Hiring a Caterer in Ottawa: 12 Questions to Ask Before You Book

Catering goes wrong in predictable places, and almost all of them are visible in the first email if you ask the right questions. This is the list we would use ourselves, and our own answer to each one is published on the site, open to anyone reading before they enquire.

Start with the commercial frame. What is the event minimum, what is the deposit and when is it due, what is the cancellation and date-change policy, and when is the final guest count locked? Those four decide what happens when your plans move, and they are the four most often left until the invoice arrives.

Then the scope. Is delivery included and what area does that cover? Is there a travel charge beyond it? Is setup included, and how long does the build take? Who collects the serving pieces, and when? A quote that covers food while quietly assuming you will return the boards is a different quote from one that does not.

Then food safety, which matters more for catering than for almost any other supplier. How are allergies handled, and specifically what can and cannot be guaranteed about cross-contact on a shared table? An unqualified yes to an allergy question tells you something important about how that supplier thinks. The honest answer names what is planned, what is labelled, and what stays outside anyone’s control.

Then staffing. Is anyone on site during the event, or is this delivery and setup only? If your format needs hands, how is that billed — hourly, per person, with a minimum call-out? Staffing is the line most often discovered late, and in Ontario there is a second one hiding behind it: alcohol served under a Special Occasion Permit needs Smart Serve certified people behind the bar, and that is a separate hire from catering.

Then the venue questions, which your venue will ask before your caterer does. Many Ottawa venues want a certificate of insurance from any supplier working on site, and some ask for a public-health record. Community centres and rented halls also rent in blocks that include your setup and teardown, so the build window is fixed before anyone talks about food. Ask early — chasing paperwork in the final week of planning is a bad use of the final week of planning.

Then access, which is where Ottawa quotes quietly differ. A downtown tower means a loading dock, a security desk and a sign-in. A condo means the service elevator booked in advance, and a date at the start of the month competes with movers. A walk-up in Centretown or the Glebe means every crate goes up the stairs. Tell a caterer which of those you have when you enquire, so the build hours in the quote match the build hours on the day.

Finally, ask what happens to the food that is left. A well-planned table has leftovers by design. Whether they are boxed for you, taken away, or left on your counter with no containers is a small question that shapes the last twenty minutes of your night.

Where our own answers live: pricing starts at $42 per guest, plus applicable taxes, with the $600 minimum, the 30% deposit, the balance due 3 days before, the 14 days cancellation window and the 7 days final count all set out on our pricing page. Every enquiry gets an answer within one business day. Allergen handling appears identically on every page and in full on our dietary catering page. On insurance the honest answer is published too: OH! works out of a rented licensed commercial kitchen in Ottawa. There is no liability policy in OH!'s own name today, so a venue-specific certificate of insurance is something we cannot supply. Venues in Ottawa routinely ask suppliers for one, so raise it with us early and you get a straight answer for your date and venue in writing.

What should I ask a caterer before booking in Ottawa?

Start with four commercial questions — minimum, deposit, cancellation window, final-count date — then scope, allergen handling, staffing and venue paperwork. Ask about access last and specifically: loading dock, service elevator or stairs. Those eight answers separate a supplier who has run your kind of event from one who has not.

Do Ottawa venues require a caterer to have insurance?

Many do, and some also ask for a public-health record, so ask your venue before you book any supplier. OH! works out of a rented licensed commercial kitchen in Ottawa. There is no liability policy in OH!'s own name today, so a venue-specific certificate of insurance is something we cannot supply. Venues in Ottawa routinely ask suppliers for one, so raise it with us early and you get a straight answer for your date and venue in writing.

How far in advance should I contact a caterer?

Two to four weeks is a comfortable planning window for a styled table. December dates, long-weekend Saturdays and spring shower season fill earliest, so ask about those months earlier. Every enquiry to us gets an answer within one business day.

Hiring a Caterer in Ottawa — the short version

• What is the event minimum, and what does it include?
• What deposit holds the date, and when is it due?
• What is the cancellation and date-change policy?
• When is the final guest count locked?
• Is delivery included, and what area does it cover?
• Is there a travel charge, and beyond what distance?
• Is setup included, and how long is the build?
• Who collects the serving pieces, and when?
• Exactly what can and cannot be guaranteed about allergen cross-contact?
• Is anyone on site during the event, and how is staffing billed?
• Can you provide a certificate of insurance if the venue asks?
• What happens to the leftovers?

Planning this kind of event in Ottawa? Read how OH! handles dessert tables in ottawa, or browse the service areas we cover.