How we do it at Artigot
Elaboration of the commercial proposal:
When Artigot Catering receives a request for a catering service in Madrid, a series of actions are put in place.
1.- Selecting the most appropriate type of service
We are fortunate to be well known in the market and our customers are quite loyal, so we don't have to offer home catering services to individuals. Although we have to admit that during the pandemic we tried to...
Another thing is that we consider as home catering when customers ask us for a catering service in their offices or facilities in Madrid.
The difference lies in the end consumer: a company or an individual.
And also in the number of diners, because for less than 25 people we often offer services without a waiter, a delivery of food, well presented, which is delivered in disposable material without further ado. The customer finds it convenient and much more economical.
The services we are asked to provide as a catering company depend on the type of event and range from a coffee break for a mid-morning break at a business meeting, to a cocktail party and even a seated gala menu.
2.- Distinguishing the type of event
Event agencies are our main client and they develop a briefing according to the needs of their client and the event they request.
And to Artigot Catering we were asked to provide the catering service for the event.
We have a catering dossier with several options for coffee break, Spanish wine, cocktail, buffet and seated menus. If the briefing does not specify the type of food you want, we send you several options so that you can choose the one that suits you best. The price in this case is the most decisive factor.
If the instructions speak of a more careful and personalized event, we do our best to adapt to what they ask us, both in the gastronomic offer, as in the decoration, presentation, etc. These are usually high quality events, which combine the environment, the theme of the meeting, the objectives pursued and .... the food.
The price is also another, the higher the more effort in culinary development and animation required, as is logical.
We must admit that we have much more fun doing these projects, it forces us to imagine, to invent, to try new things. And often, the result remains in Artigot to enrich our dossier and our "know-how".
A very clear example is the Vegan offer that we include in our catering and that few companies have so developed. And the origin was a vegan couple who got into the kitchen with us and taught us a lot about this type of food.
3.- Define the final service
In order to define the most appropriate proposal, we sometimes carry out a menu test at our facilities in Madrid.
This is common when the client does not know us previously, the event is for many people (more than 500) or when the chosen menu is very special and different from the usual.
Prior to the menu test, we have crossed several proposals to get closer to the idea that the client has preconceived. It is curious how in the course of this negotiation, we can turn the original idea around and end up with something different, which neither the client nor the caterer had in mind from the beginning.
The menu tasting is an excellent opportunity to get to know each other, to better understand the general project of the event and to share the rest of the needs such as choosing table linen, tableware, explaining the organization of the catering staff, deciding the uniform of the waiters, knowing the needs of space and electrical power and a long etcetera.
When the client walks out the door, he or she is much more at ease, knowing and trusting the Artigot team that will serve him or her on the day of the event, knowing what he or she will eat and how it will be presented.
We consider this knowledge vital. It is very rare that we lose a client on this visit. And what happens from then on, in the following occasions in which we request a catering service, is that reaching the closing of the offer is much faster and easier.
It is a question of trust.
