Top Tips for Choosing the Best Wholesale Catering Supplies for Parties
Posted:
By:
Joe Sizeland
Posted:
Whether you're hosting a one-off celebration like a birthday, school event, corporate function or festival, or you're a professional event planner or business organising multiple parties throughout the year, having the right wholesale catering supplies in place is critical to making sure everything runs smoothly.
Selecting the right mix of tableware, napkins, food containers and decorations at a fair price takes planning. To help you, the team at iKrafts have put together these tips based on many decades’ experience supplying catering supplies to individuals and businesses running events of all sizes and formats.
Guest numbers, food types and the venue setting will all influence the kind of catering supplies you need. A casual outdoor event may require disposable trays and cutlery . A school celebration may benefit from fun plates and coordinated napkins .
Once you know who is coming, the venue, and the kind of food and drink you will be serving, you can turn your attention to stocking up on catering supplies. Planning and shopping ahead also helps you avoid last-minute purchases or stock issues.
Finding a supplier that offers bulk discounts will reduce your per-unit costs and simplify logistics, particularly when working with large numbers of guests or managing multiple types of supplies. At iKrafts, we offer trade account options, including convenient 30-day terms for approved customers and volume pricing that scales with the size of your order. These arrangements give organisers greater control over costs.
It can be tempting to cut corners when buying at scale, particularly when purchasing single-use catering supplies for large parties. However, poor-quality packaging and tableware can lead to leaks, breakages and general frustration on the day, leaving guests with a negative impression and creating more work for organisers.
Selecting products designed specifically for catered events, including kraft snack boxes , sturdy cutlery and pizza slice boxes supports a more professional finish. If you're unsure what to choose, reputable suppliers like iKrafts will offer samples on request, so you can test the quality and suitability of items before placing a larger order.
Food packaging should work just as effectively behind the scenes as it does in the hands of your guests. It plays a role at every stage, from preparation and storage to transport, service and disposal. If you're portioning food in advance, prepping on-site, or packing items to be served later, you need packaging that holds its shape, retains heat or cold where needed and stacks easily for storage.
For service where space is often limited, stackable chip trays and scoops , hot drink cups and clamshell boxes with lids stack well, protect warmth and reduce handling errors.
Running out of core supplies like cutlery, napkins or serving containers partway through an occasion can leave guests frustrated and put pressure on your team. Ordering in advance allows time to calculate and build in a buffer, adjust quantities based on updated guest lists, and avoid the need for last-minute substitutions.
For businesses that can’t plan far ahead due to limited storage space or conditions that make it difficult to keep items in perfect condition, iKrafts offers fast delivery, so you can get what you need when you need it. This means you’re covered for last-minute changes or unexpected demand, such as during the peak summer party season or end-of-year functions. Of course, while this flexibility is valuable, it’s still worth calculating your likely requirements in advance so you can order the right quantities and avoid running short on essentials during a sudden surge in demand.
More and more guests are mindful of the environmental impact of disposable packaging, especially at larger gatherings where waste can add up quickly. Opting for the wide range of attractive biodegradable packaging alternatives that are available will help reduce your event's environmental footprint.
A reliable wholesale catering supplier offers more than lower prices. At iKrafts, we offer fair prices, provide free delivery on all orders over £150(net), and have a responsive team waiting by the phones and computers, ready to help you. We also make sure there is plenty of stock in our warehouses, so business owners can trust in us to consistently supply their needs.
Explore iKrafts' range of wholesale food service packaging today, or contact our team for advice about the best packaging options for your business and menu.
