If your traveling with a lot of people and are looking for restaurants for large groups we have come up with some questions that you should askyourself and potential restaurants before going.
Everyone knows that the restaurants in Niagara Falls are great places to dine for couples celebrating their honeymoons and anniversaries and for families out on a weekend trip, but what about those of us that need to accommodate larger groups like wedding parties, business trips or even entire bus tour groups?
Don’t worry, there are a lot of restaurants throughout the city of Niagara Falls and surrounding area that can easily handle large groups of people, but generally with parties of more than ten or twelve guests, you will have to make arrangements well ahead of time to be sure that they can accommodate your group.
Below are some of the questions that you will need to ask yourself and restaurants before booking your meals.
How many are in the group? A restaurant needs to know this so they can be sure to set aside enough space for the party and ensure that they have enough staff to sufficiently serve everyone.
What type of food do you want? If you are taking a large group to a restaurant you want to make sure that the food that the restaurant serves is the kind that everyone in your group likes. The broader the menu the better your chances of keeping everyone happy.
How are you getting to the restaurant? Will you all be taking several cars, are you part of a bus tour or is everyone staying at the same hotel and walking to the restaurant? These are important questions because space is tight in some parts of the falls meaning that parking is limited. Make sure that there will be enough room for all the vehicles or that there is a place to have the bus drop your group off or pick you up. If you are a group staying at hotel together you may be able to work out a deal with them for shuttle service.
Are you all staying in the same hotel? Since we’re talking about hotels, it is a good idea to see if the one you are staying at has a restaurant and if they do, ask them about holding large parties there. It sure would save a lot of trouble.
What is the price range for the meal? Restaurants obviously vary in price and when it comes to taking a large group of people to one, the bill at the end may be very substantial. It may not matter if everyone is paying their own way but if your group is substantial enough it may be worth asking if they have group discounts or rates. Just don’t forget that many restaurants automatically add a gratuity to the bill for parties of 8 or more.
Do you have to pre-order? If the group is really large, like more than 20 or so, you may be required to pre-order the food so that the restaurant has enough time and supplies to provide your guests with the food they want. Another option some restaurants have is to offer a “limited menu” where there are only certain items available. These items are usually either quick and easy to make or mostly prepared ahead of time, both enable an establishment to have meals ready in a reasonable amount of time.
Are you coming from or going somewhere else? This is important to know for your sake because if your entire group has to be somewhere else at a specific time after the dinner you will have to plan the meal accordingly. Large groups take longer to settle in, eat and finalize payment than smaller ones and so your window of time between the meal and the other engagement should be large enough to handle small delays.
How far is the other destination from the restaurant? If you do need to be somewhere after the meal or you are coming from an attraction or show, it is a good idea to choose a restaurant close by or make travel arrangements that will get you back and forth in a timely manner.
Remember that the more time a restaurant has to prepare for your groups arrival the better the chances that your experience will go off without a hitch.
The questions that the restaurant will want to know in advance are…
How many people are attending?
What time and day are you arriving?
How will the bill be paid? Ie: separate bills, one bill, several groups, couples.
Are there any special food requirements such as allergy alerts that they should be aware of?
If the group is very large, the restaurant may want to have a credit card on file or a deposit before the dinner date to ensure that you are attending and to help cover any extra food that may need to be ordered ahead of time.In situations where you group is very large, we’re talking over 40 or 50 people, it may be good to book a reception or banquet hall. This may seem like a lot of work but with very large groups it may be the best option.
Buffets For reasonable large groups in a hurry, buffet dining can be a great solution to your dinner dilemma. They are great because there is a large amount of food ready when you arrive and no one will have to wait for their order or worry about waiters messing up orders.
Although even with buffets, when arriving with large groups it is always good to reserve a spot ahead of time to ensure quick seating.
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