FAQ

A well-executed event starts with our experienced event producers listening to your vision then coordinating our culinary and service team to implement your event perfectly. In essence, Green Apple Events & Catering brings a restaurant to you! Our staff is 100% dedicated to your event. They start long before your event and finish well after your guests depart, effectively creating a whole restaurant, providing you with the highest level of guest service and then packing it all back up again.

Full Service Catering is the core of our business where our professional uniformed servers, bartenders and onsite chefs execute your event perfectly. In addition, we are more than happy to coordinate your chairs, table, linen, & tent rentals as well as your centerpieces and décor.

Some clients request a menu made up solely of heavy hors d’ oeuvres at their event thinking it may be less expensive than a traditional meal. This is not necessarily true. Hors d’ oeuvres are individually hand crafted making them labor intensive, and in turn more costly than a classic buffet.

For a comparable menu, a buffet will be the least expensive, a plated service will be the most expensive as it requires more labor and family-style will fall somewhere in the middle.

Since Green Apple Events & Catering customizes menus for every event, there are endless possibilities and styles for serving your guests. The most popular option is passed hors d’ oeuvres to start, a buffet meal, and a dessert station. The types of cuisine you choose and the time of your event primarily determines the menu price. Of course, we can add to or subtract any options you choose! We will help you plan the flow of your event and guest experience you are visioning.

• Buffet: Buffet Meals are one of the most popular service styles. At Green Apple Events & Catering, we take pride in presenting the food in creative and unique ways and believe buffets should look as beautiful as the rest of the event. We will recommend the appropriate number of buffets necessary to serve all of your guests in a timely manner.

• Plated: Plated dinners are the most formal and elegant service style, where every course is served to your guests. They are typically more expensive because of the increased labor needed to serve all guests in a timely manner.

• Family Style: Family style dinners are a fun and creative way for your guests to interact with each other. Large platters and/or bowls of each item is brought to the table and guests pass it around helping to serve each other. Staffing requirements are similar to plated dinners. This style requires an additional rental fee – each serving dish on each table.

• Hors d’Oeuvres – Stationary Buffet combined with Tray Passed: We often combine an innovative stationary hors d’Oeuvres buffet with tray passed hors d’Oeuvres for more of a festive party atmosphere.

• Action Stations: Stations are a fun and unique way to incorporate a wide variety of menu options and creativity. Two to three food stations are set up around the room and guests can move from station to station sampling a variety of foods. This works best for events with a more relaxed time frame. We often offer stations along with a stationary buffet. Many of our stations have action components where a chef will be making or assembling a food item to order for each guest.

There is a 24% Operations Fee on food and beverage and labor. The Operations Fee is standard in our industry typically between 18% and 26%. The Operations Fee covers the overhead of the event including (but not limited to) licenses, insurances, catering supplies, credit card fees, catering equipment & maintenance and administration.

***Please note: the Operations Fee is completely separate from a gratuity and not related in any way. Gratuity is always appreciated by the staff, but never expected.

Gratuity

Green Apple Events & Catering does not automatically apply a gratuity. Gratuities are strictly optional and distributed at the sole discretion of the event host or hostess for a job well done. Gratuities are never required but always appreciated.

Green Apple Events & Catering can manage any special requests – from vegetarian; vegan; gluten intolerance; nut, dairy, shellfish, and other allergies. Please discuss with your event planner prior to the event and plans will be made as to how the specific guest or guests with the special meal(s) will be identified to the server. We strive to use reasonable efforts in our food sourcing, preparation and handling procedures to avoid the introduction of the named allergens into your menu choices. While we take steps to prevent cross-contact, we do not have separate allergy-friendly kitchens and are unable to guarantee that a menu item is completely free of allergens.

High demand days, including evenings, weekends, summer Saturdays and holidays book quickly. For these dates, we recommend you book catering as soon as possible and at a minimum six-months in advance. For other days, we also recommend booking as soon as possible or three-months in advance.

Minimums may apply based on availability on our catering calendar, season and day of the week. Please contact us for current minimums.

No. In our professional experience we are certain that if you offer 50% of steak and 50% of chicken (for example), the majority of your guests will each take a piece of both and you will run out of the entrée before all the guests have gotten through the buffet. Instead it is best to order a double entrée which accounts for each guest a piece of both chicken and steak. The other option is to offer a single entrée but never ½ and ½.

We provide linens for service tables, house china (white), flatware, serving pieces and decorative displays for the buffet tables. Glassware is separate and can be included in a beverage package or individually as a rental item. We are happy to arrange any rentals needed, such as tables, chairs, guest table linens, etc.

Set-up of all service stations and clean-up are included in the labor hours designated on the proposal. If you require us to set-up your tables and/or chairs, there will be additional hours / servers required because of the extra labor that is involved.

The final guest count is due ten (10) days prior to the event. You can increase your count after, just not decrease as food has been ordered.

Payment is due ten (10) day prior to the event. We accept Visa, MC & AmEX Credit Cards and Check. We can set up ACH Paymode with our Corporate accounts. In most cases, a 50% deposit is required to hold your date at time of booking with the balance due 10 days prior to the event.

Our professional banquet captains will use their food handling certification knowledge and training to determine when items are to be discarded due
to reaching its limit for holding at unsafe temperatures. If the client so requests prior to the start of the event to retain leftovers, we will pack leftovers that are safe to consume. As we cannot anticipate how long leftover food will be held at unsafe temperatures after the event, we do not recommend keeping it to reheat and consume. The client will assume full responsibility for any liability as a result from consuming leftover food held after the event.

Our trained professional staff is attired in all black uniforms with black bistro aprons. They are professional, neat and always ready to help.

That depends on the number of guests for each event scheduled that particular day. We never compromise service by taking on too many events on one day.

YES! We hold a Washington State Liquor License and can provide you with
a bar complete with a professional licensed Bartender. We believe that
beverage service is an integral part of an event and deserves the same
high level of service and perfect execution as our delicious food. We
provide everything you’ll need for your bar service! We offer three types
of Alcoholic Beverage service.

1. HOSTED – Full Service Bar provided by GAEC / Billed AFTER event based on
   consumption.

• GAEC will provide Liquor License and Liquor Liability insurance.
• Spirits, Beer and Wine Choices to be chosen by Host from list of Premium
  and House options.
• Bartender will keep a count of all drinks served.
• Includes standard compostable serviceware, ice, chilling bins / buckets, cocktail napkins,
  mixers and garnishes. Glassware can be added for an additional fee.
• 24% Service Charge applies; as well a minimum depending on guest count.

2. NO HOST / CASH BAR

• GAEC will provide Liquor License and Liquor Liability insurance.
• Spirits, Beer and Wine Choices to be chosen by Host from list of Premium
  and House options.
• Bartender will collect drink charge from guest at time of pouring.
• Includes standard compostable serviceware, ice, chilling bins / buckets, cocktail napkins,
  mixers and garnishes. Glassware can be added for an additional fee.
• A minimum of $500 in drink sales is required.

3. 
   YOU do the leg work – WE serve it (
   NO Liquor License or Liquor Liability Insurance provided/Liability solely by Host)
   

•  Client Provides Banquet Permit and assumes Liability.
• Client Provides all Alcohol.
• Includes standard compostable serviceware, ice, chilling bins / buckets, cocktail napkins,
  mixers and garnishes. Glassware can be added for an additional fee.

***
Please note that if YOU purchase the alcohol as in Option #3, neither Green
Apple’s Liquor License nor our Liquor Liability Insurance will be
in effect and Liability lies solely with the event host/hostess.