Questions for Your Wedding Caterer
By Lauren Elizondo
Minneapolis/Feb. 16, 2010/V-Local…Remember that wedding you went to last summer where they served that terrible chicken entrée? Chances are that you don’t want your wedding guests to only remember an icky meal when they come to yours. And they won’t if you take into consideration the following tips and simple questions to ask potential wedding caterers.
First and foremost, ask your reception site if they have any restrictions about wedding caterers they’ll work with or any recommendations about successful caterers. Once you’ve got the clear from the reception site, ask your friends if they have any suggestions or call your favorite dining places to see if they have a banquet option or if they do catering.
Once you have a few in mind, give them a call. Ask about their availability and catering price range before you set up a time to meet so you don’t waste your valuable wedding caterer searching time, or their time. Don’t forget to set up a tasting , too!
After you’ve set up a meeting time with your potential wedding caterer, make sure you know what to ask them. These simple yet detailed questions will help you evaluate what you need and what the potential wedding caterer can provide:
1. What type of menu items and buffet-style options could you offer for our wedding, given the style, date and time?
2. Do you provide special meals for children at a discounted price? How about meals prepared for special dietary needs?
3. How many other weddings will your business handle the same weekend as our wedding?
4. What is the cost-per-person for each catering option that I‘m interested in? Note the difference in prices between buffet-style meals compared to sit-down dinners.
5. Does the cost-person include only the food or are the staff, rentals and linen charges included?
6. Do you have any types of food or distinctive menu items that you specialize in?
7. Are you licensed (up to code with health department standards, liability insurance)?
8. Do you have a liquor license?
9. Do you charge for beverage service?
10. If we provide our own beverages, do you charge a corkage fee?
11. Do you offer wedding or grooms cakes?
12. If we provide our own wedding/grooms cake, do you charge a cutting and serving fee?
13. Do you provide linens, dishware, silverware, tables, chairs, serving pieces and decorations for trays? If yes, is there a color option for the linens?
14. How much time will you need to set up, take down and clean?
15. Can we see a copy of your standard contract?
16. What is the deposit you require to hold the date? When will the total bill be due?
17. Can you refer us to former clients of yours and/or do you have photos from previous events you catered?
Copyright: What Is It?
By Lauren Elizondo
- Poetry
- Novels
- Movies
- Architecture
- Computer software
- Art pieces
*Copyright does not protect such things as facts, ideas, operational methods and types of systems.
So why should you copyright your stuff?
Fortunately, your works are copyrighted by common law until it is published. However, filing a copyright at the U.S. Copyright Office ( 101 Independence Ave. S. E., Washington, D.C.) or online (www.copyright.gov) is important if you want your copyright to be public record, showing that you have claimed protection under U.S. law. Registered works have a better chance of being protected if someone were to try to claim your work – you need a copyright to bring a lawsuit for infringement.
Who is Mr. Clean?
by Lauren Elizondo
Minneapolis/Feb. 16, 2010/V-Local…“Mr. Clean, Mr. Clean!” While the jingle may be more than a half-century old, most people today can still be found humming the catchy little tune that continues to accompany commercials about one of Procter & Gamble’s most successful cleaning products. And who could forget that tanned, bald-headed man’s mug winking while he works?
It’s no wonder why both the young and old recognize the melody and the man behind it; Mr. Clean has been working his brawn in households since 1958, a year after Chicago Art Director Ernie Allen put his pencil to paper and drew the man who cleans things very well. That was also the same year Thomas Scott Cadden wrote and recorded what turned out to be the longest running jingle in TV history.
After five years of building a tidy reputation, The Man Behind the Shine was officially given the first name, Veritably, in the 1962 Give Mr. Clean a First Name promotion.
But who is Mr. Clean? Some might say he possesses an uncanny resemblance to an unbottled genie, with his bald head, single earring and crossed arms – sans the blue skin. But according to P&G, Mr. Clean was modeled after a U.S. Navy sailor from Pensacola, Fl.
The identity of the man who was the inspiration for Mr. Clean’s polished physique isn’t necessarily significant, however, because that’s not who Mr. Clean is. For a multitude of pearled housewives of the 1950s and 1960s, he was the svelte mystery man who definitely knew how to handle a bucket. He continues his role as a dependable grime fighter today with some of P&G’s newest products, the Magic Eraser and Febreze-infused All Purpose spray.
And if you think Mr. Clean has only appeared to the public as an animated man, think again. The late actor House Peters, Jr., was cast as Mr. Clean during live appearances in the 1960s, yet was never filmed in product commercials. And in 2006, Mall of America hosted a massive gathering of Mr. Clean look-a-likes to help with the clean-up of the record-breaking World’s Largest Gingerbread House.
Check out Mr. Clean’s official Web site for never-before-seen commercials, coupons and fun facts at www.mrclean.com!
And for your melodic pleasure, the original lyrics for the Mr. Clean jingle, written by Thomas Scott Cadden:
Chorus:
Mr. Clean gets rid of dirt and grime
And grease in just a minute.
Mr. Clean will clean your whole house
And everything that’s in it.
Verse 1:
Floors, doors, walls, halls
White sidewall tires and old golfballs.
Sinks, stoves, bathtubs he’ll do
He’ll even help clean laundry, too.
Verse 2:
Can he clean a kitchen sink?
Quicker than a wink.
Can he clean a window sash?
Faster than a flash.
Can he clean a dirty mirror?
He’ll make it bright and clearer.
Can he clean a diamond ring?
Mr. Clean cleans anything.
Chorus:
Mr. Clean gets rid of dirt and grime
And grease in just a minute.
Mr. Clean will clean your whole house
And everything that’s in it.
Mr. Clean … Mr. Clean … Mr. Clean
Nature: The Ultimate Playground for Kids
Minneapolis/Feb. 16, 2010/V-Local…Every year parents spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on toys and activities for their kids. While many of these things are great for keeping young minds and bodies active, many of them are unnecessary. Sure, kids need structured play, but they also need “free” play and this is easy to do when the world’s largest playground is right outside your back door. Why not let them play outside?
1.) Every toy, book and TV show that comes out has been designed and redesigned several times in order to make it educational and entertaining for children. The great thing about nature is that, while being entertaining and stimulating to the imagination, it’s also educational. Nature can teach children the basics of science, economics and creativity. (more…)
