Memorial service catering?

[Anonymous]

I am helping my mother plan for my father’s memorial service, and I don’t really know where to start regarding catering.

It would be informal, at the church, after an early afternoon memorial service, so light finger foods, appetizers, small desserts - not a full meal. Not seated, probably a table with platters (or a few small stations) rather than passed hors d’oeuvres.

We expect 80-100 people and it doesn’t need to be fancy, but we’re looking for a tier or two above Costco platters (and also, we really don’t want to be having to pick up and arrange platters, and buy plates and napkins and cups, or deal with cleanup, etc).

All the catering info I find tends to be wedding buffets or seated dinners or corporate events. Help! TIA

[Anonymous]

In similar circumstances, I got catering from Maggianno’s . If their menu fits your needs, they will bring everything, from heated containers with serving utensils to tablecloths — if you want them. You will have to do cleanup though. Everything is disposable, so maybe a few people who offer to help if you need anything would be willing to dump all the trash for you.


I’m sorry for your loss, OP.

[Anonymous]

The church presumably has done this kind of thing before, no?
They should be able to provide a list of nearby caterers, help with setup/clean up, flower arrangements, etc

[Anonymous]

I've used Raku. They were great. Did all the set up and then came back to clean up. Or you could try a jewish deli like Attman's.

[Anonymous]

OP where are you? I would try Bradley Food & Beverage for this but that doesn’t work if you’re far from Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

It’s a weird time if say. I’d ask the church since they deal with it all the time. Maybe finger sandwiches and Italian cookies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The church presumably has done this kind of thing before, no?
They should be able to provide a list of nearby caterers, help with setup/clean up, flower arrangements, etc

Unfortunately they were surprisingly unhelpful. They only suggested we ask another church member who recently held her husband’s memorial service there (she is also a friend of my mom’s) but it turns out she used a really high-end, expensive caterer for a sit-down meal. Definitely more than we need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP where are you? I would try Bradley Food & Beverage for this but that doesn’t work if you’re far from Bethesda.

I should have said. We are in NOVA, so a bit too far from Bethesda, but thank you for the suggestion, pp.

[Anonymous]

There are a ton of catering companies to work with in NOVA. You just need to call some.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The church presumably has done this kind of thing before, no?
They should be able to provide a list of nearby caterers, help with setup/clean up, flower arrangements, etc

Unfortunately they were surprisingly unhelpful. They only suggested we ask another church member who recently held her husband’s memorial service there (she is also a friend of my mom’s) but it turns out she used a really high-end, expensive caterer for a sit-down meal. Definitely more than we need.

Funeral homes should have a list. They deal with this kind of thing daily.

Fwiw, we used Purple Onion . (Funeral was in Fairfax).
Finger sandwiches + punch + cookies + fruit/cheese board.