To choose a caterer in Miami, run six checks before you pay a deposit: the Florida license, the inspection record, insurance your venue accepts, a complete written quote, a tasting, and the contract terms. For food prices, see our Miami catering cost guide.
How to Choose a Caterer in Miami
Miami Catering Pros · Event catering, personal chefs and BBQ catering for homes and businesses in Miami, Coral Gables, Palmetto Bay and nearby towns.
Updated November 3, 2026
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Start with your event
Write down the date, venue, guest count and service level before you call anyone. A drop-off order and a staffed dinner are different jobs, so ask every caterer to quote the same count and level. Our event catering page explains the service styles.
Local rules
Check the Florida license
Florida counts a caterer as a public food service establishment, one that prepares food to be served elsewhere under a contract for an event (Rule 61C-1.002). Every such business needs a DBPR license (s. 509.241). Two quick checks:
- Look for the license number on the caterer's website or flyer. Florida requires it on all catering ads (s. 509.241(3)).
- Search the name or number in DBPR's License Search.
Running without a license is a second-degree misdemeanor, and DBPR can fine up to $1,000 per offense (s. 509.261).
Local rules
Read the inspection history
DBPR inspects food businesses without warning and marks violations High Priority, Intermediate or Basic. It calls each report a snapshot of one visit and does not grade businesses, so read several reports, not just the latest. Results are online for inspections after October 1, 2003. If you see a High Priority item, ask what changed after it.
Ask about food safety training
A manager must pass a food manager exam within 30 days of hire (s. 509.039), and the certificate lasts five years (Rule 61C-4.023). Other food staff must be trained within 60 days, and that lasts three years (s. 509.049). Ask who at your event holds the manager certificate.
Local rules
Insurance and venue rules
Ask the caterer for a certificate of insurance (COI) made out for your venue before you sign. Two Miami-area examples:
- Venetian Pool, Coral Gables (rentals): companies must carry $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate in general liability.
- Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (weddings): caterers send a COI within two weeks of the event, with liquor liability if they serve alcohol.
Some venues also limit who may cater. Vizcaya (corporate and executive events) allows only caterers on its Approved Vendor List. Fairchild (weddings) approves every caterer, and a new one makes a site visit 30 days ahead. Miami-Dade park shelters take registered party vendors only. Our Miami catering permits and rules guide covers event permits and more venues.
Alcohol and the bar
Florida's 13CT caterer alcohol license lets a licensed caterer sell and serve drinks, but only at events where it also serves prepared food (s. 561.20). The state license tax is $1,820 a year (s. 565.02). No one may serve a guest under 21 (s. 562.11). Ask whether the caterer holds a 13CT license or who will run the bar.
Comparison
Compare catering quotes line by line
Ask each caterer for a written proposal with every charge on its own line.
| Line on the quote | What to check | Who says so (retrieved) |
|---|---|---|
| Food | Per person or package, and any minimum guest count. | Ask each caterer |
| Service, setup, corkage | Taxable in Florida when part of serving or preparing food. | Rule 12A-1.0115, F.A.C. (2026-10-18) |
| Travel, parking, venue fees | Ask whether these, and gratuity, tax and any card fee, are in the price or extra. | Ask each caterer |
| County tax | Miami-Dade adds 2% at hotel and motel facilities, and 1% at other alcohol-serving businesses with over $400,000 in yearly sales. | Miami-Dade County (2026-11-03) |
Staff and tasting
Get the staff count in writing, with the name of the person running your event on site. Ask whether the tasting is free, charged or credited to your bill.
Contract terms to get in writing
Deposit and balance
Ask for the deposit amount, the balance due date and whether a deposit can move to another date.
Final guest count
Ask every caterer for the cutoff date and any overage rule in writing.
Cancellation
Ask what is refunded or credited if you cancel, and how that changes as the date gets close.
Weather and hurricane season
Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30 and peaks on September 10 (NOAA). NWS Miami puts the South Florida rainy season at May 15 to October 15. For an outdoor event in those months, ask for a written postponement clause.
Dietary needs and allergies
Send guest allergies to the caterer in writing. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology says caterers need allergy protocols, training and enough ingredient knowledge to label food accurately. Ask how each dish will be labeled.
Food safety on the day, and leftovers
DBPR's temporary-event guide sets hot food at 135 F or above and cold food at 41 F or below. NWS describes South Florida summer highs in the upper 80s, so ask how an outdoor buffet stays at those temperatures. UF/IFAS Extension in Broward County says to throw out perishable food left out over 2 hours, or over 1 hour above 90 F. That clock decides leftovers too: ask who keeps them, and pack them in time.
Reviews and red flags
The FTC (October 2022) says to read reviews on several sites and check a reviewer's other reviews, and warns that you cannot reliably spot a fake by looking. Ask references how the first estimate compared with the final bill.
Walk away, or ask harder questions, if any check above fails: no DBPR match, High Priority items on several reports, no COI for your venue, no written proposal, or alcohol with no 13CT answer.
Checklist
Questions about choosing a caterer
Can a restaurant cater my event?
Yes. Under Rule 61C-1.002, a restaurant with a DBPR license may cater without a second license, as long as its catering meets the same standards. Search DBPR under the restaurant's own name.
Can a caterer cook in its own home kitchen?
No. The Florida Department of Health says no food operation may run from a private residence, under any of the state's food agencies. That rule is about the caterer's own home.
What if I can't find the caterer in DBPR's records?
DBPR notes that the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Department of Health also inspect some food businesses. Ask the caterer which agency licenses it.
Is the gratuity on a catering bill taxed?
Florida taxes it as part of the sale unless it is on its own line and the seller keeps none of it (Rule 12A-1.0115). Ask whether a "service charge" goes to staff.
Do nonprofits pay Miami-Dade's food and beverage tax on catering?
Only groups with a Florida Consumer Certificate of Exemption are exempt, Miami-Dade says. Give the caterer a copy before it bills you.
Who is liable if a guest drinks too much?
Under s. 768.125, whoever serves an adult of legal drinking age is generally not liable for harm that guest causes. The exceptions are serving someone underage, or knowingly serving a person habitually addicted to alcohol.
Can my caterer store alcohol for my event or buy it anywhere?
No to storing: a 13CT caterer may not store alcohol for catered events (s. 561.20). It must also buy all alcohol from a vendor licensed by the state. Ask how and when the bar stock will be delivered.
Where do I report a food safety problem with a caterer?
Use DBPR's hotels and restaurants complaint form and pick "Public Food Service Establishments".
Get a local catering quote
Phone us or send the form. Expect a call back from Miami Catering Pros within one business day. Have your date, venue and guest count ready. Our contact page explains what happens next.
Reach Miami Catering Pros
Call Miami Catering Pros or send the form. Within one business day we call you back to talk about your catering job.