Catering Services
Answers.
To the Frequent Questions.
Answers.
To the Frequent Questions.
FAQs
We do our best to make every step easy for you at Rocky Mountain Catering & Events!
When it comes to exploring your options in catering services, we know you have plenty of questions. Of course, we’re always here to answer your questions over the phone or in person, but we’ve organized our most frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers here.
We send and publish menus to provide ideas for the menu planning process, but we are always happy to customize menus for each event to capture your personal vision.
We can provide a menu to match the theme or personal preference for your event and can avoid specific allergens without compromising quality. Food used at your event is produced in a kitchen that has or uses food allergens. Our gluten-free and nut-free items are prepared on carefully cleaned and prepared surfaces, using utensils that have been cleaned and disinfected for designated for gluten free items only. A note for those with celiac disease and nut allergies: because Rocky Mountain Catering is not certified as a gluten free or nut free kitchen, we cannot guarantee that your food will not come in contact with gluten, or nuts. Persons with nut allergies, gluten intolerance or celiac disease should understand the limitations of the options we are able to offer.
Whenever possible we will pack a nice take-home package for our clients, who often forget to eat because they are busy speaking and entertaining their guests. However, not all leftovers are packed due to food safety standards and company policies.
We look forward to hosting you for a private tasting to showcase our food and allow you to see us in action. Generally, we schedule tastings once the proposal has been narrowed down and pricing approved. Tasting are limited to 2-4 guests depending on the size of the event and if not booked, or already contracted a charge of $35-45 per person is accessed.
Apart from specialty desserts such as a wedding cake we prefer to provide all the food served at the events we cater.
Yes, we are happy to provide cake cutting at no additional charge. We will even provide a cake cutting service set so you do not have to purchase one.
Whether you envision a formal affair, or more casual party, your vision for the event will guide your choice. Speak with your Event Designer about which choice is right for you and your event.
- Plated: Traditional formal service, with each course beautifully plated and served to your guests
- Buffet: A fresh culinary display for guests to choose what and how much they want while they serve themselves. A carver or attendant can be added to enhance the experience
- Family Style: Bowl and platters of prepared items are placed on tables for your guests to pass and share increasing guest interaction and drawing attention to the food.
- Reception Style: Petite and passed displayed petite items providing a lot of menu variety for guests to focus on mingling while still getting full
- Stations: A diverse menu of multiple small plate presentations allowing food to become part of the entertainment and allowing menu variety
- Breakfast for lunch/dinner
- Several served courses of smaller portions
- Brunch with action stations
- Dessert reception with specialty beverages
- Late night snack station
- Rehearsal dinners and “Day After” brunches
Our management team, captains and bartenders receive TIPS training and certification which is recognized as a standard for safe alcohol service.
Caterers are prohibited by Colorado law from selling alcohol to clients. You will have to purchase the alcohol for your event separately. Our TIPS certified bartenders will be happy to serve your purchased alcohol if the venue allows us to, based on their specific liquor licenses.
We can assist you with themed specialty drinks or assist you in pairing your menu with a great wine choice.
Only venues with liquor licenses can legally offer cash bars. Nonprofit events can apply directly with the city for a special event permit in order to offer a cash bar, this process can take up to 60 days, so must be coordinated in advance.
Our highly trained captains will manage the catering execution and supervision of the staff. Often, your event designer will be present as well to say hello and oversee the start of your event.
Yes, this is part of our catering services. We schedule our team with enough time to set up the tables, chairs, linens, tableware, buffet, stations, and bars before the event begins. Then we break all of that down and clean up once the event has ended.
Each event is staffed according to its individual needs, which will determine the number and type of staff positions needed. Our staff to guest ratio ranges depending on your specific needs.
During the event set up, our team will wear a RMC black t-shirt, dress pants, and black shoes. Once set up is complete they will change into a solid black RMC logoed dress shirt, along with a black apron for the event service.
We require a signed catering agreement and the amount of the deposit is the greater of $600 or 10% of the proposed total. This deposit is refundable for up to 30 days from the date on the signed contract with written notice to events@cateringbyrm.com.
Your next payment of 50% will be due 120 days prior to your event. RMC will estimate your events total cost based on your final count with that balance due 10 days prior to your event.
We accept cash, check, and all major credit cards EXCEPT American Express.
We understand that circumstances beyond the host’s control sometimes require events to be canceled or rescheduled. Events are generally booked months in advance and we rely on those bookings to manage our event calendar. However, our cancellation policy is as follows:
- 120+ day notice: Initial deposit is forfeited or can be used towards another event within 12 months of the cancellation
- 60 day notice: 50% of money paid is returned
- 30 day notice: 10% of money paid is returned
- Under 30 day notice: No money paid is returned
Notice must be provided in writing to events@cateringbyrm.com
A firm guarantee of attendance must be received 14 days prior to your event. After this time you may not reduce your guest count and an increase may be subject to a surcharge to cover the associated costs.
Yes, you can! We are accustomed to turning any space into the perfect event location, coordinating your needed rentals, décor, and many other event requirements.
The Denver Metro area is filled with a variety of venues of all sizes and styles. You can view a thorough list of our preferred event venues.
Here are a few things to consider when selecting a location for your event:
- Does my event need to be centrally located?
- Does my venue have ample parking?
- Does the venue provide rentals, such as tables and chairs?
- Do I need separate spaces for different activities? Bridal ready rooms, discussion or break-out rooms, green rooms, VIP Space.
- Do I need any audio-visual equipment?
- Do I want a venue that has a liquor license, or do I want to provide my own?
- Do I need a venue that fits the theme of my event? Rustic, Mountain, Elegant, Urban, Classic
Your catering services bill will consist of a few main categories which will be clearly itemized on your proposal.
- Menu price
- Beverage service (non-alcoholic beverages)
- Rentals: which can include china, flatware and glassware
- Staffing charges
- Administrative/production fee, which is a fixed percentage of the entire bill
- Possible vehicle charge, or mileage charge depending on the event location
- Possible trash removal fee depending on the event location
If this is your first time hiring a caterer, the price may be surprising. Below are a few things to take into consideration when reviewing the cost of catering services:
- Caterers have higher food costs than say a restaurant because of they are required to produce more menu items based on client preferences, rather than market conditions.
- Our staff are dedicated to your event from the start. Essentially creating a restaurant, transporting it to your venue or location, and then packing it all back up again and taking it back to our production facility.
- We provide all of the food service equipment to serve an event all at once, which requires a lot of kitchen equipment, service ware, and vehicles to transport which results in a higher maintenance and replacement costs.
- A well-executed event starts with a dedicated event designer who will spend an extensive amount of time planning menus, assisting to coordinate your vendors, meeting with clients and their teams, as well as documenting every detail to ensure it all comes together perfectly the day of the party.
Many variables come in to play that can affect the pricing, so we prefer to collect your information, get to know your vision for the event and customize a proposal based on the following:
- Event Venue and location
- Time of day
- Length of the event
- Number of guests
- Service style and the level of service required
Most caterers charge a production fee, administrative fee, service charge or something similar on their catering services. This standard charge helps to cover the unique cost of “bringing the restaurant to you,” including equipment and vehicle maintenance and loss, non-billable administrative work, special kitchen expenses, coordination and detailing of each event.
Our staffing is billed by the hour, a small number of staff are charged from the time they arrive at our kitchen to check out the food for your event, until they return and unload the truck. Most staff are charged only for the time they are on-site at the event location. The number of staff assigned to each event depends on the menu, event logistics, and service expectations.
We charge a reduced price and can prepare special menus for children ages 4-9, children under the age of 3 are free. Meals for your vendors are also charged at a reduced price.
We support our amazing non-profits and what they do in our community and honor our members of the military which can including discounts and in-kind contributions when possible. For weddings, we offer a 5% discount off of the menu cost when one of the couple is currently active duty military. Contact your event designer for more details.
Gratuities are at the discretion of our clients. When asked, we generally recommend clients to tip between $25 per staff member and 20% of the food and beverage portion of the catering services bill.
Depending on where the event is being held and the type of event you are planning you may want to also budget for the following types of additional expenses:
- Event planner
- Alcohol
- Flowers
- Specialty décor
- Invitations
- Rentals-tables, chairs, linens, flatware, glassware, stage, pipe and drape, tent, etc
- Entertainment
- Lighting
We are open! We are making amazing events happen in the Covid-19 era and we have comprehensive safety protocols: Policies and Procedures.