Catering questions, answered

Winslow’s Catering is a service-area caterer, not a walk-in restaurant or customer-facing storefront in Redwood City. Our commercial kitchen and primary operations are based in Pleasanton, and our team delivers to and staffs events throughout Redwood City, Belmont, Foster City, Menlo Park, Woodside, Portola Valley, Stanford, and nearby Bay Area communities.

We cater office breakfasts, corporate lunches, conferences, product launches, private dinners, birthdays, showers, memorials, holiday parties, weddings, and formal receptions. Service can be as simple as delivered platters or as involved as a fully staffed buffet, family-style dinner, or plated event.

Drop-off catering requires at least 72 hours’ notice. Full-service events require a minimum of 10 days, though two to three weeks is a safer planning window. Weddings, large corporate programs, and events involving rentals or florals should be booked earlier, especially for weekends and the busy months of June, November, and December.

Yes. Many menus include vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free choices. Tell us how many guests need each type of meal and identify specific allergies before the order is confirmed. Dietary labels do not mean the kitchen is completely free from shared allergens.

Choose drop-off when you want prepared food delivered hot or chilled and your group can manage serving and cleanup. Choose full service when you want professional staff, upgraded serving equipment, setup, replenishment, guest service, and breakdown of the contracted catering areas.

Browse the menu, add the breakfast, lunch, appetizer, dinner, dessert, and beverage items you need, then complete checkout online. For a larger Redwood City Catering order or an event with several meal periods, submit a custom quote request so the team can help organize quantities and timing.

Most à-la-carte delivery orders require at least $500 in food. Menu prices cover the selected dishes and stated serving quantities. Delivery, handling, staffing, rentals, and optional service additions are calculated separately.

Most drop-off orders require a minimum of 72 hours’ notice. Earlier ordering is recommended for weekday lunch deliveries, large office groups, campus access, multiple dietary meals, or a requested arrival window that may fill quickly.

Yes. Breakfast dishes, lunch trays, appetizers, dinner entrées, sides, desserts, and beverages can be mixed within one order. This works well for all-day meetings, open houses, training sessions, and events with food served at several points in the schedule.

Applicable dishes are marked vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, or nut-free. Guests with serious allergies should provide the specific allergen for review rather than relying only on a broad dietary label.

Wedding service may include menu planning, food preparation, staffing, setup, buffet, family-style, or plated service, replenishment, and cleanup of the catering areas. Couples can also add passed appetizers, coffee and tea, cake, bartenders, rentals, florals, and coordinated tablescape design.

Yes. Mobile tastings are complimentary for confirmed weddings. Couples may also purchase a tasting before signing a contract; when the wedding is later booked with Winslow’s Catering, the tasting charge can be removed from the final bill.

Wedding packages generally range from about $55 to $120 per person. The final price depends on the menu, buffet versus plated or family-style service, staffing, venue logistics, and additions such as appetizers, rentals, florals, cake, or beverage service.

Yes. We can plan vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free options. Buffet dishes can be labeled, and plated dietary meals can be prepared using the final quantities and seating information supplied before the event.

Yes. Our team can work with your planner, venue manager, and rental providers to confirm load-in, staging space, serving time, floor plans, reception milestones, and cleanup deadlines. One primary event contact should still be designated for final decisions.

We recommend reserving wedding catering at least four to six weeks in advance and considerably earlier for popular Saturdays, larger receptions, or events requiring extensive rentals and florals. A wedding may occasionally be accepted with only 10 days’ notice, but availability is not guaranteed.

After the proposal is approved, a signed catering agreement is required. Orders above $3,000 also require a 50% deposit to reserve the date. The remaining balance is due 10 days before the wedding.

Yes. Bartenders and expert bartenders are available for hire. Winslow’s Catering does not sell or supply alcohol, so the couple or venue must provide it. The proposal should clarify responsibility for mixers, ice, glassware, equipment, and venue requirements.

Full service includes catering setup, professional staff, buffet, family-style, or plated service, food replenishment, guest assistance, and breakdown of the contracted catering areas. Coffee and tea service, appetizers, bartenders, rentals, florals, and tablescapes may be added.

Staffing is based on the guest count, service style, floor plan, and venue logistics. Buffets typically use about one server for every 25 guests. Plated dinners generally require one server for every 15 to 20 guests, and events of 50 or more usually include a captain.

No. Gratuity is optional and is not automatically included. When a client adds gratuity, it is distributed among the team members who contributed to the event, including cooks, drivers, servers, bartenders, customer-service staff, and rental staff.

It depends on the package. Many full-service options include ceramic plates, reusable utensils, glassware, and linens, while value-focused packages may use elegant disposable place settings. Upgraded rentals can be added when they are not already included.

Three to four weeks’ notice is recommended, although full-service events may sometimes be accepted as late as 10 days before the date. Weekends and the months of June, November, and December are particularly busy.

Most full-service packages begin at 25 guests. Smaller groups may choose drop-off catering with an attendant for help with setup, presentation, buffet monitoring, and catering-related cleanup.

Yes. The food is prepared before arrival, so an on-site commercial kitchen is generally not required. Depending on the menu and venue, we may still need a protected staging area, water, power, refrigeration, elevators, or practical loading access.

Yes, subject to the exact address, date, guest count, and service requirements. Winslow’s Catering regularly considers Redwood City Catering, Belmont Catering, Foster City Catering, Menlo Park Catering, and Stanford Catering events throughout the surrounding area.

Boxed-meal orders require at least 25 meals. Eligible classic and artisan boxed lunches may allow sandwiches and wraps to be mixed, while certain breakfast, hot lunch, and dinner boxes require groups of the same selected meal.

Every meal is sealed in its own box and includes the appropriate utensils and a napkin. This makes distribution easier for offices, conferences, training programs, production teams, campuses, and outdoor gatherings.

Yes. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free meals can be clearly marked when requested in advance. Names or department labels may also be considered when an organized list is supplied before production.

Cold boxes should generally be served within two hours when held at room temperature. Hot boxes arrive in insulated carriers and should normally be distributed within one hour. Refrigeration or separate delivery times may be needed for staggered shifts.

At least 72 hours’ notice is required. Larger quantities, extensive labeling, several dietary versions, or deliveries to multiple addresses may require five or more days.

Yes, provided every delivery address meets the applicable $500 minimum. Additional delivery fees may apply. Include the meal count, requested arrival time, access instructions, and receiving contact for each stop.

Cold breakfast and lunch boxes begin around $18.75 per person. Hot lunch boxes start near $30 per person, and hot dinner boxes begin around $40 per person. Premium selections, beverages, desserts, delivery, and handling may cost more.

Yes. Weekly and monthly schedules may receive a dedicated coordinator and locked pricing. Recurring meal delivery can support regular team lunches, executive meetings, Stanford-area programs, rotating shifts, and multi-day events.

November and December dates fill quickly, so booking three to five weeks ahead is recommended. Larger staffed parties, popular weekday lunch times, rentals, and floral design may require an earlier reservation.

Yes. We provide buffet, family-style, and plated holiday meals for office groups ranging from approximately 25 to more than 400 guests. Staffing, setup, rentals, beverage service, bartenders, florals, and cleanup can be included.

Yes. Holiday entrées, sides, salads, breads, and desserts may be ordered à la carte for delivery. This is a practical option for department lunches, family meals, and casual celebrations where the host can manage serving and cleanup.

A limited number of events are accepted on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve, and a holiday surcharge applies. Winslow’s Catering is closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Yes. Tables, chairs, linens, china, glassware, serving equipment, seasonal centerpieces, floral arrangements, and coordinated holiday tablescapes can be added to the catering proposal.

Confirmed holiday orders cancelled at least 72 hours before the event are subject to a 50% cancellation fee. Orders cancelled with less than 72 hours’ notice are subject to a 100% cancellation fee because production resources may already be committed.

Options include bud-vase clusters, centerpieces, statement arrangements, tabletop and ground meadows, arches, mantle installations, custom bloom bars, flower-crown bars, balloon arches, and complete tablescape styling coordinated with rentals.

Yes. You can review the examples and formats shown on the floral page or request a more detailed consultation. Inspiration images, venue photos, colors, preferred flowers, guest count, and budget help the designer shape an appropriate proposal.

Bud-vase clusters begin around $95 for three, lush centerpieces generally range from $195 to $350 per table, impact arrangements from $350 to $600, tabletop meadow pieces from $400 to $600, and the signature tabletop broken-arch set is approximately $800. Larger installations are quoted individually.

We honor requested flower varieties when they are available and suitable for the design. If a stem is unavailable or out of season, the designer may use a comparable substitute that preserves the intended color, texture, shape, and overall style.

Three to four weeks is recommended for most floral orders. Some projects may be accepted with about 10 days’ notice, but weddings, specialty flowers, large quantities, and installations should be reserved earlier.

Setup and placement are included within the contracted floral scope. Breakdown and disposal may be added when you want the team to return after the event and remove arrangements, mechanics, vessels, and related materials.

Yes, when requested and when the arrangements use take-home vessels. The flowers can be kept after the event, and guests may take arrangements or stems. Rental containers, structures, and mechanics must remain for collection unless the proposal states otherwise.

Rental options include Chiavari and resin chairs, guest tables, cocktail tables, buffet tables, standard linens, china, glassware, flatware, chafing dishes, beverage equipment, heaters, and selected tabletop and décor pieces.

On-site attendants are required for delivery coordination, setup, safe handling, placement, breakdown, and inventory control. This protects the equipment and venue while ensuring the items are arranged and packed correctly.

There is no strict product minimum, but on-site staffing is mandatory. Because staffing affects the total, most clients combine rentals with food service, florals, or a catering package.

Yes. Each guest table rented through Winslow’s Catering includes one standard linen. Numerous colors are available, while specialty fabrics, overlays, runners, unusual sizes, and upgraded designs may carry additional charges.

Normal wear from appropriate event use is covered. Significant damage, misuse, loss, or missing inventory may be billed at replacement cost.

Delivery is commonly scheduled two to four hours before the event. Pickup may occur later that night or the following morning, depending on venue access, the event ending time, staffing, and whether the equipment may remain overnight.

Provide the complete address, guest count, floor plan, access window, event end time, loading instructions, stairs or elevators, parking restrictions, and the inventory already supplied by the venue. These details affect labor, timing, and equipment needs.

Yes. Approving your quote is followed by a catering agreement. Events priced above $3,000 require a 50% deposit to secure availability.

Guest-count adjustments and menu edits are permitted until 10 days before the event. Later requests will depend on production availability.

Our commercial kitchen and primary operations are based in Pleasanton, California. Winslow's Catering is a service-area caterer, delivering and staffing events throughout Redwood City, Belmont, Foster City, Menlo Park, Woodside, Stanford, and nearby Peninsula communities at offices, homes, wedding venues, and other event locations.