How to Brief a Catering Company: UK Event Checklist

A Qualified Electrician's Perspective on Electrical Safety and Infrastructure

If you're organising an event with catering, your electrical planning needs to happen before you finalise your contract with the catering company. Most caterers will work around whatever power supply you give them, but that doesn't mean it's adequate or safe—and discovering insufficient sockets or overloaded circuits on the day of your event is expensive and dangerous. As an electrician with years of experience supporting events across North East England, I've seen too many organisers leave electrical requirements as an afterthought.

This checklist covers what you need to know, what you need to tell your caterer, and what they need to tell you in return.

Why Electrical Planning Matters When Briefing Caterers

Catering equipment is power-hungry. A commercial oven, hob, dishwasher, and refrigeration running simultaneously can draw 20–50 amps or more depending on the equipment specification. Many event venues have consumer units (fuse boxes) rated for 60–100 amps total, split between lighting, heating, and the catering operation. If you haven't audited your venue's electrical capacity before booking your caterer, you're gambling with circuit breaker trips, fire risk, and potential failure of food safety requirements.

Temporary electrical installations for events fall under BS 7909 and must comply with BS 7671 (the UK electrical standards). Even if your caterer brings temporary power distribution units, they're only as safe as the supply feeding them. Your responsibility as the event organiser includes ensuring the venue's electrical infrastructure can safely handle what you're asking it to do.

Additionally, RCD (residual current device) protection is mandatory for portable appliance circuits in catering environments. If your venue doesn't have RCD-protected circuits, your caterer's equipment is either unsafe or requires additional protection hardware—which adds cost and complexity.

Key Information to Provide Your Catering Company

When you brief a catering company, give them specifics:

1. Venue electrical audit report: Provide a recent EICR (electrical installation condition report) or ask the venue for one. This tells your caterer what earthing system the building uses (TN-S or TN-C-S), the main consumer unit capacity, circuit protection ratings, and any restrictions.

2. Available socket locations and types: Don't just say "there are sockets." Walk your caterer through the venue and show them:

- How many 13A sockets are available in the kitchen/catering area

- Whether they're on separate circuits

- Distance from the proposed catering setup

- Condition and earthing (you can tell an older socket by its appearance)

3. Menu and equipment intent: Tell your caterer what dishes you want. Let them specify what equipment they'll bring. A caterer planning a roast dinner needs different power than one doing cold canapés.

4. Outdoor or indoor: If catering is outdoors, specify weather conditions and whether the site is exposed. Outdoor electrical work requires IP-rated (ingress protection) equipment—standard indoor sockets won't cut it. BS 7909 sets strict rules for temporary outdoor installations.

5. Event duration: A 2-hour drinks reception uses less power (and generates less heat) than a 4-hour sit-down dinner. Duration affects circuit load and cooling needs.

6. Guest numbers: More guests = more kitchen demand. A caterer feeding 50 people runs different kit than one for 200.

Electrical Safety Requirements Caterers Must Know

Your catering company must:

• Carry out PAT testing (portable appliance testing) on all their own equipment before arrival. You can ask to see test certificates. PAT testing checks that portable equipment won't cause electric shock or fire. Under BS 7671, any plug-in equipment in a food environment should be tested annually at minimum, or more frequently depending on usage.

• Use RCD-protected circuits: All catering equipment must run through RCD protection. If your venue doesn't provide RCD circuits, your caterer should bring a portable RCD adaptor (a residual current breaker with overload). Cost is typically £20–60, but it's non-negotiable for safety.

• Avoid daisy-chaining extension leads: Long runs of poorly managed cables create trip hazards and overheating risk. Your caterer should plan cable routes during the briefing and use heavy-duty industrial extension leads rated for the equipment's current draw.

• Ensure adequate grounding: Ask your caterer whether their equipment is earthed and whether they've checked continuity. Some older or portable equipment has two-pin plugs (not earthed)—it shouldn't be used in a damp or catering environment.

Power Supply and Socket Availability: What You Need to Specify

This is where most briefs fall short.

Before you confirm catering, you need to know:

• How many 13A circuits does the venue have available in or near the catering area?
• What is the circuit protection rating? Circuits are typically 10A, 13A, 16A, or 20A. A 16A circuit can safely deliver 3.68 kW continuously; a 20A circuit, 4.6 kW. A commercial oven pulling 3.5 kW needs a dedicated 20A circuit—you can't share it with anything else.
• Is there a 32A industrial socket? Many venues don't have one, but some caterers bring equipment that needs it.
• What's the earthing system? TN-C-S (the standard in modern UK homes and many commercial buildings) is fine. TN-S (older, more common in rural areas) is also fine. Ask your venue or electrician.

Get your venue's electrical layout plan. Many caterers have seen the same venues repeatedly and can tell you what works. If your venue is unfamiliar to your caterer, ask them whether they want a site visit before the event.

Food Storage and Temperature Control: Electrical Considerations

Refrigeration is critical for food hygiene. The Health and Safety (Temperature Control) Regulations specify that high-risk foods must be held at 8°C or below (or heated to 63°C or above). If a caterer's fridge fails mid-event, you have a food safety breach.

Make sure:

• Your caterer brings backup cool boxes or a second fridge, or confirms the venue has suitable fridge space available on a dedicated circuit.
• Fridge circuits are not shared with high-demand kit (ovens, hobs). Fridges draw continuous baseline current, and sharing a circuit with an oven can cause voltage sag, affecting fridge temperature stability.
• If any equipment is plugged into a circuit without RCD protection, it's a breach. Wet catering environments (sinks, ice, condensation) are high-risk for electrical shock.

Ask your caterer: "Are your refrigeration units on continuous dedicated circuits, and do you have contingency if power is lost?"

Emergency Procedures and Electrical Contingencies

Brief your caterer on:

1. Where is the main consumer unit? In an emergency (sparks, burning smell, or tripped RCD), someone needs to know where to isolate power safely. Show your catering lead where it is and how the main switch works.

2. What happens if the power trips mid-service? A short circuit from wet equipment or an overloaded circuit could trip your main breaker, killing power to the whole venue. Have a plan: Do you have a backup generator? Will you relocate to cold food service? Does your caterer have a contingency menu?

3. Are there any planned power outages? Ask your venue. If they're doing maintenance or testing, schedule it before or well after your event.

4. Emergency lighting: If your event runs into darkness and the power fails, is there emergency lighting? Under BS 7671, commercial spaces must have emergency lighting that activates automatically on mains failure. Venues should have this, but confirm it works.

Health and Safety Compliance for Catered Events

Food hygiene and electrical safety are intertwined:

• The caterer must have public liability insurance covering electrical equipment use.
• Their equipment must be in good repair—frayed cables, cracked plugs, or loose sockets are not acceptable.
• If they're using temporary electrical installations (portable distribution units, splitter boxes), these must be certified for temporary use under BS 7909. Ask to see the certification.
• If your event is at a commercial venue, ask the venue for a recent EICR. If it's at a private property, and you've invited the public or a large group, you're responsible for ensuring electrical safety—this might mean hiring an electrician to do an EICR beforehand.

Environmental Health Officers can and do inspect catered events. If they find substandard electrical practices, they can halt catering or issue enforcement notices.

Questions to Ask Your Caterer About Electrical Needs

1. What equipment do you plan to bring, and what are the wattage/amp ratings?

- List each item: oven (kW), hob rings (kW each), dishwasher, coffee machine, fridge, freezer, warming trays, etc.

2. How many 13A sockets do you need, and can they be on separate circuits or must some share?

- A caterer who knows their stuff will tell you the total load and whether it needs splitting across multiple circuits.

3. Do you have PAT test certificates for all portable equipment?

- Ask for copies. They should be dated within the last 12 months.

4. Will you bring an RCD adaptor if the venue doesn't have RCD-protected circuits?

- A professional caterer should own one. If they don't, consider whether they're experienced enough.

5. What is your contingency if power is lost or a circuit trips?

- Can they switch to a limited menu? Do they have a backup power source?

6. Do you need 32A power or just 13A?

- Some large catering rigs need a 32A industrial supply. If your venue doesn't have one, can it be installed temporarily? (Typically £200–400, takes a few hours, needs a qualified electrician.)

Common Electrical Issues During Catered Events

From my experience, here's what goes wrong:

• RCD nuisance trips: A faulty piece of equipment or wet environment causes the RCD to trip repeatedly. You end up replacing broken equipment mid-service or manually resetting the RCD every 10 minutes. Prevention: PAT test everything beforehand, keep the catering area as dry as possible, and check for water near sockets.

• Overloaded circuits: A caterer plugs too much into one circuit. The breaker trips, or worse, the circuit doesn't trip and the cable overheats (fire risk). Prevention: Map out power requirements in advance and confirm with your venue that the circuit design can handle it.

• Inadequate grounding or earthing: Older catering equipment or venues with poorly maintained wiring create shock hazards. Prevention: Request an EICR, use an electrician to inspect if necessary.

• Damaged extension leads or adapters: Wet environment, foot traffic, and improvised setups lead to damaged insulation or loose connections. Prevention: Use industrial-grade leads, tape down cables, and inspect everything visually before use.

• Insufficient circuit capacity: Venue says "there are sockets" but they're all on one 13A circuit rated for 3A total. Trying to run a 3kW oven on it causes voltage sag across the whole circuit, affecting lighting and other equipment. Prevention: Get an electrician to audit the venue's electrical design relative to your catering load.

Health and Safety Compliance for Catered Events (Additional Detail)

Beyond the basics:

• If your event is at a venue you own or manage, you have a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure the electrical infrastructure is safe for catering use.
• If you're hiring a venue, ask them: "Is the electrical installation suitable for catering events, and when was it last tested?"
• Catering staff are users of electrical equipment, so they must be instructed on safe use. Your caterer should brief their own team; you should brief them on your venue's specifics.
• Insurance: Confirm your event liability insurance covers third-party caterers using your electrical supply. Some policies require the caterer to be a named party.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can a caterer plug a 3kW oven into a standard 13A household socket?

A standard 13A socket is rated for continuous loads up to 3.12 kW, but a 3kW oven is pushing it, especially if other items are on the same circuit. In practice, a 3kW oven should have a dedicated 16A or 20A circuit. Using a standard 13A socket is risky—the cable may overheat, and the circuit breaker may not trip in time if there's a fault. Always use a dedicated circuit for high-draw catering equipment.

Q: What's an EICR and do I need one for my event?

An EICR (electrical installation condition report) is a professional inspection and test of fixed electrical wiring and built-in equipment. It costs £150–400 depending on venue size. You don't strictly need one for a one-off event, but it's good practice—it tells you whether your venue's circuits are safe and suitable for catering. If your venue hasn't had one in the last 5 years, it's worth getting, especially if you're regularly hosting events.

Q: My caterer says they'll use a "massive extension lead" instead of moving closer to a socket. Is that okay?

No. Long extension leads cause voltage drop (the lights dim, the oven heats more slowly), and they're a trip hazard. A 20-meter lead can lose 5–10% of voltage over its length. If catering equipment is more than 5 meters from a socket, either move the catering setup, run a new temporary circuit, or bring the socket to them. An electrician can install a temporary outdoor socket for £200–400.

Q: What does RCD protection actually do, and why do caterers need it?

An RCD (residual current device) monitors the current flowing out through the live conductor versus the current returning through the neutral. If there's a mismatch (someone touching a live wire, for example), the RCD detects it and cuts power in 30 milliseconds—fast enough to prevent serious injury or death. In a catering environment with water, wet hands, and portable equipment, RCD protection is essential. It's required by law under BS 7671 for socket outlets used for portable equipment in commercial kitchens and event spaces.

Q: Is a caterer's portable generator a safe backup for a power loss?

Not automatically. A portable petrol generator must be installed at least 3 meters from doors, windows, and air intakes (to prevent carbon monoxide ingress). It must be run on a heavy-duty industrial lead, and the supply must be fused and earthed correctly. Many caterers don't have generators because they're noisy, polluting, and require proper installation. If you want backup power, hire a professional events power supplier (they'll provide a generator on a temporary distribution board with proper RCD and earthing). Cost is typically £500–1500 for an event.

Q: What happens if the caterer's equipment causes a fire?

If a fire starts because of faulty catering equipment or unsafe electrical practice, the caterer's public liability insurance should cover it. However, if the venue's electrical infrastructure is at fault (e.g., a circuit not properly rated, or known to be damaged), the venue owner's liability insurance may be involved. To protect yourself: Get an EICR, brief your caterer on electrical hazards, check their PAT certificates, and confirm their public liability insurance covers electrical equipment. Document everything in writing.

---

How Energy North Ltd Can Help

If you're unsure whether your venue's electrical infrastructure is suitable for catering, or you need a temporary circuit installed for an event, get in touch. We can:

• Carry out an EICR to certify your venue's electrical safety
• Install temporary outdoor circuits for catering, compliant with BS 7909
• Advise on power distribution for events
• Supply and certify portable distribution boards with RCD protection
• Test catering equipment PAT on site if needed

We're based in North East England and have worked with venues, event organisers, and catering companies across the region. A consultation costs nothing, and we can often schedule work around your event timeline.

Contact Energy North Ltd: [https://energynorth.uk](https://energynorth.uk)

A small investment in electrical planning beforehand prevents costly failure, guest disappointment, and safety risk on the day.