
How do estimates and tastings work?
Should you decide that Ciao Y’all Catering is on your list of caterers, please call or email us to schedule a phone call consultation, request an estimate or schedule a tasting.
But tell me more about tastings…
Tastings are offered for all our wedding, large party and corporate clients. They require a $30 deposit plus an additional $30 per taster based on a 4 course tasting. Should you decide to book, the cost of the tasting is applied to your deposits.
How do deposits work?
At Ciao Y’all Catering we are not a bank so we try and hold as little of your money as possible. Deposits are 1/3 of the original invoice. Unless otherwise stated in your contract this initial deposit is non refundable. We make some exceptions for dates we are able to rebook. We honor the deposit for other dates though if rescheduling is necessary. The second third is due one month before your event this is also when final menu and numbers are set. and the final payment is due day of. Should the size of your wedding shrink by less than 25 we will refund you food cost on the difference or 1/3. In the case of events that shrink by more than 25 a large discount will be figured based on the reduction of our costs. You are welcome to pay early, but for the sake of our accounting we ask you not pay the second payment earlier than a calendar month in advance and the final payment no more than a week ahead.
Should I get an event planner?
It is my personal experience that events over 60 people should have at least a day of coordinator. Everything runs smoother with less stress for the couple.
What happens if I get sick, the world shuts down, I get deployed or for some reason I have to cancel my event?
Your deposit is non-refundable but we will work with you to reschedule your event at a small 15% rescheduling fee. We cannot bump other customers but we will do everything in our power to make sure we use your deposit.
What happens if your staff get sick, if the food truck breaks down or if their is a catastrophic event on my event day?
While this has never happened here, in the event that we have several sick employees we overbook our staff. We keep extra servers on payroll to make sure things go smooth for your event. We prep in advance to keep the day of food preparation minimal and simple, should we be short staffed and we assure you that in the event that factors out of our hands keep us from serving your event we will arrange other food, refund you and do everything in our power to make it right and we will have a contract to that effect. We understand that many of our clients are hiring their first and maybe only caterers for what might be the most important day of their life and we take it very seriously.