Catering questions, answered

SF Catering Company serves events throughout San Francisco and nearby Bay Area communities, subject to the event date, address, order size, and service requirements. We regularly review requests for offices, homes, and venues across the city, as well as Daly City Catering inquiries and other nearby locations. Send the complete event address so we can confirm delivery, staffing, and any access-related needs.

We cater workplace breakfasts and lunches, client meetings, private parties, milestone celebrations, holiday events, weddings, memorials, and formal dinners. Service can range from a smaller drop-off order to a fully staffed reception for hundreds of guests. San Francisco Catering clients may also add rentals, florals, tablescape styling, appetizers, beverage service, and bartending staff.

Most drop-off orders require at least 72 hours of notice. Full-service events may be accepted with a minimum of 10 days, although reserving two to four weeks ahead provides better availability for staff, menu choices, rentals, and delivery times. Weekends and the months of June, November, and December tend to fill first.

Yes. Many menu selections are available for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free guests. Dietary information is shown on applicable menu items and should be confirmed with the final order. Please identify specific allergies and the number of affected guests so the team can review suitable options and preparation limitations.

Choose drop-off catering when you want prepared hot or chilled platters delivered ready to serve and are comfortable managing the meal and cleanup. Choose full service when you want attendants to handle setup, presentation, replenishment, guest service, and breakdown of the catering areas. Full service may also include real serveware, linens, rentals, florals, and coordinated event styling.

Browse the online menu, choose the dishes and tray sizes that fit your group, add them to the cart, and complete checkout with the event details. Straightforward SF Catering orders can often be booked entirely online. For a larger menu, unusual venue logistics, or help estimating quantities, request a custom proposal instead.

Most drop-off menu orders require a $500 food minimum. Boxed meals use a separate minimum of 25 boxes per selected meal or menu, depending on the product. Staffing, rentals, multiple delivery addresses, and other services may have additional requirements.

Most drop-off orders must be placed at least 72 hours before delivery. The deadline does not guarantee that every date or time slot will remain open, especially for weekday lunches, weekends, and peak event seasons. Ordering earlier is recommended when timing is important.

Yes. Items may be mixed across menu categories to create the meal that works for your schedule and guests. This is useful for all-day meetings, open houses, conferences, and celebrations with more than one food-service period. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free options are identified on applicable items.

The displayed amount covers the selected food and listed quantity. Delivery, staffing, rentals, service-related charges, and optional additions are calculated separately. Review the cart or proposal carefully to confirm whether disposable place settings, serving utensils, chafing equipment, beverages, or other supplies are included.

Wedding service can include menu planning, rental coordination, setup, professional staff, buffet, family-style, or plated dinner service, and cleanup of the catering areas. Couples may also add passed or stationed appetizers, coffee and tea, cakes, bartenders, tables, chairs, linens, china, glassware, florals, and complete tablescape design.

Yes. Mobile tastings are complimentary for confirmed wedding bookings and may also be purchased before signing a contract. When a couple later books with SF Catering Company, the tasting charge can be removed from the final bill. Tastings are most useful after you have narrowed the menu to a focused selection of dishes.

Wedding packages generally range from approximately $55 to $120 per guest, depending on the menu, service format, and level of staffing. Buffets are usually more budget-friendly than elaborate plated service. Rentals, florals, premium entrées, appetizers, cakes, beverages, bartenders, and venue logistics can increase the final per-person cost.

We offer vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free selections and can label applicable buffet dishes. For plated meals, final dietary counts and a clear meal-identification system may be required. Please provide the specific allergen and number of affected guests early, since food may be prepared in facilities that also handle common allergens.

Yes. We can communicate with your planner, venue manager, and applicable rental vendors about access, setup windows, floor plans, staging space, meal timing, and breakdown requirements. San Francisco venues often have firm loading, elevator, security, or departure rules, so accurate logistical details are essential to the final service plan.

Booking at least four to six weeks ahead is recommended, although popular dates are often reserved many months earlier. A wedding may occasionally be accepted with as little as 10 days of notice, but availability is not guaranteed. Weekends and June, November, and December typically book first.

Orders totaling more than $3,000 require a 50% deposit. The signed agreement and required deposit secure the event according to the proposal terms. The remaining balance is due 10 days before the wedding date.

Yes. Bartenders and expert bartenders are available for hire. SF Catering Company does not sell or furnish alcoholic beverages, so the couple or venue must purchase and provide the alcohol. Bar supplies, mixers, ice, glassware, refrigeration, and venue requirements should be confirmed in the proposal.

Full-service catering includes setup, professional attendants, buffet, family-style, or plated meal service, food replenishment, and breakdown and cleanup of the contracted catering areas. Additional options may include appetizers, beverage stations, coffee and tea, rentals, floral design, tablescapes, and bartending staff.

Staffing depends on the guest count, service style, menu, venue layout, and event timeline. A staffed buffet generally uses about one server for every 25 guests, while plated dinners typically require one server for every 15 to 20 guests. Events with 50 or more guests commonly include a captain to oversee service and timing.

No. Gratuity is optional and is not automatically included. Any gratuity provided is distributed among the team members who contribute to the event, including cooks, drivers, servers, bartenders, customer-service staff, and rental staff. Service-related charges are separate from voluntary gratuity.

Inclusions vary by package. Some full-service options include ceramic plates, traditional utensils, glassware, and linens, while more economical packages use elegant disposable dinnerware. Reusable tabletop items and upgraded rentals can be added when they are not already included.

Three to four weeks of advance notice is recommended for the best availability. Full-service events may sometimes be accepted as late as 10 days before the date, depending on the menu, staffing, rentals, and complexity. San Francisco Catering requests involving weekends, large guest counts, florals, or restricted venue access should be submitted earlier.

Most full-service packages begin at 25 guests. For a smaller gathering, drop-off catering with an attendant may provide setup, monitoring, or cleanup support without requiring a complete staffed package.

Yes. The food is prepared before arrival, so an on-site commercial kitchen is not required for most events. We may still need a suitable staging area and, depending on the service plan, access to water, electrical outlets, refrigeration, or a protected workspace away from guests.

Service is available throughout San Francisco and may extend to nearby communities depending on the date, address, staffing, and event scope. Daly City Catering requests and other surrounding-area events should include the complete location so travel, delivery, parking, and labor requirements can be confirmed.

Boxed-meal service requires a minimum of 25 boxes per meal. Classic and artisan boxed lunches may allow eligible sandwiches and wraps to be mixed within the order. Breakfast and dinner boxes generally require at least 25 of the same selected box.

Each meal is sealed and individually packaged with the appropriate utensils and a napkin. The format is designed for quick distribution at offices, conferences, trainings, outdoor programs, and events where guests may eat at different times.

Yes. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free meals can be labeled upon request. Provide the exact number required in each category and identify specific allergies separately so the team can review available accommodations.

Cold boxed meals should generally be served within two hours when held at room temperature. Hot boxes arrive in insulated carriers and should usually be served within one hour. Coordinate delivery closely with the meal period or provide appropriate refrigeration for cold meals that will be stored.

A minimum of 72 hours is required for most boxed-meal orders. Large quantities, several dietary variations, detailed labels, or complicated SF office access may require at least five days. Earlier ordering is recommended for conferences, executive meetings, and recurring programs.

Yes, provided each delivery address meets the $500 minimum. Additional delivery charges may apply. Supply a separate meal count, arrival time, access instructions, and on-site contact for every location.

Cold breakfast and lunch boxes begin around $18.75 per person. Hot lunch boxes start at approximately $30 per person, and hot dinner boxes begin around $40 per person. The final price depends on the menu, premium selections, dietary modifications, beverages, desserts, and delivery details.

Yes. Businesses ordering weekly or monthly boxed meals may receive a dedicated coordinator and locked pricing. Recurring service is well suited to team lunches, training programs, executive meetings, and staggered work shifts. Menu rotation, order deadlines, quantities, and dietary needs can be established when the schedule is created.

Holiday dates fill quickly, so booking three to five weeks ahead is recommended for likely availability. Popular weekday lunches and Thursday-through-Saturday celebrations may sell out earlier, especially for large staffed events or orders requiring rentals and florals.

Yes. San Francisco Catering service is available for office holiday events ranging from approximately 25 to more than 400 guests. Options include staffed buffets, family-style meals, plated dinners, appetizers, beverage service, rentals, florals, bartenders, and cleanup.

Yes. Holiday entrées, sides, salads, breads, and desserts may be ordered à la carte for a casual office lunch or private gathering. The food is delivered ready to serve, while the client manages distribution and cleanup unless attendants or equipment are added.

A limited number of events are accepted on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve, and holiday surcharges apply. The company is closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. These limited service periods should be reserved well in advance.

Yes. Holiday events may add tables, chairs, linens, china, glassware, serving equipment, centerpieces, floral arrangements, and coordinated tablescapes. Combining these services can simplify setup and create a more cohesive presentation for office or private celebrations.

Holiday orders cancelled at least 72 hours before the event are subject to a 50% cancellation fee. Confirmed orders cancelled with less than 72 hours of notice are subject to a 100% cancellation fee because food, staffing, rentals, and other resources may already have been committed.

Our design offerings include bud-vase groupings, centerpieces, statement arrangements, floral meadows, arches, mantle installations, bloom bars, flower-crown bars, balloon arches, and complete tablescape styling coordinated with linens, china, and other event details.

Yes. You can review the floral offerings shown on the page or request a custom consultation and proposal. A custom design plan may include the intended palette, style, representative flowers, recommended pieces, and pricing before the order is finalized.

Current starting prices include bud-vase clusters from $95 for three, lush centerpieces around $195 to $350 per table, statement arrangements from $350 to $600, the signature tabletop broken-arch set from $800, meadows from $400 to $600, installations from approximately $1,350 to $8,500, mantle designs from about $750 to $2,000, and bloom bars from $48 per guest. Custom work is priced by scope.

Yes. Share preferred varieties, colors, inspiration images, and any flowers you do not want. Because availability changes by season and wholesale supply, exact stems cannot always be guaranteed. When substitutions are needed, the designer selects comparable flowers based on color, shape, texture, and overall effect.

Booking three to four weeks ahead is recommended for better design and sourcing flexibility. Some floral orders may be accepted with approximately 10 days of notice, depending on the event date, scale, installation requirements, and flower availability.

Setup is included so arrangements are placed before guests arrive. Breakdown and disposal may be added when you want the team to return for arches, meadows, mantle pieces, rental vessels, mechanics, and floral waste after the event.

Yes. The fresh flowers may be kept after the event upon request, and guests are welcome to take arrangements or individual stems. Some vases, stands, structures, or installation mechanics may be rented and must remain on-site for collection, so ownership will be clarified before the event.

Available rental categories include Chiavari and resin chairs, guest tables with standard linens, cocktail and buffet tables, glassware, china, flatware, chafing dishes, and selected floral or tablescape additions. Inventory and quantities are subject to availability for the event date.

Rental bookings require on-site attendants for delivery, setup, safe handling, breakdown, and collection preparation. This helps protect the equipment, supports an orderly installation, and prevents the client or venue from being responsible for moving commercial rental items.

There is no strict rental-item minimum, but staffing is required for all rental orders and affects the overall cost. For that reason, most clients combine rentals with a catering package, full-service event, or floral design order.

Yes. Every guest table rented through us includes one standard linen, with a broad selection of available colors. Specialty fabrics, layered linens, runners, or upgraded styles may be priced separately when available.

Normal wear from appropriate event use is covered. Significant damage, breakage, loss, or items unavailable for collection are billed at replacement cost. The client remains responsible for rentals during the event even when attendants oversee setup and breakdown.

Delivery usually takes place on the event date, approximately two to four hours before the scheduled start. Pickup may occur later that evening or the following morning, depending on the venue’s access rules, event end time, and staffing schedule.

Yes. Tell us what the venue already supplies so the proposal can focus on the tables, linens, chairs, glassware, china, serving equipment, or other items still needed. For San Francisco or Daly City Catering events, also provide loading, elevator, parking, and firm removal requirements before the order is finalized.

Yes. After you approve the quote, we'll send a catering agreement for your signature. Events over $3,000 require a 50% deposit to secure the date.

Yes. Guest-count and menu updates may be made until 10 days before the event. After that deadline, quantity changes may not be possible.

Our commercial kitchen and primary operations are based in Pleasanton, California. We are a service-area catering company serving events throughout the Bay Area, including Tracy and nearby communities. Our team delivers and provides full-service catering directly at offices, homes, wedding venues, and other event locations.