Latest / The Preferred List: A Wedding Vendor Podcast / Episode 36 Grandma Betty’s Hospitality Playbook: Altland House Catering Group

Transcript

Episode 36 Grandma Betty’s Hospitality Playbook: Altland House Catering Group · The Preferred List: A Wedding Vendor Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Preferred List, a podcast about the people behind the best wedding days.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm James, a wedding filmmaker.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: I've spent years in the industry working alongside incredible vendors, and this show is all about real conversations with the ones who make it happen.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Whether you're a vendor or a couple, you'll get honest insight, good stories, and maybe a little inspiration along the way.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: Let's meet today's wedding vendors.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Hey guys, how's it going?
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_01: How are you going?
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: Good.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: So we have Sarah and Cassandra from Altland House Hospitality Group, and I'm very excited to dive into things today.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna be focusing a little bit more on catering, but Altman House does a ton of stuff.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll get a little bit of the backstory on business and where you guys fit into everything and the jobs that you guys have with Altland House.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um but before we jump into that, we are here at Hazelwood Weddings.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: Hazelwood Weddings is a modern wedding venue in New Oxford, Pennsylvania, specializing in weddings, microweddings, and elotments with easy access to Gettysburg, York, Lancaster, and Baltimore.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: It's built specifically for weddings, and you'll find an intentional variety of bright open spaces bathed in natural light and surrounded by stunning woodland views.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: Hazelwood is the perfect backdrop for your day and an even better backdrop for your photos.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I know you guys are here all the time, which is so fun.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: And Kate, the owner here, is just such a joy to be around.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's such a nice space.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you guys can see, like it is literally bathed in natural light.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's so cool.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but we're here with you guys.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: How's it going?
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for being on.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thanks for having us.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thanks for having us.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: It's been great.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: I know, it's gonna be so fun.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, just fill the listener in and even me a little bit.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: I know we have like a C-suite kind of person over here.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: We got kind of a salesperson over here.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: Fill us in on what you guys are doing with Altland House and how you fit in to the business.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: And then if you could just give me like me and the listener, just like the backstory.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: How did Altland House get started and and what is it all about?
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_02: Sure.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I'm Sarah Moran.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, I am the COO of the company.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_02: Uh so I like to say head of operations.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_02: It sounds a little more boots on the ground when you're talking catering.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um and so it's just my job to make sure that we are executing whatever it is that my partner here has put on the books for us.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_02: Um so go ahead, Cass.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_02: You can talk history.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I'm Cassandra Hardy.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: I do the event planning, um, more of like the coordination side of the catering.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so getting the timeline, um, dietary restrictions, all those little details.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I also do a little bit of like the marketing and everything, but definitely more focused in like the wedding side of catering and stuff.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um history-wise, the business has been around for a very long time.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: So the building itself has been here since 1762.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so pretty, pretty far back.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but the current owners took over, I would say, in the 1960s.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and they've we're basically on like our third generation of owners and everything.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_01: So it started as like a single dwelling and kind of like expanded over the years.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_01: We've had hands in uh amusement parks, um, ski resorts, like all sorts of places.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but currently we have about five different locations that we we operate out of.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: And so the locations that you guys have, are they primarily like wedding venues?
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Are they just event spaces?
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_01: At this point, a lot of like wedding venues, um, but we do operate like restaurants and everything as well.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, like our Abbott's town location, that's primary, primarily a restaurant, also like a brewery and stuff.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it has like a couple of like hotel rooms and stuff too.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: So a little bit of everything there.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, a couple of our other locations are located on like golf courses and you know, they have like little like turn windows and stuff too.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: So we we definitely have like a little bit of everything that we do.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I from talking before we started recording, um, it sounds like hospitality just in general is like a huge focus for the business and what you guys do.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um the business started, you know, with the current owner's grandmother, and that's what she was about.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, grandma, grandma Betty is is as they like to always refer to her as everything was hospitality.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_02: It's just making people feel that feeling, feeling warm and making them feel special.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_02: So that's what we do.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's so fun.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: I I just feel like grandmas have a knack for hospitality, just like more specifically, and I just I love it.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: I old people are so cute to me, but anyways.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: So she was stern too.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: Don't get me wrong.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: I've heard the stories.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so what was the the beginning of the business for Altland House?
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like, were they seeing a need for venue spaces?
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: Were they seeing a need for um catering?
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: Like, like how did that kind of get started in the sense of like as a business, they're trying to serve in a new way or do something different?
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know that it was ever um about like expanding or doing anything like that.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: I think it was more about like a passion for the industry itself.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um Betty was definitely like very, very big on like the hospitality and again taking care of everybody.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then slowly people started coming to her for like weddings and caterings and stuff.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, back in like the 60s and stuff, you didn't have a lot of options then.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so our company was one of the only high-end caterers that you could get around the this area.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I think it just kind of grew from that.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: I I would assume that like she was doing something different too.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, she was approaching it in a different way.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: Do you guys have like a sense of like obviously there's a high-end element to it?
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what was it about the way that she was doing it that got people kind of thinking, like, hey, this is this is different.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: This is not just a you know, beans cooked in a field like you mentioned.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I really do think it was how she made people feel.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, she had worked at the Alden House before, you know, saying, I'm I'm gonna own this one day and I'm gonna do this, and it's gonna be what I'm going to do.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_02: And so people always knew that if they came, they were gonna get that care and attention.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_02: I think it was more about that.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_02: It wasn't always glamorous food, it's been chicken and waffles, and you know, you're making peas or whatever.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_02: But people came for that feeling, and then it just kind of expanded.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, and then it was, hey, can you do this?
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_02: Hey, can you come help us gator, you know, this wedding?
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_02: And and that's where it really kind of took off.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_02: And it was all hands on deck.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_02: The whole family is involved and still involved.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_02: And I think it was really just that relationship.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_02: It's kind of how we still operate, you know, you're gonna find the owners at an event.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_02: They we can't be at every event.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so we kind of divide and conquer, but I think just showing up, it's just showing that you care.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_02: It's not just sending your team, it's sending sending yourself and sending your brand, which is important.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I just I feel like it's so easy to look at like something like catering and being like, oh, it's just food.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's just, you know, it's like a surface level thing, but it sounds like from the from the beginning, it's like way more than that.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: So much more.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of logistics and planning and definitely a lot that goes into it, other than just showing up with uh some chicken and stuff.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: Walk me through like there's something about weddings that maybe early on Grandma Betty was like, okay, this I see a need for this, but I would imagine that it was more than just like I see a need, I like I enjoy doing the weddings.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: What is it about the wedding side of things for Alton House?
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: That's like what is it?
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: Is it special in some way?
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: Is it is it different in some way that you'd want to continue to to do more and more weddings every year?
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I think we just want to be a part of people's stories.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it's about creating those memories and those experiences for the couples.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_02: And I mean, we get to be a part of that.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that's really what it is.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_02: It's you know, they might not remember that piece of chicken on that day, but they're gonna remember if you made them feel special, you made them feel valued, if you made it an easy planning process, you know, so you just become like that part of that core memory.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_02: And I think it's just creating those experiences for people.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, 100%.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love that.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, definitely being a part of like the day is our biggest honor.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: And it I mean, it means the world to us to be here on a day that they're going to remember for the rest of their life.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: And we want to make it as special as possible.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_01: We want to like spoil our couples, make them feel like royalty, and just having the opportunity to do that makes it makes me the world to us.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: So couples are maybe listening and and in that planning process.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe they're trying to find the right cater, maybe they're they have their cater and they're just trying to figure out like what do we have, like what do we serve.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, can you like demystify some of that process for them and even just like like what works and what doesn't work?
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um and and they're trying to figure out like how do we get something that everyone likes for the food that they're gonna serve?
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, well, I always like to remind couples like it is your day, like so, definitely choose the the items that you're going to enjoy.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there's certain things that I see a lot with like food stations, like couples wanting to have pizza and sliders and this and that.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, sometimes that sounds great in theory, but it doesn't hold up well quality-wise.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so definitely working with your caterer to find like the specific items that are going to work well and kind of fit your taste.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, a lot of the menus are customizable.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: So don't be afraid to ask your caterers like if you're looking at the menus and you don't see something specific that you like, it's worth talking to them and seeing if they can customize a menu for you.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: Because it might be just as simple as like it's just not in one of the pre-built things, but it could be an option that they could add.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: Everything's an option.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 9:49
  unknown: Yes.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: So are a lot of the couples that Alton House is working with, do they do sort of a similar style of menu or is it like different across the board?
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: Depends on the couple, I would say, because each couple obviously has like their own unique state like taste and everything.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, like I do have people that like doing the stations, and I do have people that like doing more of like a a formal sit-down dinner um or a buffet and stuff.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: So it it really depends on the couple specifically and the vision that they have for their day.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: Is there, I'm just like sitting here thinking, there's like a sort of plated food that they could like be set in front of the guest, and then there's sort of the like stations, there's sort of the buffet style.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: Do you find that one works better in general than another?
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_01: Buffet, all the way.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_01: I think buffet is great because it offers that variety to your guests.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: Like they don't just have to choose chicken or steak, like they can go up and they can get both.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and you also don't have to worry about like them going hungry because they can go up for seconds and kind of eat through fill.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I also think quality-wise it holds up the best too.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, can you unpack that just a little bit?
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: No, it definitely keeps the food like a little bit warmer and everything on the buffet.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think having it served sometimes like while you're plating it and everything, sometimes it might lose its heat, not very often, but you know, you do run that risk.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_01: Whereas having it up in the schafer definitely helps it maintain its quality a little bit better.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: So when you come to a place like Hazelwood, are you cooking all the food here?
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: Are you guys cooking it on location somewhere else and then like bringing it over?
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how does all that work?
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: So we're about like five minutes down the road from Hazelwood.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I love that.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_01: So for the specific venue, um, it works out really well.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: We are able to cook everything at our kitchen and then they have a staging kitchen back here.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: So we use that for like plate up and to work out of.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and we always come with like hot boxes and stuff to help the the food maintain its heat and stuff too.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so definitely having a location like Hazelwood where it's like right in our neck of the woods works out really well for us.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, I love that.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: Is there something that couples like aren't thinking about with the catering that they should be, or something that like you see couples miss all the time that you're like, oh guys, if you just knew this, like your life would be so much easier?
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think it goes back to like the dietary restrictions um for sure.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um, because people will try to plan their entire selections around the dietary restriction, and all you have to do is ask us, we'll do one specialty meal or two specialty meals.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_02: You know, they think they're gonna have to pay more to have that additional option for everyone.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_02: And that's not the case.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we also talk through like vendors and kids' meals.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_02: You know, a lot of caterers do discount pricing, certainly for those.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_02: And I think when they're planning, they're running the numbers and they're like, well, how are we gonna feed these eight vendors, you know, at$100 a plate?
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_02: And it's typically not that a lot of venues, you know, especially us, we have vendor pricing and we're not charging you that full price.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_02: I think they forget about those types of things, certainly, and it's worth asking.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, it seems like from what you guys are saying, like ask the question if you have it.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: It seems like ask it and you'll maybe be surprised a little bit in the options that might be there.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_02: Because sure, we have menus, we have packages, but we're not rigid about them.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_02: We will customize anything.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_02: If you want a chicken from one selection of the menu and a steak from a different side, we're gonna customize that menu for you because we want it you to have what you want on your day.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: Is what's that process look like?
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: So a couple's like reached out, maybe they're talking to you, Cassandra, and you're walking through the process with them, are you on a call with them?
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: Do you help them like right away trying to figure out menu items?
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how does that process work for you guys?
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of couples like to try to figure out the menu pretty quickly.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it's not something that you have to do right away, like us specifically, as long as we have your finalized menu at least a month, month and a half in advance, we're good.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're telling me at the beginning of the planning process, like, hey, I really want to do like a barbecue chicken, and then a little bit further down the line, you're like, actually, I really like Parmesan chicken.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_01: We can still make that adjustment for you.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but a lot of couples do like to figure out the menu and get the tasting and everything before booking the caterer, which I think is important.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_01: You definitely want to make sure that you're getting the quality that you're paying for and that you're happy with what you got.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but a lot of the times when couples are reaching out, like sometimes they have um a lot of questions, like, hey, if I like if I get the chicken from this package and but I like the steak from this package, can I customize it?
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_01: Again, we're we're more than happy to do that for you.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: And just kind of walking them through that and preparing as many quotes as you can to show them all their different options is usually pretty helpful for the couples.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: So they reach out, are they doing like a tasting at some point in that like early stage of the process?
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_01: I would say um, specifically for like this venue, about like 75-80% of the couples are doing a tasting with us before booking.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: And does that cost them money or does is that a part of the process?
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: So the way we do it is it's a$50 deposit to do a tasting.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, if you were to move forward with us, that gets applied towards your wedding total then.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's not bad at all.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_01: So not not much of a risk then.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um I'm gonna open the can of worms on like the budget side of things.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, talk about money a little bit.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it's one of those things where it feels like how do we talk about it?
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: How do we figure out like what works and what doesn't work with the money side of things?
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, being that like the venue and then maybe catering one of the two might be like the top expense for the day.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, couples are sitting there and they're trying to figure out budget, they're trying to figure out the number that they want to spend, maybe overall.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe they're uh from that point, they're figuring out like this is what we have for catering.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: What's your best advice for those couples that are in the planning stages trying to figure out like how much is this all gonna cost and how do we do it in a way where we're not spending all of our money on catering, but we're also getting really awesome food?
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I would definitely say like just asking the questions and being like, hey, this is our budget.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like, definitely be upfront about the budget.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that way we can kind of be like, okay, well, if this is the type of food that you like, well, check out this option.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like, we have these great like picnic buffets or you know, something that are a little more cost effective.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but just working with the couple to kind of meet their vision and stay within their budget is definitely something that we do quite a bit.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we have a wide array of options, so definitely something for everybody.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so it's it's pretty easy to work with budget-wise.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think it just goes back to asking those questions.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, we have a lot of packages that have built-in, you know, past order or stationed order, salads.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_02: You know, maybe you can do without one of those things.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe you don't necessarily want the stationed hors d'oeuvres or something, and then we can break out costs, or maybe coffee's built into a menu and you don't want coffee.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_02: And so we can deduct pricing.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_02: And one thing with us is all of our menus, we're very transparent with our pricing.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_02: It's on there, you can go on our website, you can see it.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_02: Whereas I feel like a lot of times with catering, you don't see any numbers.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think people appreciate that.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_02: They see that oh, maybe this is within my budget, and maybe if I do have a conversation, I can get it somewhere that I'm feel comfortable.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_02: But we do run the gamut of pricing.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_02: We have the picnic buffets, the backyard barbecues, and then we have your high-end prime chef carved prime rib or or what have you.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_02: So it's just ask the questions.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so it's a little bit of like it sounds like the style of meal, and then also like the premium meats are gonna be in that higher tier.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, is it generally that the plated meals are a bit more expensive than like the buffet style, or are those kind of similar?
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: Not necessarily.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_01: It all kind of depends again on the entree options that they're looking at.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_01: Like obviously, prime robe's gonna be more expensive than like steak tips.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, there's definitely again.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: More so like what's in it and not necessarily like how it's served.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_01: Correct.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: I I'm like, I feel for couples when they're in this planning stage, because they've never probably ordered a catering meal for 150 people or 200 people, absolutely, or even like if it's 50 or 75 people, yeah.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: It's a ton of people to feed and they've never done it before.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I have a lot of couples that come to me and they say that specifically, like, this is my first time planning this type of event, and you know, doing X, Y, and Z.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_01: And it's always nice to remind them, like, hey, I'm here to help you.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I've done this before, I can guide you through the process.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you're not alone.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I love how much you guys have like focused in and said multiple times, like, ask the questions, there's no silly questions.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: And if you ask, you actually might save a little bit of money.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_00: Because, like, if you don't want coffee, I love coffee.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't want coffee though, like just say, Hey, we don't want coffee.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: And no one's gonna be like, Where's the coffee?
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and if they are, like, tell them to go get something else to drink.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, seriously.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, are you guys seeing like trends in the menu options and maybe even just like was it different five, 10 years ago to like what a lot of people are kind of going with now?
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_02: Well, five years ago we did a lot of backyard barbecue, it was barbecues and barns.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_02: It's all I felt like we did.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_02: How about it?
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_02: It really was.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_02: Everybody wanted barbecue, and I haven't done any barbecues.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_02: It's like a BB, barbecue and barns.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_02: Barbecue and barns, yeah.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_02: It was certainly a trend.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_02: And I haven't had had much of that at all this year that I've experienced of you.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, hardly any barbecue.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I see a lot of couples going with more of like a Tuscany-style buffet or like an Italian kind of, like Parmesan chicken, um, that kind of stuff.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, barbecue I definitely think is kind of moving down trend wise.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of good barbecue though.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_01: I know we do.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: Mac and cheese.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: And mac and cheese is an option with like a different kind of buffet too.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: You can add the mac and cheese.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: You can.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: You can add the barbecue sauce and white dresses.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_02: It's just there's something about it.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like when I get to that point of the day, I'm just like, I don't exactly care what it is because I'm so hungry.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_00: As a vendor.
• 20:00
  unknown: Yes.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, do you guys see any trends kind of starting to form, or even like in the next couple of years, do you see it kind of like shifting to a different style, or maybe away from the Italian kind of Tuscany style that you mentioned, or something different?
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so specific trends, like food-wise, not so much, but more service of meal.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_01: Like I'm seeing a lot more pastor d'oeuvres over like stationed or d'oeuvres.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: So our servers coming directly to the guest and offering them like a mini crab cake or bacon wrapped shrimp or something.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that way guests are able to like mingle and you know, go go grab a drink and have the food come to them.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: So that's something definitely something I've seen a lot more of in the recent years.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I've also noticed a lot of like welcome beverage stations, which I think are really cool.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_01: So you have it like stationed near the ceremony site, like some water, maybe iced tea, lemonade, and your guests are able to go up, grab a refreshment and stuff before they go to like the ceremony, which is great if you have people like driving three hours or so to get here.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, also seen a lot of couples having our servers like pass out champagne to their guests as they arrive, which is really nice, I think.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so it kind of adds like that like little touch of elegance as the guests are coming into the wedding.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and a lot of couples are doing that in lieu of like an actual champagne toast.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_01: So they're passing the champagne at the beginning, and then when it comes to the speeches and toast, they're having guest cheers with whatever drinks they have at that point.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: Gotcha.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that makes sense.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: Are you guys also um providing bartenders at most of your events that you guys are catering?
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: At all of them or just some of them?
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_01: Uh majority of them.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_01: I think once in a blue moon, we don't, but it's very rare.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: Is it how is it to have the team kind of be united as as like one team?
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: You have the bartending service and the and the food service kind of like working together in tandem a little bit.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's oh that's all the time.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_02: Our whole team always is working together, you know.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_02: So everyone's helping everyone, and so we're very, very used to that.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's is there Um a general like system that you guys have, like day of, like are you setting up at a certain time?
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like how long does it usually take?
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: And like even just what's that process look like for you guys to be ready at a specific time?
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_02: It really depends on the wedding itself.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_02: Um they're all different.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_02: You know, sometimes we're bringing linens, sometimes the couple has rented linens.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_02: So I found if we're bringing linens, we have to be there a little bit earlier than I think we would like to be sometimes because the florist is ready to go.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_02: You know, they want to set the tables.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but typically we're arriving, I would say, by 11 or 12 on the day of the wedding.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_02: We see a lot of those four or 4:30 ceremonies.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but sometimes it's dropping linens off the night before or dropping them off at 9 a.m.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_02: just so that other other vendors can get their head start um on things.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_02: But then we're typically there in that 11 or 12, we're setting the tables, we're ice, getting ice, getting supplies for the bar, mixers, sodas, getting your kitchen space ready, prepping, um, and all of that.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_02: So it's a full, it's a full on day.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have advice for couples that are trying to figure out like what time do we have dinner?
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_01: I always love a cocktail hour.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_01: I think having a cocktail hour with some more derives is great.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_01: And then going into like the dances, entrances, that kind of stuff.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: So I I would say like six, six thirty-ish is usually a nice time, but it all depends on when they're having the ceremony.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_01: But typically I recommend ceremony, an hour for cocktail hour, uh, 30 minutes for your entrances, dances, and then hopping into the the dinner service.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_02: And a lot of times they'll they'll try to do like dinner and then like stop it for like some different dances and speeches and go to cake.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_02: And it's like, please just get these people some cake.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_02: As soon as dinner's over, let's go to dessert.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_00: Do you guys like when it's all the formalities like entrances, first dance, parent dances, speeches, and then you start, or do you like when maybe salads come out and then they do speeches and then and then dinner served?
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_02: Definitely the first way.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, everything's done.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_02: Get that out of the way.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_02: As soon as we hear that blessing, we're like, let's get ready to go.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, for us, the worst thing is the clinking forks when they're eating salads during speeches.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, guys, you're not even paying attention.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_01: We're we're not a fan of uh preset salads.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_01: They make the table look nice, but I mean it definitely distracts from the couple and their their moment.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: So you like all the formalities are done, and then you can get right into dinner service.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: And you like dinner service to happen and then cake right away.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_02: Pretty soon after.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_02: And I understand sometimes the couples at that point walking around, typically they eat first and then they're kind of walking around doing the table touches, which is fine, gives us enough time to clear plates and get everything nice and clean, get the salt and peppers off the tables um and get ready for that cake service.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_02: But sometimes we found like they'll there'll be couples who do like an hour delay, and I'm like, Oh my god, these people need cake, you know.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_00: Well, they do a lot of like silent cake cutting now, too, or like unannounced.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_01: Like the private, yeah.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then if I I feel like if they're doing a private, it just happens like whenever.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_00: It'll literally be like 8 p.m.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, hey, you want to do this now?
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: And they're like, Yeah, I'll do it now.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, Why not?
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: So that's probably for you guys.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_00: You're like, uh, are we gonna do cake anyway?
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that is a trend we uh like is the cupcake, the small cake, and then the cupcake trend uh save us from cutting cutting a lot of wedding cakes recently.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_02: So it's so nice, yeah.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_01: And then the couple has like that whole small like cutting cake for like their one-year anniversary and stuff, too.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: So couples that are thinking, like, hey, I'm just worried that everyone's gonna have enough food.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_00: You mentioned it with the buffet a little bit.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: There's that like you can go up for seconds.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_00: Have have you guys ever been like, shoot, we're running low.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_00: We have like very little left.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm sure everyone's gotten fed at all of your things, but um what what could you say to the couples that are like, is there gonna be enough for everyone?
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: And how do you make sure that there is enough for everyone?
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_02: There is absolutely enough for everyone.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_02: I always tell them, I'm like, you will not run out of food, and even if we get low, you'll never know about it.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you always have backup on the fly.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_02: Like I mentioned about the green beans in the field, you know, we're putting we're doing a pot of boiling water and we'll make more green beans on the fly if if it's something like that.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_02: But that's one thing we don't run out of.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_02: And like she mentioned, we're five minutes down the road.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_02: If we sense that we're running low, it's a Hail Mary call and it it'll be here before you serve all the guests.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_02: So typically though, we our chefs are really great.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_02: They they do the math, and yeah, it really is math.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_02: It's math.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_00: I I was asking the question and I'm like, I'm sure you guys got it.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_00: But I think for couples, there's all these things are like running through their mind.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, how do we know what to get?
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_00: How do we know everyone's gonna like it?
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: Is there gonna be enough of all the food?
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_00: And like, how much is it all gonna cost?
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: And they have just like all these things that are just like running through their their mind, and that's just for one vendor type.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_00: That's just for catering, and they're probably doing the same thing for like every other every vendor.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, definitely do you guys have just like a general tip or advice for couples in that planning stage?
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_00: It not doesn't even need to be like specific to catering, but just like something to help them kind of get through that.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_02: I think for that specifically is find the vendors that you dive with.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you have to dive personality-wise, you have to enjoy their product, whether that is their food or their service that they're providing, and then just trust them.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you really have to trust them to do their job.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, that's what they're there for.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think if you just trust in your vendors because you believe in them, your day will just be so much less stressful.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you can't nitpick every detail.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_02: It's just find that relationship, find the people who you whose food you enjoy, and then just trust them to do their job.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I love that.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_00: I love it, it's the best thing when a couple's like, I trust you, just do your thing.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, ah, okay.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_00: We could do that.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, such an honor.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so there's a a huge vendor team that's going to be put together for each of these wedding days.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, y'all are are part of the ones that you get hired for, and you're kind of put into sometimes maybe you're here at Hazelwoods, sometimes you're at your own spots, sometimes you're getting called out to a new venue.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, what's it like working alongside of all those other vendors?
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_00: It could be like the owner of the venue, maybe it's a planner.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_00: We don't run into y'all too much as videographers, and unless we're coming up for our plate, but like, how do you kind of manage that like working relationship in like places that you're familiar with, places that you're not familiar with, and like vendors that you're familiar with, vendors that you're not familiar with?
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, for me, and that that maybe goes back to even the advice on the couple is just rope all your vendors together on communication as early as possible.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, I get surprises sometimes showing up to wedding days, or it's like a vendor I've never even knew was coming, or they show up, you know, let's blame the florist again.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_02: Like how we and and I don't know.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_02: I just throw that under the bus for now.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_02: And it's like, oh, that we needed linens at nine, and that was just never communicated.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_02: So I think it's just, or at least if you're not roping them in, provide that list to everybody so we can, as vendors, reach out to each other.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_02: Is there anything you need from me?
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_02: Is there anything you know I can provide to you to make your day better?
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_02: Because at the end of the day, it's all about working together, it's making sure everyone's being professional and getting the job done together.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_02: But recently, a lot of the vendors that I've worked with, I mean, you just you just drive.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_02: We all are helping each other every time.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's a collaborative process.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_02: So collaborative.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_02: At the end, everyone's great jobbing, you know, each other.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_02: And like that's that's just a good, a good feeling.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_02: But I think it's just get everybody in communication as early as possible because then we can, I don't want to say leave you out of it, but then we can make it, you know, we can make sure and hide anything that could go wrong.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_00: So I always love when a vendor's like, You did a great job, and I'm like, You don't know what I got in my camera at all.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_00: It might have been fun working with you, but also like you have no idea what happened in my camera.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that's so funny.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_00: But is there something that venues can do if there's like a venue owner listening or even like a venue coordinator that's listening?
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what's something that venues can do to help make catering run smoother, be easier day of?
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's something about like the kitchen, maybe it's something about like the timing of things, like when you can show up, what you can do, what you can't do, where you can park.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what are some things that venues can do to help you guys?
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_02: Parking is definitely a thing.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, we always say we like to go to venues that have running water.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um, that's a that's a thing we don't always have.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um a little bit of counter space, refrigeration's a plus.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yes, we do love a refrigeration.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so and then parking, parking where we can load in.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_02: You know, we've been to some venues, you know, we're backing up and there's two flights of stairs or and there's you know, no elevator, and so you've got hot boxes and different things, and it's really taken the team then to get everything into into place.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_02: So those that's all we can ask for.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_02: So there's little and it's doesn't sound like much, but yeah, yeah.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_02: We go to a lot of venues where we don't have we we don't have the running water, and it's just how do you make all that work?
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, seriously.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_01: But communication again is important, like getting with the venue and everything beforehand, especially if you haven't been there before, and maybe going for a site tour, checking out like what you're working with as a caterer.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_01: Like, do you have a staging kitchen?
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_01: Are you popping up a ton?
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_01: Are you popping up tables?
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_01: Are you bringing the drinking water?
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like getting with the venue beforehand and asking those questions and making sure that you have what you need on the big day to keep it moving smoothly is important.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_00: How else are you guys keeping things running smooth in the sense of like the actual service part of it?
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_00: So like getting the food out to everyone or getting everyone through a buffet line so that's not like 30 minutes later, 45 minutes later, there's still like 10 tables that haven't hit the buffet or haven't gotten their plate.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what are some things that you guys are maybe it's over time they've the the team has kind of developed like a system to get that running really smooth?
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_02: You have to have to have your systems, but we've all had bad days and learned from them, um, if you will, but it's just being organized.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um and everybody like we do a lot of pre-shifts, you know, so we we call them little pre-shift huddles or whatever.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_02: Everyone knows exactly what they're what they're to do.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_02: Team, yeah.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, especially, you know, who's restocking the buffet, because if you go into it and you don't have a team member assigned to to swap out pans, everyone's clearing plates, you're gonna run into an issue because you have empty chicken pan up on the buffet.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_02: And so it's just everybody knowing their role, everybody supporting each other.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_02: If you see somebody, you know, in the weeds, if you will, or or struggling with something, it's just to kind of jump in and help.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_02: But it's just really organization, it's just going in with a clear plan.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_02: Sure, sometimes you might have to change plan, um, especially with a pleated, a pleated meal.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_02: Um, most recently had a wedding, everybody they wanted people served in a very specific manner.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so it's just having my little post-it notes with everything.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_02: And so I'm trying up the right food for the right people.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so there's a lot of little uh tactics like that.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_02: But organization is is the biggest thing and just making sure everybody knows what they're to do.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so to shift to like business stuff, if we if I if I can, um sounds like the the service part of it is super organized.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_00: You have your systems there.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_00: If you could speak to the vendor specifically that's listening, that's like, what's the advice that you have or the systems that you've put in place that keep your business?
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_00: I know you guys have like different jobs in the overall business, but um what are some things that you guys are doing or the company is doing to keep things organized, keep things running smoothly?
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you're not missing communication with the new client or um between each other.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_00: There's maybe a line of communication that works really well.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_02: So we use a lot of catering software to keep us organized.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um specifically, we use cateries where we store all of our information.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_02: It holds all of our client information, everything about the event.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_02: There's a section for notes, um, phone numbers, point of contact.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_02: So that way our entire team um has access to get into there.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_02: And so we can all stay on top of things.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um we get our leads through our website.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_02: We do have a contact form that goes through our Wix platform.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_02: So you can jump on there, leave a name, number, hey, I'm reaching out about a wedding.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_02: And that often goes then to Cassandra for her to reply in the sales in the sales realm.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_02: But no matter what you're looking for proposal-wise, we can get back to you.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_02: So we also have the Cateries mobile app where our operations team and myself, we can always say, Oh, what events do we have coming up?
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_02: What you know, I forget which chicken dish is coming up next week, and I can quickly look.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_02: I don't have to reach out.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then we also use a lot of collaborative spaces such as Teams.
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um, that's how we communicate our team and have a lot of files just for one wedding, you know.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe it's the like XYZ wedding this weekend, and everybody can reach out in there and ask questions and you know, hey, are they doing a cake cutting?
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_02: Do I need to bring a cake server?
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_02: Or did anybody think of you know, think of this?
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_02: And it's just good for us to be able to use those systems to keep us organized.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_02: It's not always the pen and paper checklists that keep us together as a team.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, obviously email, but we like those collaborative spaces, those Yeah, it seems like it's a good spot if you have a team to find something where everyone can see everything.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_00: Because I could imagine with all the events that you do, if every time you were messaging some other person like, Hey, what was that meal?
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_00: Or what do do we need extra this or extra that?
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_00: It would probably get so annoying.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_02: And I've been down that road.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_02: I've definitely been there.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, that's one thing we've learned over the years is to adapt, you know.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_00: Was it something that uh was developed over time, or was it like you had some sort of system and then it kind of got like digitized a little bit?
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_00: Like how did that work?
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely developed over time.
• 36:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, I always joke that even when I came on, they were still handwriting a lot of things, um, especially going back to the restaurant world and the hotel world.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, everything was handwritten.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so just to get into the technology world has been such a blessing.
• 36:17
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, because before that it was, it was one person had the information.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_02: And if that person wasn't there that day, you didn't know where it was.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_02: Where's the key for the third drawer down?
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_02: We can't find out.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_00: Or I could even just see like the person writing it down in a way that makes sense to them, and then you reading it and being like, what?
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_02: And so we've come a long way in that sense.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's so cool.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_00: Well, Sarah, Cassandra, thank you so much for being on.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I know you're representing Altland House today.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but it's just been so fun to pick your brains on sales and and catering operation and all the stuff uh today.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_00: So, where can people find and follow along with what Alton House is doing?
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um, what our website, if you just go to altlandhouse.com, that's the quickest and easiest way to get a hold of us.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we have a contact form on there.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_02: It also links right to our catering website.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_02: If you're looking for catering menus specifically, you can find all of that on there.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_02: We also have Instagram, which most of the world does.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_02: So Altland House is our Instagram um handle as well.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_02: But that's the quickest and easiest way.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_02: We do have the Facebook um page as well.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_02: But that's where you can see the most of what we do.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_02: We post the food fixtures um on there.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um, sometimes more restaurant specific, but you can see our catering style on there as well.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I love that.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_00: All that stuff will be linked down in the description below.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I appreciate you guys tuning into this episode.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you guys got a ton of helpful tips and you know, just understanding a little bit more about what goes into like what you guys are doing with Altland House.
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I appreciate you guys being on.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, if you're listening on wherever you listen to podcasts, I would love you could leave us a review, just let us know how you're liking the show.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're watching on YouTube, what's up?
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_00: How's it going?
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, if you could uh subscribe, like, and leave a comment just letting us know how you like the show.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but that's all for this episode, and we'll catch you next time on the preferred list.