The age-old vendor meal policy is an industry-wide hot topic that our Leadership Team has grappled with, and revisited time and time again. For most of our 15+ years of business, 24 Carrots proudly paved the way, feeding our wedding vendors hot meals, with flexible timing. At a time when the wedding industry wasn’t prioritizing vendors, this was a welcomed change. We found some of our best clients and industry cheerleaders in this process – who are still with us today!
A few years ago, we changed our policy to align with the traditional catering approach: feeding vendors after guests. We did so with much reluctance, but out of necessity, as the timing of vendor meals, coupled with an overwhelming lack of communication, were negatively affecting our client experience.
If you’ve experienced our team in any capacity, we believe you should know this about us: that we work together to fix problems. That we communicate respectfully, learn from each other, and grow together. And that service excellence comes standard at 24 Carrots. So when the challenges of our revised policy were brought to our attention, we listened to those partners who respectfully engaged and communicated directly. While our catering service contract is with the client and not our vendors, our vendor teams are very important to us and we value the hard work a team puts into a wedding day. When faced with this issue once more, our decision boiled down to the heart of 24 Carrots: hospitality.
We are proud to go back to our 24 Carrots roots, to offer the following options to accommodate timeline requests:
Plated Vendor Meal: The same entree meal as the guests. Our favorite option! We are happy to accommodate requested timing with the following guidelines (see below for important notes).
Vendor Buffet: Allows for flexibility with varying vendor schedules. Perfect for larger teams. 10 person minimum and rental of table and linen are required.
Deluxe Boxed Meal: The perfect grab and go. Great for entertainers or those who have to eat before hot meals are ready.
Important Notes: While we’ve always offered these three options, timely communication of the following information allows us to serve you best:
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- Number of vendor meals and meal service request time must be submitted to the designated 24 Carrots representative (either directly or through a planner / coordinator) 10 business days in advance. This will allow for requests to be worked into the timeline and service order and for our chefs to prepare accordingly.
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- All dietary meals should be requested to the designated 24 Carrots representative (either directly or through a planner / coordinator) 10 business days in advance.
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- If this information is not received, vendor meals default to a plated vendor meal after guest service is completed.
Just like any other wedding details, communication and planning ahead are the keys to success! One of our 24 Carrots core values is service excellence: our commitment to proactively identifying and meeting the needs of our clients, colleagues, and communities. You can expect this from us and in return, we thank you in advance for your proactive communication.
We are grateful for every opportunity to do what we love, and we look forward to serving you!