What should I consider when choosing a caterer?

Match the caterer to the event, not the other way round. A single-cuisine specialist beats a generalist for a food-forward gathering; a generalist beats a specialist when you need chaat, mains and mithai in one delivery. Ask about lead time, minimum orders, delivery radius and GST invoicing before you talk menu.

How important is tasting before booking?

Useful for large weddings; overkill for a 15-person office lunch. For small bulk orders, an honest look at the caterer’s reviews, delivery footprint and menu photography usually does the job — and lets you decide inside a day rather than a fortnight.

What logistics should I discuss with a caterer?

Lead time (ours is three hours for chicken/veg/kathal biryani, day-ahead for mutton biryani and chef specials), delivery radius (free within 10 km of Sangam Vihar on orders ₹1,500+), packaging (sealed-handi dum for the biryani, insulated boxes for transport), and whether GST invoice is available (yes, GSTIN 07ABHFB0763H1ZK).

Do you need a written contract for a catering order?

For weddings and large corporate events, yes — a written scope covering menu, quantities, delivery slot, GST and payment terms. For smaller bulk orders under ₹20,000, a WhatsApp confirmation with the same details usually holds up.

How do I find reliable biryani catering in Delhi?

Start with word of mouth from someone whose taste you trust, then cross-check on Google reviews (recent ones, not the five-year-old five-stars). Filter for caterers who specialise in the dish you want — a biryani specialist will beat a multi-cuisine kitchen on the biryani nine times out of ten.

← Journal

15 July 20265 min read

How to choose the right catering service for your event in Delhi

Three things go wrong most often — wrong fit, weak logistics, unclear pricing. Here is how to shortlist a Delhi caterer without a two-week evaluation cycle.

Picking a caterer in Delhi is a lot of choices and not a lot of time. The good news is that most bad outcomes come from just three things — wrong fit, weak logistics, and unclear pricing. Get those right and the rest usually falls into place. Here’s how we’d think about it, written honestly by a caterer you might or might not end up hiring.

Start with the event, not the menu

Before you shortlist anyone, get clear on the shape of the event. Wedding side-lunch or corporate offsite? 20 people or 80? Fixed guest list with known preferences, or a floating office headcount? Any dietary lines to hold — vegetarian tables, Jain preferences, mutton-only guests? Every downstream question a caterer will ask you keys off this brief, so writing it down for yourself first saves both sides two rounds of WhatsApp.

Word of mouth beats Google, but Google beats guessing

The best signal is a colleague or family friend who ordered from the same caterer in the last 90 days. Second best is recent Google reviews — recent, not the flattering ones from 2021. Look for detail: reviews that mention lead time, packaging and portion accuracy are more useful than five-star “yummy!” drops. If a caterer specialises in the exact dish you want (biryani, kebabs, thali), they will almost always beat a generalist on it.

Menu variety vs menu depth — pick one honestly

A twelve-page catering menu often means twelve dishes cooked adequately rather than three dishes cooked well. If biryani is the anchor of your event, hire a biryani kitchen and let a second vendor handle the chaat. At Baab E Biryani we cook four sealed-handi biryanis (chicken, mutton, veg, kathal) and four Dilli-style chef specials (qorma and ghee roast, in mutton and chicken) — that’s it, and that’s the whole point.

Logistics that actually matter

Before you pick a caterer, get a plain answer on the logistics stack: lead time, delivery radius, delivery fee (and its trigger threshold), packaging format, GST invoicing, payment terms. Sealed-handi dum cooking travels well for hours, but the caterer’s delivery footprint still matters — a pot that lands cold defeats the point. Our free-delivery radius is 10 km around Sangam Vihar on orders ₹1,500+; beyond that we quote based on distance rather than turning it away.

Budget, contract, and the fine print

Get the quote in writing with GST split out separately, and confirm any add-ons — delivery fee, disposable serviceware, extra raita — before you lock the slot. For weddings and large corporate orders a one-page written contract is worth the ten minutes it takes. For small bulk orders a WhatsApp thread with items, quantities, prices, delivery slot and GST entity name is enough. The point isn’t legal armour — it’s making sure the two sides remember the same order the morning of.

Frequently asked

What should I consider when choosing a caterer?: Match the caterer to the event, not the other way round. A single-cuisine specialist beats a generalist for a food-forward gathering; a generalist beats a specialist when you need chaat, mains and mithai in one delivery. Ask about lead time, minimum orders, delivery radius and GST invoicing before you talk menu.
How important is tasting before booking?: Useful for large weddings; overkill for a 15-person office lunch. For small bulk orders, an honest look at the caterer’s reviews, delivery footprint and menu photography usually does the job — and lets you decide inside a day rather than a fortnight.
What logistics should I discuss with a caterer?: Lead time (ours is three hours for chicken/veg/kathal biryani, day-ahead for mutton biryani and chef specials), delivery radius (free within 10 km of Sangam Vihar on orders ₹1,500+), packaging (sealed-handi dum for the biryani, insulated boxes for transport), and whether GST invoice is available (yes, GSTIN 07ABHFB0763H1ZK).
Do you need a written contract for a catering order?: For weddings and large corporate events, yes — a written scope covering menu, quantities, delivery slot, GST and payment terms. For smaller bulk orders under ₹20,000, a WhatsApp confirmation with the same details usually holds up.
How do I find reliable biryani catering in Delhi?: Start with word of mouth from someone whose taste you trust, then cross-check on Google reviews (recent ones, not the five-year-old five-stars). Filter for caterers who specialise in the dish you want — a biryani specialist will beat a multi-cuisine kitchen on the biryani nine times out of ten.

Try the shortlist

Sealed dum, three hours’ notice, no surprises.

Four biryanis and four Dilli-style chef specials. Free 10 km delivery on ₹1,500+ orders. GST invoice on request. WhatsApp confirms within 30 minutes during business hours.

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