F.A.Q.

Short answer: it depends. We book wedding receptions anywhere from 2 to 15 months in advance. We love doing weddings and, for popular wedding months — especially May, June, September and October in the DC area — we get booked early, so contact us as soon as you set a date. When it comes to parties and dinners, we typically book one to two months in advance, with weekends booking faster than weeknights. A few weeks is usually sufficient notice for corporate events — particularly on weekdays. If your event is 48 hours away or more and you still need a caterer, give us a call: if we can make it work, we will.

Of course! We believe in customizing menus to each client’s personal tastes and vision. Usually, we start by talking with you about which foods, cuisines and preparations you most enjoy and how you see your event unfolding. Based on those conversations, we make menu suggestions, and you can ask about any changes you want to make. You are also welcome to develop your own menu, using our sample menus as a starting point or bringing your own vision to the table. Even after the menu is agreed upon, we can usually accommodate changes.

We do it all the time! Many of our clients are vegetarians, vegans or gluten-free, as are their guests. We can work with you to design an entirely vegetarian or vegan menu, or simply to ensure that your diet-restricted guests have appetizing meal options. We can work around any allergy or special requirement; just let us know!

We are happy to prepare tastings upon request. Since we use seasonal and locally-sourced foods, we may not be able to offer the exact dish at a tasting far in advance. However, we can always create options that will give you a good sense of the dish. Because there are significant expenses incurred in preparing tastings, we charge (plus tax) per person. We will provide a separate quote for your tasting. If you hire us and your event is more than $5,000, the fee for up to two tasting attendees goes toward your future balance. If you would like subsequent tastings, these will be charged on a service-and-supplies basis.

We can organize all of the standard items, including tables, chairs, linens, china, glassware and silverware. We can also arrange tents, dance floors, coat racks, lights, concessions (e.g., popcorn machine, cotton candy machine, etc.), tent HVAC, stages and PA systems. Please ask us if you are looking for something unusual: if it is available, we will find it. The rental company we contract with has a $350 equipment minimum. In addition there is a $300 fee for weekend deliveries in the DC area. The fee goes down to $120 on weekdays. If your event is outside of the DC area, there may be an additional delivery charge. The rental company calculates this delivery charge, but the fee usually increases based on the mileage. You may also purchase a damage waiver (10% of your total rental fee, excluding the delivery fee), which will protect you from paying for any rental items accidentally broken by one of your guests. If one of our staff members accidentally breaks a rental item, Farm to Feast will pay for the damage.

For staffing events we charge by the hour. We pay door-to-door, so travel time is included in the estimate. While we do our best to estimate how much time our staff will be at your event, the final cost is based on the actual time worked. For large, full-service events — such as weddings with 100 or more guests — an event manager will be required at the event to ensure that everything runs smoothly in the front of the house.

For a buffet, we like to provide one server for every 20 guests. For a plated dinner, we like to provide one server for every 15 guests. In general, we like to provide one bartender for up to 100 guests at a beer/wine event. The number of bartenders depends on the number of guests, but also on the type of drinks you will be serving (e.g., beer and wine only; custom cocktails; full bar). The more complicated the bar, the more bartenders you will need. One of our chefs will personally oversee all food preparation. Your menu and the number of guests will determine the number of additional on-site cooks. For weddings and events with more than 50 guests, you can expect one to two additional cooks. Nearly all events will have a cleaner. The number of guests and whether you are using rentals that must be washed will determine the number of cleaners hired and the number of hours the cleaning will take.

Yes: our servers, event managers and bartenders wear black shirts, black pants and a Farm to Feast black apron. If you prefer, our staff can wear white shirts.

No. Just let us know if you plan to supply your own wine or champagne and how many bottles you will be bringing. There is no charge for opening and pouring.

No, of course not! Just let us know ahead of time if so, and tell us how many servings we should prepare for.

We may be able to supply beer, wine, champagne or liquor upon request, but that depends on the jurisdiction and event venue and any related legal or permit issues. Once we know the details of your event, we will figure out what is possible. Please note: If you are planning to supply your own alcohol, we are happy to recommend wine pairings at various price points, suggest signature cocktails or craft beers, or recommend local vendors. For all events, whoever supplies the alcohol is responsible for obtaining the liquor license.

Drop-Off: our delivery driver brings the food hot from the kitchen and sets it out at the buffet table. Your food arrives plated on compostable platters, in compostable bowls, or in aluminum pans. If you have ordered disposable chafing dishes they set these up too. Rentals cannot be used with drop-offs unless you are willing to take responsibility for their arrival and return. Delivery drivers do not re-plate food.
Adjusted Drop-Off: We will help with food only. One or two servers are dispatched with your order to bring the hot food, set up the buffet, replenish food during service and then clean up the buffet area. They stay only for the dining portion of your event; they do not bus or clean tables after your guests. The food arrives plated on compostable dishes or aluminum hot pans, and the servers will re-plate food onto permanent dishes if desired. We have a 3.5-hour minimum charge for the servers' time. Rentals are only possible if you take charge of them for service and pick-up, as these are outside of server’s responsibility.
Full Service: All of your needs are attended to. Set-up, food service, and clean-up are all included.

We provide set-up and clean-up services with our full-service packages. In general, weddings and other large-scale events require two or more hours for set-up. Smaller events may take 45 minutes or an hour to set up. Once we have the details of your event, we’ll let you know how much set-up time is needed. Our drop-off service includes a 30-minute set-up charge, with more time added upon request or if the menu or event is complicated. Clean-up after the event typically lasts an hour. However, this depends on several factors, such as the number of guests, the complexity of the event break-down and the number of rental items. We do not supply any clean-up for drop-off events.

Our proposals include estimated costs for all components that your event requires of us: rentals, labor charges, food costs, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, delivery fees, damage waivers, and DC sales tax.

We happily accept credit cards as a form of payment. Please note, however, that there is a 2.5% surcharge if you do pay by credit card.

“Drop-off” means that we prepare and deliver the food (usually buffet-style) to your venue. We send a staff member to set the food up for you and your guests, but provide no on-site servers, bartenders, cleaners, etc. This is best for informal corporate events and informal parties, but can also work for larger events, including weddings, provided they are casual. This service does not include clean-up. Delivery/pick-up charges start at $45 per hour for events in the DC area, and increase depending on the mileage from this area.

Yes. Upon request, we can provide compostable paper goods, disposable chafing dishes,etc. Drop-off service is done with disposables or platter, chafing dish, and coffee service rentals (rentals require a pick-up fee). When using rentals, all items must be rinsed clean, returned to their crates, and placed together in an area accessible to staff.

Check out the Corporate Catering page for our corporate menus and pricing, but remember that each event is unique, so prices may vary. If you’d like general cost information, please email us at info@farmtofeastcatering.com.

Gratuities are not included in the bill, but they are certainly appreciated. 100% of the gratuity is passed on to our very hard working staff. We do not put tip jars on bars for private parties and weddings. If you would like to find out more about tipping Martha Stewart has a good guide here: http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/226661/tipping-wedding-vendors

Yes, children three years and younger are free, but are counted for seating purposes. If you are getting rentals they also need to be counted into the rentals.

We are always willing to work with nonprofits to meet your needs.

There are multiple convenient ways to place a delivery order with Farm to Feast. Check our corporate menus first. If you don't see what you need, fill out our questionnaire (http://farmtofeastcatering.com/get-a-menu-and-quote/) to get a unique menu designed. You may also email us at info@farmtofeastcatering.com or call us at 202-674-7629.

We have a $250 minimum Monday-Friday and $750 minimum for Saturday and Sunday (before tax). The D.C. standard sales tax of 10% will be charged on every order, unless the event is for a tax-exempt organization.

All our dishes are hand-crafted with the freshest ingredients possible: therefore, we ask for notice 2 business days in advance when placing an order.

We accept changes to your order until 48 hours prior to your event. If you would like to make changes following that time, we may be able to accommodate your request, but a fee will be charged, and your original delivery time may not be guaranteed.

Any delivery canceled less than 24 hours in advance of the evet will be charged in full. Any orders cancelled within 48-72 hours in advance will be charged for all out-of-pocket expenses.

We accept all forms of payment: cash, check, or credit card payment. If you would like to pay by credit card, there will be a 2.5% surcharge on every transaction. Credit card invoices are available upon request.

We provide environmentally friendly, compostable serving platters and serving bowls. To prevent waste, we do not automatically provide plates, napkins, utensils, and cups, although they are available upon request for a small fee.

Your delivery driver will typically arrive to set up 30 minutes before your event starts. Depending on the size of your party and the equipment needed, this time may be extended. However, you should allow 10 minutes before or after the expected arrival time due to the unpredictability of traffic conditions.

Events held in D.C. will include a $45 delivery/set-up fee. Extra travel time for delivery drivers will be charged for any events outside of D.C., based on the actual distance from our kitchen. Extra set-up time should be scheduled and will incur extra charges: for example, if you would like the delivery driver to transfer food to special platters. Large events may require two delivery drivers or special equipment which could change the delivery fee.