The same chef
Whoever cooks your tasting cooks your event. What you tasted is what reaches the table.
About us
Catering you taste first, then get exactly as promised.
Catering and events in Nashville, with a tasting first, a venue walkthrough and staffing built in from the quote.
The call we get most often starts with: "The tasting was amazing, and on the day it wasn't the same."
Our approach
An event has no second chances.
Longtable grew out of two practices this business treats as normal: the executive chef cooks the tasting and a different crew cooks the event, and service staff gets quoted separately once it's too late to push back.
- Our own kitchen and a steady team, not staff hired event by event.
- The ability to run events in a ballroom, a home or a venue with no facilities.
- Predictable: a per-person price with staff included and exclusions in plain view.
Three moments in every event
-
Taste
A tasting with the chef who'll be there on event day.
-
Set
A floor plan drawn to real dimensions and setup with time to spare.
-
Serve
One server for every ten guests and a coordinator who handles things.
What we solve
It almost always starts with one of these.
We start from what's actually worrying the client, not from a menu.
Pick a situation to see how we'd handle it.
The tasting was great and the event wasn't.
That's why your tasting is cooked by the chef who'll be there on your day. What you tasted is what gets served.
View related serviceThey charged me for staff at the end, on top of everything.
Our per-person price already includes one server for every ten guests. It doesn't show up as an extra the week before.
View related serviceThe venue we picked has no kitchen.
We visit first and tell you what we'll need to bring: a field kitchen, a generator, water. It goes into the budget, not in as a surprise.
View related serviceMy son is allergic to peanuts.
His plate is made separately, with separate utensils and surfaces, and handed to him with his name on it.
View related serviceI don't want to be on call at my own party.
A coordinator from our team runs the timeline and the other vendors. You don't have to check on a thing.
View related serviceThe coffee break can only last twenty minutes.
We set up parallel stations and size the staff to serve and clear within the break.
View related serviceHow much is the bar going to cost me?
An open bar with an agreed cap, or a consumption bar with a count at close. Either way, we keep records.
View related service Your event, step by step
From the first meeting to breakdown.
Every stage has a point where you can review and decide.
- Meeting
- Walkthrough
- Tasting
- Setup
- Service
- Wrap-up
How we work
Five steps for every event.
The same order for a thirty-person coffee break and a two-hundred-guest wedding.
- 01
First meeting
Before we propose a menu, we ask how many guests, where the event is and what you have to spend. With those three things we know what's possible; without them you end up with a beautiful proposal nobody can afford.
- 02
Venue walkthrough
We check whether there's a kitchen, running water, enough power and a way to get the equipment in. A menu with hot dishes at a venue with no kitchen means setting up a field kitchen, and that changes the budget. Better to know up front.
- 03
Tasting
You try the full menu cooked by the chef who'll be in charge on your day. It's the only way to make sure what you tasted is what reaches the table: in this business, it's common for the executive chef to cook the tasting and a different crew to cook the event.
- 04
Setup
We set the tables, linens, dinnerware and bar with plenty of margin, and the room is ready before the first guest walks in. You get the setup timeline in writing, coordinated with the venue and your other vendors.
- 05
Service
One server for every ten guests, cooking on site and a coordinator of ours who deals with whatever comes up without the hosts ever knowing. When it's over, we break everything down and leave the venue the way we found it.
Why LONGTABLE?
What you'll find here.
It's not just about good food. It's about the day turning out the way you pictured it.
Staff already built in
One server for every ten guests, included in the price. It doesn't show up as an extra the week before.
No surprise charges
Corkage, overtime, delivery and setup are spelled out in the quote, not on the final invoice.
We walk the venue
We check the kitchen, water and power before committing to a menu. Anything that can't be done there, we tell you up front.
A coordinator on site
Someone from our team handles the day's surprises without the hosts ever having to know.
Allergies taken seriously
Special plates go out labeled, with a separate kitchen protocol, not improvised on the spot.
1 Server for every ten guests Built into the price, not tacked on at the last minute.
8 Team services Four types of events and four supporting services.
0 Surprise charges on event day Anything that costs extra is spelled out in the quote.
Who we are
Who we are, in six answers.
What's worth knowing about Longtable before your first meeting.
What we do
Weddings, corporate events, family celebrations, office catering, bar service, rentals and coordination.
Where we're strongest
Events at venues with no facilities, and high volume on a tight schedule.
Who we work with
Social events, companies and organizations, and events at off-site venues with no infrastructure.
The problem we solve
Making sure what was promised is what actually happens, with no surprise charges and no short staffing.
How we do it
A venue walkthrough, a tasting with the day's chef, staff built into the price and coordination at the event.
What sets us apart
The chef at your tasting is the chef at your event, and the per-person price already includes service staff.
Next step
Get an event quote.
We'll send you a proposal with the per-person price, staff included and everything that isn't.