Six emails to arrange one tasting
A couple is due a menu tasting. The coordinator emails to offer some dates. The couple replies with a different week. The coordinator checks with chef, who is available on two evenings. The couple chooses one, then asks whether they can bring their parents. Then they ask which dishes they can try. A week before the tasting, chef asks the coordinator what he is cooking.
After the tasting, the couple loves two starters and cannot decide. The coordinator waits for their final choice. It arrives three weeks later, after the menu deadline, with a question about swapping one side.
Tastings sit between the kitchen and the coordinator
Tastings need chef's time, ingredients, a table and the coordinator's presence, all for couples whose wedding may be many months away. They are usually arranged by email, with dish selections discussed loosely and menu choices following whenever the couple is ready.
- Tasting slots depend on chef's schedule, which the coordinator does not see.
- Couples choose dishes to taste at the last minute, or not at all.
- Extra guests at the tasting are agreed informally.
- Menu choices after the tasting have no clear deadline or format.
- Changes to the chosen menu arrive by message.
Where this goes wrong
Coordinators spend hours arranging tastings. Chef prepares dishes without knowing exactly which ones, and ingredients are wasted. Late menu choices push kitchen planning close to the wedding. Where your packages allow swaps or upgrades at extra cost, those need pricing and confirming, and ad hoc changes make that harder.
How we build tasting booking and menu choices
- Chef or the kitchen manager sets tasting slots in a calendar, grouped on evenings that suit the kitchen.
- Couples due a tasting, based on your planning timeline, receive an invitation with the available slots and book one directly.
- When booking, they choose the dishes they would like to try from their package, within the limits you set, and say how many guests will attend under your tasting policy.
- The kitchen receives a tasting sheet for each session: couples, dishes and any dietary needs, with enough notice to order ingredients.
- After the tasting, the couple receives a menu choice form with their options and any priced upgrades, and a deadline based on your timeline.
- The chosen menu feeds the wedding's record, the kitchen plan and the balance if upgrades were chosen, and changes after the deadline go to the coordinator for approval.
| Step | Couple | Kitchen |
|---|---|---|
| Invitation | Picks a slot | Session filling up |
| Dish selection | Chooses dishes to try | Tasting sheet with notice |
| After tasting | Receives menu choice form | Nothing yet |
| Menu chosen | Confirmation sent | Menu on the wedding plan |
A tasting evening that runs itself
Chef knows a week ahead exactly which dishes each couple will try. The coordinator hosts the tasting rather than arranging it. The menu choice arrives in a structured form, on time more often than not, with upgrades already priced. When a couple asks to swap a side after the deadline, the request is recorded and chef decides.
Tasting sessions can be grouped so the kitchen cooks efficiently, which is easier on chef's week and on your food costs.
Recognise this?
- Tastings are arranged through long email threads.
- Chef does not know what he is cooking until the last minute.
- Menu choices arrive after the deadline.
- Upgrades and swaps are priced after the fact.
- Changes to the chosen menu are passed on verbally.