Post # 1
Member
93 posts
Worker bee
Do most venue’s menu tastings allow you to taste several or all of the entrees you are deciding between for your reception menu? Our venue is only serving one of the five entrees that are options for us, and I don’t know how we’re going to decide what to serve (we’re planning on two entrees).
Here is the background: My venue is doing a group tasting/planning event for couples who have upcoming weddings, probably about 10 couples. On the one hand, I’m looking forward to meeting the other couples and comparing plans and ideas. But because it is a group event, they are only serving one entree from each of the three price tiers. This means we will get to try one of the five entrees that we are considering. We will also get to try a selection of the appetizers, sides, salads, and wines, but we weren’t expecting to get to try all of those options since there are too many.
Our venue is known for great food, so I think that we’ll be ok serving whatever we decide, but I’m a control freak… Is it typical to not try all of the entrees you’ll be serving?
Post # 3
Member
397 posts
Helper bee
We had a private tasting. We invited my parents & his parents and couldn’t eat all of what they put on the table! We tried three different salmon, three different steak, and three different chickens (all full size). Plus she put down a dozen plates of different appetizers to try! Plus, chocolates & salad! I don’t know what the normal is buy maybe try to schedule a private food tasting?? That doesn’t seem fair you only get to try on entree. Is that between the two of you, or do you each get a different plate?
Post # 4
Member
93 posts
Worker bee
Your tasting sounds exactly like what I was expecting. I would make deciding on our menu so easy. I’d even be happy if we got to try the top three entrees that we’re interested in.
We’re bringing my parents as well, and we all get to try the same three entrees, but only one of them is in the price range we’re looking at. I’m sure we’ll be stuffed, and the other two entrees we’ll sample sound great, but they are just too expensive.
Post # 5
Member
56 posts
Worker bee
I have my tasting next week and the caterer allowed us to choose seven passed appetizers, two salads, four entrees (three entrees are complimentary and we have to pay for the fourth because both of my parents are coming), two starches and two vegetables. I know it will be a ton of food, but I was hoping to be able to try at least one more entree. We chose two chicken dishes, a salmon dish and a beef dish. But if we decide we want to offer our guests a choice of chicken or beef and we don’t like the one beef dish we try, do we just blindly pick another beef entree from the list? Or do we forgo offering a beef choice altogether? These are details that I never thought about before I waded into this thicket of wedding planning.
Post # 6
Member
209 posts
Helper bee
We had a private tasting where we tried 3 meals and 3 desserts. No cost to us at all!
Post # 7
Member
952 posts
Busy bee
Our tasting was private. We tasted everything on the menu with the exception of the fruits from our fruit & cheese plate and our veggies from our crudite plate. We loved it all and didn’t change a thing.
Post # 8
Member
279 posts
Helper bee
My wedding is at the Ritz Carlton, and they don’t do menu tastings for weddings, at least not at this one. So, while I have eaten at the Ritz and think the food will be great, I have not tasted a thing on our menu – I am just going on blind faith!
Post # 9
Member
342 posts
Helper bee
We selected our menu, and that is all we will have at the tasting. We were pretty specific with what we wanted to serve though, so there was no real purpose for us to taste tons of different things when we knew what we wanted.
Post # 10
Member
208 posts
Helper bee
We had a private tasting (although I know a lot of the popular venues in my area do group tastings like yours). We told the event coordinator what we wanted to taste, which was basically what we would have picked based on the menu, plus a couple that we were curious about. We did end up making a change in the menu based on the tasting, but it was to add something that was super good, not to remove anything that was bad. One (of two) main course options wasn’t available for tasting, but we had it served at the wedding anyway. DH was really nervous about serving something that we hadn’t tasted – but it was delicious.
It’s too bad you can’t taste more since it’s helpful, but if the food you do taste is all good then I really wouldn’t worry.
Post # 11
Member
461 posts
Helper bee
We know our chef and so we’ve put blind faith in him that what we’ve ordered will come out well. If you are REALLY worried about how the food will be you may want to try to ask for a private tasting. But you may need to pay , which I could understand if the venue usually does group tastings .
Post # 12
Member
93 posts
Worker bee
Thanks, everyone! You’re right that as long as everything we do get to try tastes good, I can have confidence in the rest. The reputation of their food is very good, and my fiance isn’t worried about it, so I should just relax. If the tasting is only so-so though, I’m going to try to schedule a private tasting whether we have to pay for it or not.
Great advice as always, thanks so much!
Post # 13
Member
198 posts
Blushing bee
we’re having our tasting in march, which is also a group tasting, but i believe our venue is going to let us try everything. have you tried asking if it’s possible to taste more than one dish from each group? the worse they can do is say no, and if that’s the case i would do a private tasting.
Post # 14
Member
2 posts
Wannabee
My reception place requires a deposit for tasting (in addition to the deposit we put down to save the date), put limitation on the tasting: no starches, salads or whole. There’s only a certain time we could do the tasting. I think this is crazy because I want to know exactly what the guests will be served. At this point, I regret booking at this location because it sounds like other venues allow more flexibility. However, I am unsure if I am over-reacting.