Local caterer vs restaurant chain catering: how the two differ

Chain restaurant catering vs a local caterer is mostly a trade between a menu you already know and a kitchen that answers to you. A chain's catering order is often built from its regular menu, with many locations and online ordering. A local caterer cooks the order in one kitchen and one person runs it from quote to pick-up. Upper Crust is the second kind: one planner, one licensed kitchen in Yorkville, boxed lunches from $14.50.

What you get with Upper Crust

• Everything cooked from scratch in one licensed, inspected commercial kitchen, with stocks, sauces, dressings and bread made in house.
• One planner start to finish. The person who quotes your event is on the phone the morning of it.
• A written quote with food, rentals, delivery and tax on one sheet before you commit.
• Choices from boxes to trays: Basic Boxed Lunch, $14.50 each, Executive Boxed Lunch, $16.50 each, or trays with no minimum.
• A driver who texts when five minutes out, and a route planned the night before.
• Allergy handling by conversation. Our kitchen handles wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish and sesame, and we cannot promise any dish is free of trace amounts.

What to check with a chain's catering order

• Is the food made in the location that fills your order, and is it the same kitchen that runs the dining room that day?
• Who do you speak to if the order changes, and is it the same person each time?
• What is the minimum, the lead time and the cut-off for changes to the count?
• Is there a delivery fee, a service fee and a suggested tip, and are they on the first price you see?
• Are portions and counts stated per tray or per box, so you can compare against a quote?
• Can the menu be changed for a vegetarian guest or an allergy, or is it fixed?

Where a chain is the better choice

A chain can be the right call, and here is when. If the group wants a brand they already like, a familiar order lowers the risk of complaints. If your company has an account, rewards points or a card on file, that convenience is real. Chains often have many locations, which helps if you must feed three offices in three towns. For a small group of 6 to 10, ordering a few meals is usually cheaper than meeting our 20-box minimum. And for short notice, some chains can turn an order faster than our 3 days.

A real example: lunch for 20

An office wants lunch for 20 on a Thursday and orders by Monday. Twenty Basic Boxed Lunches at $14.50 is 20 x $14.50 = $290, before 9.25% sales tax. Delivery is quoted when you order, and boxed lunches are individually boxed on fresh baked French rolls, so people can eat at their desks. Choose Executive Boxed Lunch at $16.50 and it is 20 x $16.50 = $330 before tax. The tray route is different: Chicken Oreganato, $80 a tray, serves 20, with Potato Salad, $49 a tray, is $129 plus tax.

To compare, ask the chain for its per-person price, delivery fee, service fee, tip and tax on the same 20 lunches, and add them up. See the boxed lunch options or ask for a written quote.

For other comparisons, read local caterer vs a catering marketplace app and buffet, trays or boxed lunches.

Questions

What is the minimum for boxed lunches?

Twenty boxes. Trays and platters have no minimum, and buffets start at 20 guests.

How far ahead do I order?

Three days for standard orders and 14 days for staffed events.

Is there a service charge on a boxed lunch order?

No. The 20% service charge applies only to staffed events. Drop-off and pick-up orders carry none.

Who handles my order?

One planner, from the quote to the day of. Call (630) 553-9533 and ask for them.