What is BYO Venue Catering? Florida Event Planning
Florida Event Planning - Bring Your Own Vendors To Cater Parties
Food and catering options are one of the top reasons for choosing a party venue. Seated dining, buffet aisles, family dinner potluck style, food trucks, restaurant catering, small plates, stations, cocktails, three-course dinners, hors d'oeuvres - there are so many options available. Many Florida venues, restaurants, museums, country clubs, golf courses, and hotels maintain food restrictions and require specific in-house catering with a set standard price-per-plate and portions to serve. Those venues may include in-house menu options for the event that may be very limited and lack diversity of flavors and unique alternatives. Some venues maintain a short list of limited preferred vendors. Only those preferred on the list are certified to cater the party or assist at the event. If your favorite caterer, bakery, or restaurant is not on the list, they cannot cater your event. A few venues allow you to bring your own cake, but charge a hefty "plating fee" for cutting each slice (around $3-$10 per cut) - which could end up pricier than the in-house cake option if you have over 60+ guests. A venue that allows BYO or 'bring your own' catering like Anastassia Ballroom gives you the option to hire any caterer, coordinator, vendor, patisserie, and bakery you want. You can choose one single caterer or multiple caterers for each food course at the event. And best of all, if there is traditional food that family members have cooked for generations - like at a quinceañera - you can share that food at any BYO venue and keep the traditions alive for generations. With us, there's no cake cutting fee either!
Why Choose BYO Venues?
BYO, also known as outside catering, 3rd party catering, open catering, and self-catering is a great option for a variety of reasons. It's your party, so eat want you want and make your own party trends and traditions. With BYO you have the freedom to choose what you want to eat and plan the event exactly how you envision it. Most seated dinner parties include appetizers, salad, main course, and dessert. With a BYO venue, there are few restrictions for food selections, course arrangements, and there is no such thing as bizarre food choices. If you want to serve dessert first, you can hand-pick the menu requests. Want chicken and waffles, fish and chips, fast food appetizers, a pizza wedding cake, milkshake shots, or even hot sauce drizzled over an ice cream sundae? No worries at a BYO venue. Here's why we love the BYO options at Anastassia Ballroom:
Customize Your Menu. Mix and Mingle!
Create your own fusion of cultural foods, gluten free options, or all your favorite small plates. You can make it a potluck style celebration or include a buffet zone with food provided from multiple restaurants and caterers. There is no limit to the customization.
It's Bargain Shopping. No Minimum Requirements!
Those on a budget can limit the ridiculous food prices per plate required from pricey hotels and resorts with in-house catering standards. There aren't typically food and drink minimums with BYO venues, so there's a lot more flexibility on budgeting. You pay for what you want, a la carte even. It can be much more affordable for party celebrations in the long run. Family members can bring their own favorite dishes, bake their own cakes, self-cater and make it a memorable family gathering.
Great Food Quality & Selection
It's very rare to find a single restaurant offering the best gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, non-vegetarian, kosher, and pescatarian food selections with several plate options all in one place. Usually there's a limit to the array of selections available for meat lovers, veggie enthusiasts, and kosher practices. Hiring multiple caterers can be a great option for those with food allergies or food restrictions. Couples can hire their favorite BBQ joint plus choose a restaurant with diverse vegan options - making the experience truly unforgettable for all. Working with multiple vendors involves some extra coordination, but there's a lot more freedom and selection for customization than the limited menu items from those non-BYO required catering venues.
Visit the Venue!
Choosing a venue with a large catering area for cleanup / setup is a must. When you hire your own caterer, learning the venue setup and being familiar with what is available in the kitchen area is important. We at Anastassia Ballroom strongly recommend scheduling a walk-though to understand the space and what equipment is included, especially in the kitchenette and bar areas. Make sure to review websites, online video tours, look at photos, and read reviews for references.
It's Your Choice!
There are a wide range of benefits to selecting BYO venues like Anastassia Ballroom. BYO Venues add meaningful memories to any celebration through your diverse food selections.
