Catering Suggestions

At The Brightside, you are welcome to select whatever licensed and insured catering/food service option you would like for your event! However, after many years in the event business and seeing different caterers, restaurants, etc. in action, these are the food service companies that consistently provide quality food, good service, affordable options along with a variety of upgrades, if desired.

Catering Notes

If you haven’t had to shop for catering before, it can be confusing especially knowing what a big role it plays in your day. Understanding what services come with catering often causes the most confusion and makes the biggest difference in pricing. Always ask the caterer to explain their services to you and that it is noted in your contract with them.

Full-Service Catering: Not all catering/food service options are Full-Service. Full-Service means that they will have staff at the event to not only serve food, but also bus tables and clear away the buffet when dinner is complete. Their services can also include handling any rental orders and even setting the tables for you. Be sure to clarify what services they are providing.

Self-Service Catering: This style of catering means that they provide the food, but the rest of the work is up to you. This also includes drop-and-go catering (they deliver and that’s where the service ends) or food trucks.. Please remember that you are responsible for bussing tables, clearing away all leftover food (buffet, plates, etc.), cleaning the refrigerator and kitchen, and trash removal by your designated event complete time.

NOTE: NO CATERER/PERSON CAN COOK HERE. We do NOT have a cooking kitchen, only a prep kitchen.

Caterers & Food Trucks must provide us their Certificate of Insurance (COI) at least 14 days before your event. They can email it to us at TheBrightsideDayton@gmail.com. Have them include YOUR NAME, WEDDING DATE & COI in the email heading so we know it belongs to your event.

Traditional Caterers (they provide the food and service unless noted):

  • Brock Masterson’s - Full or Self-Service Available. Budget-friendly pricing.

  • LMR Catering - Full or Self-Service Available. Known for comfort foods and meat carving stations including hog roasts. Budget-friendly pricing.

  • Kohler Catering - Full-Service Available. Has budget-friendly and high-end options available.

  • Elite Catering - Full Service Catering. Has budget-friendly and high-end options available.

  • Bernstein’s Fine Catering - Full-Service Available. Kosher available. Has budget-friendly and high-end options available.

  • Rich Taste - Full-Service Available.

  • Mrs. B’s - Full-service Available. Made from scratch catering. Will not bus alcoholic drinks from tables.

  • ** Catering By Michael of Greenville is banned from our facility**

Self-Service Caterers (they provide the food, but you do the work i.e., setting up the buffet, supplying warmers and serving utensils, bussing tables, end of night clean-up):

  • City BBQ - Self-Service Available.

  • Piada - Full or Self-Service Available. Italian street food. (Can upgrade to full service catering.)

Many restaurants like Qdoba, Chipotle, and Chic-fil-A offer self-service catering, but be sure they can handle your guest count and remember that you have to provide warmers, serving utensils, plates, silverware, etc. Some of these restaurants offer delivery and others do not so be sure you understand how the food is getting to the venue.

Food Trucks (they provide the food, but you do the clean-up):

There are a lot of food trucks out there. We suggest going to Dayton Food Trucks on Facebook if you’re looking for something specific like Greek, Thai, etc. Be sure to ask if they can handle the volume service necessary for weddings.

Food Truck Notes: We only recommend going with a food truck as your sole dinner provider with weddings under 100 guests or as a cocktail hour/late night snack option. The majority of food trucks cannot handle serving 100+ guests all at once like a caterer can do. This causes your guests to have to wait in long lines for their dinner, which can effect your reception timeline. Food trucks also do not bring extra staffing with them to bus tables, clen up after dinner, or take out the trash at the end of the night. These responsibilities will fall on you.

If booking a food truck, be sure to ask them the following questions:

  • How often or how many weddings have you done?

  • How quickly can you serve ### (insert your guest count here)?

  • What ordering systems do you have in place to avoid long lines or waiting long for orders?

  • Do you provide extra staff for bussing tables or cleaning up after dinner?

Cakes & Desserts:

***Don’t forget to bring a cake knife and a server! It’s the #1 forgotten catering item!***

***Who is cutting your cake? Does your caterer provide this service or will a friend/family member be doing this?***

Catering Checklist

The Brightside only offers a catering prep kitchen. This means that there are no ovens, commercial cooking or refrigeration equipment, warming devices, etc.

Included with our Prep Kitchen:

  • Refrigerator & Freezer (standard kitchen fridge size…not double-sided commercial refrigeration units). We do NOT provide ice except for our mixed bar drinks.

  • Microwave (standard kitchen size)

  • Sink (no food can go down the drain)

  • Prep Space

  • Large Trash Cans with Trash Bags

**DON’T FORGET** that your caterer or you (in the case of a self-service/drop-and-go-caterer needs to also remember supplies to clean the kitchen and pack up any leftovers at the end of the night. This would include Clorox Wipes, Paper Towels, Freezer Bags, Aluminum Foil, Cling Wrap, and Bags/Boxes to carry it out.