Verify licences and food safety
Any serious UAE caterer will have a Dubai Municipality or Sharjah Municipality food licence and ideally HACCP or ISO 22000 certification. Ask to see the certificates before you sign a contract. Community halls and hotels routinely ask for copies.
Book a tasting
A tasting for 2 to 4 people is standard practice above a certain event size, and often free or credited against the final bill. Judge consistency, temperature, presentation and any special dietary items (Jain, no-onion no-garlic) on the same day.
Check reviews and repeat clients
Look for caterers with visible corporate clients, community endorsements and Google reviews. Repeat weddings for the same family or long-term office contracts are the strongest signals of consistency.
Read the contract
Confirm menu, headcount tolerance, staff numbers, service duration, disposables, deposit and cancellation terms in writing. Never rely on WhatsApp confirmations alone for large events.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, for any event above 50 guests. A tasting is the single best predictor of what your guests will actually eat.
At minimum a municipality food licence. HACCP or ISO 22000 certification is a strong plus and often required by hotels and corporate clients.
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