There’s no doubt that temporary events need a huge amount of planning. Of course, the bigger the event, the more planning required as the more elements there are to bring together. Most events require some form of catering, and the world of event catering hire is a competitive one, with many professional companies vying to win those lucrative catering contracts.
Catering at temporary events is also not as straightforward as it might seem. More often than not, the guests enjoy a seamless experience at the event, being served delicious canape treats, and marvelling at the food creations presented in front of them at their tables. However, behind the scenes, it’s usually frantic, with the pressure on the catering teams to get all the food prepared, cooked and served within a short time frame.
This brings us on to the question of catering equipment. Some catering companies have their own catering equipment, but most prefer to hire it in from catering equipment and event hire companies. But why is this?
Cost!
First and foremost, it’s the cost. Regardless of how much catering equipment you hire, there’s no doubt that it’s going to be a fraction of the cost of buying it up front. Heavy-duty commercial catering ovens, fridges, hot cupboards and other catering appliances cost a small fortune! Therefore, hiring catering equipment makes much more sense.
Variety
One of the other considerations is the actual type of event catering equipment hire needed. For instance, if it’s a canape event you are catering, then you’re probably going to be needing quick cooking equipment for small food items such as whitebait, mozzarella sticks and puff pastry canapes, for example. There’s probably more need for deep fat fryers than there is for a hot holding cupboard, which is the mainstay of large, mass catering dining events. Therefore, just hire what you require – there is no need to go out and invest wildly in your own equipment…when you might still not have what you require for certain events!
Cleaning
At the end of a busy service, we’re almost certain that your catering team won’t want to start a deep clean of the catering equipment. After all, it could be late a night, and after a stressful time in the kitchen, they’ll probably just be wanting to put their feet up! Many catering equipment rental companies will offer you the ability to send your catering equipment back dirty, and they will clean it for you, for a small additional fee, usually called a ‘return dirty fee’ or something similar. Providing disposable catering supply items is also another option to consider, depending on the type of food produce you will be providing and the situation, such as an event. This is often worth its weight in gold, as it saves you a ton of work! Yet another reason to choose catering equipment hire for corporate events, ahead of buying it!
Maintenance
If you hire catering appliances, then you won’t need to worry about maintenance. This is a big deal, as most commercial catering appliances are complicated, electric devices that need regular TLC. At the very least, electric appliances require PAT testing, and gas appliances require LPG testing, in order to take your equipment onto site. Hire companies will regularly test their equipment to ensure it is in safe and efficient working order, so why bother yourself with this – just hire it!
Breakdown
On a similar note, what happens if you are at a catering event, and your appliance happens to break down? Do you have a replacement standing by? The chances are that you don’t. However, if you are hiring catering appliances for events, then simply call your catering hire company, and they will sort the problem for you!
Storage
And let’s not forget the fact that if you were to buy catering equipment, then you would need to store it in between catering events. Storage is expensive, especially for large commercial catering appliances – a hot cupboard, for instance, can be 6ft tall and 3ft wide!
Transport
Finally, let’s not forget that professional caterers often need to travel. It’s not the case that they have a fixed, restaurant-style address where they go every day. They need to transport staff and equipment to temporary events. The bigger the catering event, the more equipment you need and, therefore, the larger the vehicle you will require. The cost of trucks is expensive, from the maintenance, insurance, tyres, road tax and fuel, so why get stuck with the cost of having to own a truck when you can just hire catering equipment from an event hire company and get them to deliver and collect it to and from your event site?
Hopefully, the information below will be helpful as and when you are deciding whether to buy or hire catering equipment for parties, weddings, event and occasions. To us, it certainly looks like a bit of a no-brainer to hire equipment for catering, and save yourself time, money, effort and hassle!
