There’s nothing quite as exciting as thinking ahead (no matter how far ahead that might be) and planning an outdoor event. Whether it’s a wedding, festival, or celebration, your outdoor event will need to be meticulously planned. If you’re not a fan of planning, that might sound a bit dull, but the more groundwork you do now, the more you can enjoy the big day.
Let’s take outdoor catering equipment as a classic example. It’s one of the easiest things to get wrong, simply because of some common misconceptions. But with the right hire company helping you, it’ll be easy… and fun!
Today, we’re going to ensure you don’t make those same mistakes.
Create an event plan and do a guest count before hiring outdoor catering equipment
The first step in hiring outdoor catering equipment is to assess the size of your event and estimate the number of guests attending. This crucial information will help you determine the quantity and size of catering equipment needed. Whether you're hosting an intimate gathering or a large-scale event, understanding the guest count will prevent any last-minute catering mishaps!
Common mistakes with outdoor catering equipment hire
The biggest mistake people make is to engage the wrong mindset with the kit they think is required for an outdoor event. For instance, if you have an outdoor wedding to plan for, you’re probably thinking that you’ll need:
a paella pan;
lots of plates and cutlery.
But that’ll only get you so far. In fact, it’s almost certain to result in nothing more than needless stress and panic.
For an outdoor event to go smoothly, you actually need a temporary kitchen. But don’t worry – it’s a lot easier to get something like that setup when you work with a catering equipment hire company. It doesn’t matter what type of event you’re holding, where it is, or how large or small it is; you’ll need a bit more than a BBQ to feed guests and ensure the food and beverage operation is as slick as it should be.
What you’ll need for your mobile kitchen
The exact equipment and supplies you’ll need for your event will depend very much on the type of event, the number of guests you’re expecting and the type of food you’ll be preparing.
There are, however, some types of kit that are common across all events. They include:
-
ovens;
-
hot cupboards;
-
fridges;
-
prep tables; and
-
food serving units.
There might be more, depending on the event. For instance, you may need beverage equipment, too, such as coffee percolators, and water boilers. This is all super-easy to source from the right hire company.
It’s also important to think about food production. Spend some time talking to the person who’ll be responsible for the food on the day and find out what they need. How many hobs, ovens, and LPG BBQs will they need to get the job done?
How will you make sure everything runs smoothly?
The only missing piece of the jigsaw is a SafeHire company (always look for that logo) to help you arrange the perfect event. Safe Hire is the industry leading safety and quality mark, THE gold standard for the Hire industry. Achieving Hire Association Europe (HAE) and Event Hire Association (EHA) SafeHire again affirms our commitment to meet our client's demands for exceptional standards of health and safety and quality.
It should go without saying that every piece of electrical and gas kit is cleaned, checked, PAT tested, gas tested, and prepared in accordance with the Event Hire Association (EHA) Code of Practices before every single hire. Safe Hire also recognises our expertly trained team who are providing outstanding levels of support to our clients.
The SafeHire logo shows you who you can hire from with peace of mind, which is why you should look for it from anyone you hire from. It’s a great indication of a good level of compliance and quality, so you know you’re in safe hands.
Choosing high quality catering equipment is essential
As you would with Plato Hire, you should find a company with an experienced team, who knows precisely how to put together a bespoke package to suit your outdoor catering function down to a tee. No matter the number of guests or whether you’re serving cocktails, three-course meals, or a few rounds of canapes and wine, you need to know that your supplier has a comprehensive enough range to support your event.
We also provide a full line of kitchen equipment for keeping things ready behind the bar or service hatch e.g., bottle fridges, ovens, warmers, paella pans, carvery units, coffee percolators.
For example, our 600+ product catalogue includes industry-quality catering furniture and equipment that’s specifically designed for outdoor use. For laid-back sunny day functions, we have robust, high-quality garden chairs in the classic arm-rest comfort configuration, as well as slightly higher-backed, bistro-chic options more directly geared towards meal services. These both pair wonderfully with our fold-away round banqueting tables, each designed to seat 4 al fresco diners or up to 10 if you would like to add crisp table linen.
If you want to take things up a level, you could even usher in a touch of modern urban café style with our high-polish aluminium chair and bistro table sets. To complete the look and feel of an exclusive patio enclave, you can also hire chrome posts with a VIP rope divider, which helps you quickly and stylishly section off areas in any outdoor space. All of this can be complemented with our dazzling array of colourful modern or classically elegant linens, table runners, chair sashes, and disposables.
Delivery of outdoor catering equipment hire
When deciding on hiring outdoor catering equipment, make sure that you inquire about the delivery process. Most professional catering equipment suppliers (like us!) will take care of the transportation, but it’s a good idea to double check so you avoid any last-minute surprises. Choosing a catering equipment hire company that delivers will save you time and energy, allowing you to focus on other aspects of event planning.
Additionally, make sure that you confirm the delivery and pickup times to ensure they align with your event schedule. It’s no good having your equipment arrive half an hour after you were supposed to start serving food, so double check that everyone is on the same page regarding times.
Power for your outdoor catering equipment hire
Clearly, if you’re hiring a kitchen for your event, you’ll need a decent supply of power to keep everything going. Thankfully, this is easily accomplished these days thanks to modern generator technology. The good news is that you don’t have to spend a fortune, either.
The dangers of having insufficient power don’t bear thinking about. Ruined food, hungry guests, and time wasted looking for a solution can all be avoided if you do your homework now. As you’ll discover, it’s all about the required wattage and an understanding of the power requirements. But you obviously don’t want to worry about that yourselves, which is why we’ve put together a super useful power guide for outdoor events.
Oh, and you’ll probably need some lighting, but the hire company will be able to sort you out with that, too.
Don’t forget about the rubbish
It’s best to cover this early on, because the last thing you’ll want to do is leave the venue in a mess the next day. Thankfully, if you do the groundwork now, you’ll have far less to worry about on the day.
You just need to take into account the kind of things which are easily overlooked. For instance, should the caterers clean up? Or do you need to organise a specialist cleaning team to do the dirty work?
You may even need a skip if it’s a particularly large event. Check out our advice for making sure rubbish doesn’t ruin your outdoor event.
Need to hire quality outdoor catering equipment for your event? Contact our friendly team today to find out how we can help!