Tipping caterers?

[barnaby]

We are having a luncheon following my son's upcoming First Communion. It will be at the hall of our local American Legion. It is going to catered with roast beef, another entree, and 3 sides (salad and a couple veggies). Nothing fancy.

Question is - should we tip the caterer?
We had our daughter's luncheon at a restaurant, so we tipped the servers. But this is a little different because it is basically a self-serve buffet.

[offwego]

Yes I believe you do for the set up delivery etc of the items. How much would vary with where you are but it should be similar to what you would have tipped at a buffet. Hope your event is fun and enjoy your time with friends and family at such a special occasion.

[NotaGeek]

We are having a luncheon following my son's upcoming First Communion. It will be at the hall of our local American Legion. It is going to catered with roast beef, another entree, and 3 sides (salad and a couple veggies). Nothing fancy.

Question is - should we tip the caterer?
We had our daughter's luncheon at a restaurant, so we tipped the servers. But this is a little different because it is basically a self-serve buffet.
Most catering services add a fee in for tips. Check with them and see if gratuity is included, if not normal tip for caterers is 15%, regardless of the buffet service. Odds are there will be 2 people there, and they will still be taking care of the food and clearing dishes.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

Make sure the cost isn't already built in. You do want to tip because most of the time they are doing the set up, serving and then cleaning up. It's not like a typical restaurant, it's more involved for caterers.