Frequently Asked Questions

No. We are approved caterers, or sole caterers, at many venues. In most instances we can work at new venues even if we are not on the ‘approved’ list. We can provide the venue with all the necessary insurances, risk assessments, and recommendations from other venues to give them the reassurances they need.

Sometimes a venue will want the caterer to pay a fee if they are not on the existing approved list. If we are new to a venue, we hold a thorough site visit with the event manager and head chef and carry out all necessary risk assessments prior to the event.

PenniBlack are extremely flexible and love the fact that every event is unique. We are very happy to design a bespoke menu around your requirements. If you have a menu that you have designed, or a particular dish in mind, just let us know and we can recreate it for you. We work with various chefs from different nationalities, so can provide authentic French, Spanish, Caribbean, Moroccan, Asian dishes and much more.

PenniBlack are a bespoke company and love the fact that every event is different. There is nothing we love more than designing fun, themed, bespoke menus around our clients. We also have a pool of amazing freelance authentic chefs from all walks of life, who we can call on to add that needed touch of authenticity when required.

Yes, it is very important that our clients have had the opportunity to try our food, meet our team, and discuss equipment and presentation options. For events over £3000 we are happy to provide tastings, and we charge a nominal refundable fee of £500 per person if the event is confirmed. We can provide a second tasting if requested but there would be additional charges for this.

We always cater to any specified dietary requirements, and we can make substitutes to pretty much any meal to suit all these requests. It’s important to ask your guests beforehand to let you know in advance. We have wonderful vegetarian, vegan, coeliac options available. We also provide low cost kiddies meals. Furthermore, we list all allergens that may be in your chosen menu, and the staff are informed of these on the day.

It is often expected to feed the band, DJ, venue staff or photographers. We can discuss providing a lower cost option for these people.

It's possible, sometimes clients call us up and say they have a last-minute lunch or dinner request. We are usually able to accommodate last minute requests, but the menu would need to be chef’s choice.

Yes – Please make sure you let us know if you have a budget in mind. Your PenniBlack Coordinator will then look at the best possible way to make savings, such as using cheaper ingredients or simplifying the menu without losing any of the quality of the food.

They can also look at the service and see where staff can be reduced or equipment costs lowered, such as having a buffet instead of a sit down, family service instead of plated, a cold starter instead of hot. Our quotes are very transparent and broken down thoroughly so you can clearly see what you are paying for.

A deposit would need to be made as soon as possible to save the date. We would then require 100% payment to be made five days prior to the event taking place, plus a 10% holding deposit for breakages.

It is best if you keep us as closely informed as you can of number changes, but we would need final numbers 72 hours in advance. Once the food has been ordered in, the numbers cannot be reduced, but we are usually able to accommodate last minute increases.

For most standard events we allow 2 hours set up prior to the event and an hour at the end to clear down. For larger events such as sit down weddings we will need more set up time. We like to discuss access with the venue, to allow ample time to set up. Where possible, and especially for larger daytime functions, having the option to set up the day before can be so useful.

We work as closely as possible to the schedule you have given, but if things over run on the day, we will be extremely flexible and it should not impact on the food or service in any way. Our staff are pre-informed that the timings are estimated and may run over.

No, everything is broken down clearly in the quotation, however, the staffing is estimated, and charged by the hour, so if the event over runs then additional costs will be incurred, however if they finish early, you will be refunded.

We also need to charge for taxis for any staff who stay after 11pm to ensure they get home safely, and this again is estimated in the proposal. There will also be charges for any equipment breakages or losses on the day, but we do what we can to keep it all to a minimum.

When we send the client the event sheet, we list the allergens on the menu. This information is also on the delivery note and carried through to the event manager and chefs on the day who informs all the waiting team. If any guest asks what is in the food on the day, the waiting staff have that information easily to hand.

We have 5 stars for our Hygiene rating. All our team have hygiene certificates suitable to their job.

All our suppliers provide references, trading standards forms, and hygiene certificates. Meetings and site visits are carried out before using a new supplier.

We use seasonal, sustainable, and ethical ingredients. Where possible our food is sourced locally. All our poultry and eggs are free range. See Sustainability at PenniBlack for more details.

We only order in food that has been pre-paid by the client, so the waste is minimal. We always recycle and we break our waste into compostable food, general and recyclable, plus oil. Where possible we choose environmentally friendly packaging.

If you want to provide your own wines that's fine, we do not charge corkage and our staff can serve them. We do however charge a small fee of £1 per guest to recycle the additional empty bottles.

For your convenience you can arrange to have your wine delivered and stored at our premise prior to the event, and we bring it along on the day, and can even bring it back to our unit after for you to collect at a future date. Depending on quantities there would be a cost implication on the transport charges for this service.

If you decide you want to sell alcohol at your event you will need a license. If you have a personal licence holder on site, you may need to inform your venue and local council, and provide them with that persons licence. We are able to help you organise a drinks licence for the event.

Absolutely, we have a range of venues and marquee companies that we love working with, as well as amazing florists, lighting companies, DJs, entertainers and much more. Just ask, and our creative team will put their brains together to come up with something completely unique for you.

Although we're great caterers, we do not make wedding cakes or celebration cakes as they are generally made by specialist cake artists. If you have an idea, don’t hesitate to ask, we can recommend local cake suppliers that would be a good fit. Our team will be able to serve the cake for you as part of the dessert, or evening buffet, if you wish.

Of course. We have a range of options which we can bring with us on the day, from portable ovens, barbecues, hot cupboards and much more. We will need to know your power supply and work from there. We may need to adjust the menu to suit the facilities. Some offices do not allow fryers for example.

It is always best to let us know exactly what is available to us and we can work out exactly what is needed. If the event is outside, we can source generators, or provide gas ovens. For smaller budget events, it is possible to bring the food in hot boxes and transfer the items into hot holding chafing fuel dishes.

We are able to get all deliveries and collections done at very specific times, however if you need to be out of a venue and need out of hours same day collection, extra charges could be incurred.

Of course. We highly recommend a site visit to see the facilities, and we provide a risk assessment at the same time. It is also very important for us to see whether there are any restrictions on the day such as flights of stairs, where the equipment will need to be carried, which will take extra time and extra hands.

Yes, we do, but there are things to consider. Local parks often prohibit large numbers of people at a gathering without paying them a fee. Most councils also do not allow glassware and expect you to provide non glass alternatives such as reusable plastic glasses or bottles, all of which our hire companies can supply. In addition, many councils do not allow any structures such as small gazebos, and some don’t even allow fold up tables. So if planning a party in a park, always check with the local council beforehand.

Our waiters, waitresses and barmen are all regulars at PenniBlack and know how we work. They are all full service trained. They wear matching black trousers, black shirts, and smart aprons. The front of house manager organizes the staff. You will have plenty of opportunity to meet the Event manager, and we are happy to provide a breakdown of their experience.

We have our own pool of trained staff. We have 3 or 4 regular event managers, teamed with regular barmen and waitresses. We do interview our staff and hold training sessions at our base. Then their first few shifts will be supervised by the event management team. The event managers and our clients provide us with thorough feedback of the staff for every event.

We do sometimes use a couple of carefully chosen agencies that we have tried and tested and trust. We do however always have our own staff at these events to ensure consistency and continuity.