Ellington Catering
Sliced steak prepared for catered dinner service

Catering services

Your event, cared for from first idea to final plate.

With over 27 years of experience, we help shape celebrations that feel personal, polished, and easy to enjoy.

Your checklist

A useful place to begin.

You do not need every answer before reaching out. These six details simply help us give you clearer guidance and a more accurate proposal.

Start an event requestView the catering menu
  1. 01

    Choose your wedding or event date and reception timeframe

  2. 02

    Select a venue

  3. 03

    Estimate your guest count

  4. 04

    Consider appetizer options and a preferred meal-service style

  5. 05

    Establish your working budget

  6. 06

    Begin selecting menu favorites

Pricing & packages

Built around your gathering.

Every event is one of a kind. Pricing is based on guest count, venue location, menu selections, staffing requirements, and service style. Share those details in the event request and we’ll build a proposal around your vision and budget.

Request a custom proposal

Flexible by design

Service options

From a relaxed drop-off meal to a fully staffed plated dinner, we shape service around the pace and personality of your event.

Appetizers & displays

  • Stationary food displaysElegant tables featuring beautifully arranged, ready-to-enjoy bites.
  • Stationary hors d’oeuvresA variety of hors d’oeuvres available for guests to enjoy at their leisure.
  • Passed hors d’oeuvresHors d’oeuvres served to guests throughout the space by uniformed staff.
  • Interactive stationsSelf-serve or chef-attended stations that let guests customize their selections.
  • Grazing tablesA generous, artfully arranged self-serve display of assorted foods.

Meal service styles

  • Drop-off serviceWe deliver and set up the food, then leave you to enjoy the gathering.
  • Guest-service buffetGuests serve themselves while our team keeps the buffet full; it can be paired with a station.
  • Full-service buffetOur team serves guests from the buffet line, keeps it full throughout service, and can pair the buffet with a station.
  • Family-style dinnerShared platters are presented at each table to encourage conversation and connection.
  • Plated dinner serviceA formal presentation with individually plated meals served to each guest.

Set the table

Dinnerware options

Choose a practical foundation or a more formal place setting. Final quantities and labor are confirmed with your proposal.

Standard Dinnerware

$1.95 per person
  • Sugarcane plates for social hour, dinner, and dessert
  • Silver plastic utensils
  • White paper napkins
  • Clear 10 oz. plastic cups

Clear Plastic Dinnerware

$3.95 per person
  • Clear plastic plates for social hour, dinner, and dessert
  • Silver plastic utensils
  • White paper napkins
  • Clear 10 oz. plastic cups

China-Like Dinnerware

$5.95 per person
  • Elegant white plastic plates with a silver or gold rim for social hour, salad, dinner, and dessert
  • Clear 10 oz. plastic cups
  • Gold or silver plastic utensils wrapped in heavy white napkins
  • White paper napkins for social hour

Premium China-Like Dinnerware

$8.95 per person
  • Elegant white plastic plates with a silver or gold rim for social hour, salad, dinner, and dessert
  • Clear 10 oz. plastic cups and silver or gold plastic forks for social hour
  • Glass water glasses for dinner
  • Stainless steel utensils for dinner and dessert
  • White cloth napkins
  • White paper napkins for social hour
  • Wine glasses for the bar
Dinnerware add-ons and handling
  • Real glass water glasses — $1.00 per person
  • Real glass wine glasses — $1.00 per person
  • Stainless steel utensils — $1.00 per piece
  • Cloth napkins, white or black — $1.50 per person
  • Tablecloths, white or black — $15.00 per cloth
  • China or glass rental handling — $3.00 per person, plus any required labor

Raise a glass

Beverage service

We can provide the service pieces, setup, and staffing. Clients supply and deliver all alcohol.

Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Priced per person or item

Tea, lemonade, and water are presented in acrylic self-serve dispensers with cups and napkins.

  • Unsweet tea & water — $1.75 per person
  • Unsweet tea, lemonade & water — $3.75 per person
  • Sweet tea & water — $2.75 per person
  • Sweet tea, lemonade & water — $4.75 per person
  • Bottled water — $1.50 per bottle
  • Assorted canned soda — $1.50 per can
  • 10 oz. hard plastic cups — $0.75 per person

Coffee Service

$3.75 per person

Regular and decaf coffee with sugar, sugar substitutes, creamers, paper cups with lids, and stirrers.

Glassware Rental

$1.25 per stem

Choose 8 oz. universal wine glasses or champagne flutes.

Beer & Wine Service

$5.00 per person

Includes ice, cooler, napkins, bar equipment, and 10 oz. plastic cups. Clients supply and deliver all alcohol; bartender labor is additional.

  • Bartender labor includes one hour of setup, the client-selected bar-service time, and one hour of cleanup
  • Travel time is added for venues more than 15 miles from Farmville
  • Recommended staffing: one bartender per 75 guests

Full Bar Service

$10.00 per person

Includes ice, cooler, napkins, bar equipment, 10 oz. plastic cups, mixers, and garnishes. Clients supply and deliver all alcohol; bartender labor is additional.

  • Mixers: Coke, Diet Coke, ginger ale, orange juice, cranberry juice, tonic, and soda water
  • Garnishes: lemons and limes
  • Bartender labor includes one hour of setup, the client-selected bar-service time, and one hour of cleanup
  • Travel time is added for venues more than 15 miles from Farmville
  • Recommended staffing: one bartender per 50 guests

Staffing rates

Bartenders — $45 per hourChefs — $45 per hourFood service staff — $40 per hour

Staffing is billed from two hours before the event for setup through one hour after the event for cleanup.

Additional staff may be required for full bars, specialty drink stations, or glassware service.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

How far will you travel?

We cater events within approximately one hour of Farmville, Virginia. Because of logistics, we prefer not to service locations beyond that timeframe.

What do you need for a custom quote?

Complete the catering event request form with your date, venue, guest count, service style, menu ideas, and budget. That gives us what we need to tailor a useful proposal.

Do you provide alcohol?

We do not supply or purchase alcohol. We can help estimate quantities and can provide professional bartenders, bar equipment, coolers, ice, mixers, and garnishes for an additional fee.

When will your team arrive?

Timing varies by event, but the team generally arrives about two hours before the scheduled start to complete setup.

How do I reserve my date?

A non-refundable $500 deposit reserves the event date and is applied to the final balance. Menu choices, guest count, and services may still be updated, but the date and location must remain the same once booked.

Will I receive a contract?

Yes. After booking, you will receive a Catering Contract and Catering Event Summary detailing the menu, services, and timeline.

Do you offer tastings?

Yes. Tastings are complimentary for up to four guests and include up to ten menu items. Additional guests are $35 each. They last approximately one hour and are scheduled after 12 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays, and select Sundays at 915 South Main Street in Farmville.

What food-safety measures do you follow?

Our team holds ServSafe certification, including ServSafe Food Protection Manager certification. Food is prepared in a licensed facility inspected annually by the local health department, and we stay current with Virginia food-safety regulations.

What does full-service staffing include?

Our team sets up food stations, maintains cleanliness, assists guests and hosts, buses tables, removes trash, and packs leftover food and catering equipment. Leftovers are packed in disposable containers, but Ellington Catering cannot be responsible for food safety or quality after the event concludes.

What does the 20% service fee cover?

It supports event management, consultations, travel, insurance, catering equipment, serving tools, kitchen use and maintenance, sanitation supplies, chafing fuel, gloves, uniforms, pre-event preparation, and post-event cleanup.

Is gratuity included?

Gratuity is not included. It is optional and should reflect appreciation for the team’s service. It may be provided on the event day or added to the final invoice and is distributed among the staff.

Payments & timing

A clear path to your event day.

  • A non-refundable $500 deposit reserves the event date.
  • After the menu is finalized and the contract is signed, 50% of the estimated total based on the projected guest count is due.
  • Final guest count, menu changes, and the remaining balance are due 14 days before the event.
  • For cancellations fewer than 90 days before the event, 50% of the deposit is returned, excluding the non-refundable $500 reservation deposit.
  • Cash, credit card, and check are accepted.
  • A 5.3% sales tax and 7% meals tax apply to every item.
  • A 20% management fee applies to full-service events and covers the event manager, equipment, display pieces, transportation fuel, insurance, catering and bar equipment, licenses, and food-table skirting.

Let’s gather

Ready when you are.

Share what you know so far. We’ll help you make the next decision.Start an event request