We deliver anywhere within Colorado. Most of our clients are in the Denver Metro area, but we also cater events for clients as far away as Boulder, Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley and Colorado Springs. You’ll also often see our delivery vans heading to the mountains, coming back from Castle Rock or traveling close to DIA.

We can provide all types of food service. We’re happy to help you choose the best service type for your event

Reception Service.  Receptions are customized for your event and occasion. Small bites are either self-serve (with one or multiple stations) or tray passed. The food can be a light snack or the menu can feature heavier appetizers that feel more like a meal. Guest seating is often not available for receptions, but cocktail tables can be arranged to allow guests to mingle.   

Butlered Hors D’oeuvres Service. Food is placed on trays in the kitchen and passed by servers. This is a typical style of service utilized for upscale receptions. Many of our hors d’oeuvre items can be served butler style.

Buffet Service. Foods are beautifully and strategically arranged on tables. Guests typically serve themselves as they move down the buffet line. Buffets are usually double-sided for larger events to ensure shorter waiting times. Multiple buffet stations can be set up for the largest of events.  Our service staff is available to assist guests back to their tables.

Action Stations. Chefs prepare and serve foods at the buffet or station rather than in the kitchen. Food selections that lend themselves well to action station service include mashed potato bars, fajitas, pastas, grilled meats, omelets, crepes and flaming desserts. This is a great way to add a bit of entertainment to your event!

Cafeteria Service. Setup is similar to a buffet. Guests stand in line but don’t help themselves – they’re served by chefs and/or servers from behind the buffet line.

Plated (American) Service. Guests are seated at tables. Foods are pre-portioned in the kitchen, arranged on plates and served by servers from the left.

Pre-set Service. Some of the food is already on the dining tables when guests are seated. Most common are bread and butter, but often the appetizer will be pre-set as well. For lunches with a limited time frame, occasionally salad and dessert will be pre-set. The main course is usually plated and served after the first course

Yes, absolutely! Our pastry chef is happy to work with you to create a dessert buffet to fit your themed event. Perhaps you’d also like a custom logo topping the desserts at your company event. How about adorning your cake with the portrait of someone special? If you can imagine it, we can do it!

Our business hours vary depending on the events or meetings we have that day. Someone is usually monitoring emails Monday-Friday from approximately 8 am-4:30 pm and periodically on the weekend. If you need to contact someone immediately, you can always give us a call. Urgent messages will be returned as soon as they’re received.

Even if our office is closed, we often have events and deliveries happening, even late at night and very early in the morning. We cater events at all hours. If you need food delivered at midnight, we can arrange for a Twilight order!

Yes! We call these Twilight Orders. Twilight orders between 8 pm and 4 am are available for a minimum order of $2,000 and they include a 25% Service Fee and 18% Gratuity.

We provide catering services on most holidays. Since we’re family owned and operated, we typically don’t cater on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day, although we offer take-and-heat service for delivery the day before these two holidays. Please speak with your event coordinator for more information.

We cater on Easter, Mother’s Day, 4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day and New Year’s Eve. These days tend to book quickly, so be sure to get on our event calendar early! Please note that additional service and labor charges may be applied on holiday bookings. 

To best serve our clients, we require a 72-hour notice for all orders, although we realize that sometimes last-minute needs arise. We’ll do our best to accommodate your last-minute order, but some menu items may not be available. Also, for these last-minute orders, we may need to deliver earlier or later than your requested time. A 25% service fee will be applied for all orders placed less than 24 hours prior to delivery.

Most events may require a 50% deposit of the anticipated balance. Unless other arrangements have been made, the final balance will be due on or before the date of the event, with the exception of weddings in which case the balance must be paid 48 hours prior to the event.

Corporate billing is available and is arranged at the time an order is placed. Often, net payment terms can be negotiated. Payment should be received by the net payment due date.  A 3% late fee will be applied to all invoices that payment has not been received by the due date. Late fees will continue to accrue each billing cycle of non-payment.  Corporate accounts will be provided with a credit limit determined by CW. Once the credit limit is reached, the client will be notified that services will be suspended until payment is received.  All other accounts are due on or before the date of service. Wedding clients are required to make payment in full 48 hours before their reception. Should your invoice remain outstanding for more than 30 days and payment arrangements have not been made, we’ll assess a finance charge of 3% to your balance. We’ll also apply a $50 fee for returned checks, and in these cases the client is responsible for any and all related fees including but not limited to returned check fees, collection and legal expenses and all other costs related to our attempts to resolve debts.

We accept all major credit cards, checks or cash. Please note that a 3% credit card processing fee is assessed to all card payments.

Please let us know what your budget is and what your menu preferences are. We’ll do our best to help create wonderful menus that meet your budget requirements.

Delivery times are typically scheduled 30 minutes prior to the time guests arrive or the time they plan on eating. Timing may vary depending on location, menu, quantity, and other factors.  Please allow for a 15-minute grace period on either side of our delivery time when scheduling your order. Although our team takes steps to provide on-time arrival, situations may arise that are not within our control.  Factors outside of our control such as traffic delays, accidents, or poor weather conditions may impact our arrival time.  In the event that our drivers may arrive late, Culinary WAVE will make an attempt to notify the client of the anticipated arrival time by phone or email. 

Equipment pick-up times require a 2-hour window. Typical pick-up windows are usually 1PM-3PM or 2pm-4pm. If your event requires us to pick up our items by a specific time, please let the office know. We will do our best to accommodate your request, but will not guarantee that we can meet the timing deadline without scheduling additional staff. In this case, exact-time pick-ups are available for an additional fee. Upon pick up, if our pick-up staff is denied access to collect our equipment and is required to wait longer than 10 minutes, or is required to make a second trip, additional labor charges will be applied to the final invoice. 

All equipment should remain in the delivery area unless prior arrangements are made. If all items are not removed upon pick up due to items being removed from the setup area, an additional pick-up may need to be scheduled resulting in a second pick-up fee. 

Any pick-up scheduled for after 5pm will include a late-night pick-up fee.  To avoid this fee, clients are welcome to schedule a next-day pickup or request that food is placed in disposable trays, bowls, etc., to eliminate the need for a pick-up.  Next-day pick-ups are usually scheduled before 9AM, but depending on our catering schedule, pick-ups may need to be done in the afternoon. 

Staffing is required at events with china servings, plated sit-down dinners and functions with passed hors d’oeuvres. Larger events typically require staffing, too, but this varies depending on the menu, location and the number of guests. Our event planner will work with you to make sure your event is adequately staffed for the best possible experience.

Yes, we assess a service charge for all staffed events, all larger events and some corporate events depending on each event’s requirements. This fee covers some of the back-end costs that go into executing your event such as insurance, administrative costs related to planning your event, vehicle and equipment maintenance, utilities and similar overhead operational costs that aren’t itemized on your invoice.

One of our company’s core values is to provide a living wage for our employees. Gratuities are always appreciated by our staff to supplement their wages. Any gratuity bestowed goes to the delivery person and/or service staff that directly contributed to the success of your event. Tips are divided among them at the discretion of management.
All staffed events will include an 18% gratuity on the invoice, but payment of the gratuity remains at the discretion of the client. Invoices paid by credit card will include the 18% gratuity unless we’re notified in writing by noon on the day of the event to revise this amount.

Culinary WAVE’s catering staff members are a key component to a successful event. Our service staff will set up tables, chairs, linens, buffets and food and beverage stations to prepare for your event. During the event, they’ll keep buffets and drink stations replenished and clean, clear plates, refill drinks, empty trash cans and assist you and your guests with anything they may need.
Field chefs are utilized to cook on site, put special finishing touches on your menu items, staff carving and live-action stations, plate the meals and make sure the highest quality of food service is achieved.
Captains or event managers are essential to weddings, special events and large events. These professionals communicate with venue representatives to make sure venue rules are being followed and they also oversee our staff while making sure timelines are followed. Captains are there to seamlessly handle any situation that may arise.
If your event has specific service requirements not listed above, please let us know what you need! We’re happy to provide custom services. Our staff goes above and beyond to make your event memorable!

Culinary WAVE Catering is known for beautiful catered food presentations. We believe that awesome displays should be standard! Food/beverage stations and buffets are always set up with creativity, elevation, basic complimentary linens and the highest attention to detail. We also provide menu signage so your guests know exactly what they’re about to experience.

Yes! Tastings of your menu selections are currently provided via delivery and can be arranged by your event coordinator. Tastings are typically arranged for up to four guests and start at $40 person. Once you book your event, 50% of these tasting fees will be applied to your balance due. Tastings are intended to provide clients with a sampling of the proposed menu and are not full entrée portions. For appetizers, 2-3 options may be included. For entrees, we typically provide 1-2 protein choices, 1 starch, 1 vegetable and 1 salad offering. Some menu items, such as prime rib, are not available for tastings.

As caterers, by law we’re not allowed to sell alcohol. We do carry liquor liability insurance, though, and can serve alcohol that you bring in, set up a bar and provide a bartender for open bars. We are unable to bartend for cash bars. Our event coordinators are happy to arrange for alcohol to be delivered to your event through one of our vendors, but you must pay the vendor directly. All required permits are the responsibility of the client.

No, we’re happy to open all bottles as a standard service.

Nothing! Our staff members have exceptional cake-cutting skills. Even if your cake is provided by another vendor, we’re happy to take care of this at no additional cost. Please let us know upon booking your event if you’d like this service so our staff is prepared with the appropriate specialized tools.