Having a Friday night dinner after services at Beth Sholom can be a lovely way to begin your Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebration.  Following are some items to consider when making your plans:

• Contact Debby Zaffos in the Beth Sholom office as soon as you decide that you want to have your dinner there to reserve the room.  Refer to the enclosed schedule of rental fees to determine what costs are involved.
• Let Debby know whether you want to have your dinner in the social hall upstairs or the Curtis Hereld Room downstairs.  (Recommendation:  if you’re not having more than 50 or so people, the Curtis Hereld room has a more intimate feel.)
• Occasionally, a shul group will plan to have a Friday night dinner at the same time as yours.  This should not be a problem, as both the social hall and the Curtis Hereld room can be used simultaneously.  Just check with Debby to find out where your food should be stored and how the kitchens will be shared.
• Decide whether you want to have a fully catered meal or whether you want to have food dropped off by a caterer.  In either case, the actual food needs to be delivered to Beth Sholom no later than 3 pm on Friday.  (It’s actually preferable to have it delivered by noon, while Debby is still in the office.)
• Make sure that all of the food for Friday night dinner is labeled properly and you let Debby know where it is.  This is especially important if you’re not using one caterer for all of your weekend meals.
• All food should be double wrapped to keep it from spilling in the ovens as it is warmed up.
• If you’re having food dropped off rather than catered, you will be responsible for setting the tables. serving the food, and clearing off the tables.  (Strong recommendation:  get the food dropped off and hire a couple of servers.  You’ll save a lot of money over a fully catered meal, but you’ll still be able to relax and be served.)
  1. One service that provides servers for hire is Preferred Staffing at 201-750-1422.  They should be able to provide professionals who will make your evening more enjoyable.
  2. If you choose to use agency for your servers, make sure they are insured. Only insured servers may work here.
• You are responsible for providing the paper goods and serving utensils (easily available at a place like Party City).  If you want to use Beth Sholom’s cloth tablecloths, you are responsible for either getting them cleaned or paying a fee to the shul to get them cleaned.
• If you’re having hot soup with a meat meal, you can use the big soup pot and ladle from Beth Sholom.
• Talk to Debby about getting the ovens turned on and the food heated.  A custodian will be in the building through the evening, so he can turn the ovens on at the correct time and, in most cases, put the food into the ovens at the appropriate time.  (Ask your caterer what time the food should go in.  This may differ dramatically with the time of year.)  Because this isn’t part of the custodian’s normal duties, it’s a good idea to give him a gratuity for providing this service.
• Talk to Debby about the number of people and the actual food being served throughout the weekend (i.e., meat, dairy, or pareve) so she can determine which ovens and how many need to be used.
• The custodial staff is responsible for putting out the tables, removing the tables from the room, and cleaning the floor after the dinner.  A custodial fee is included in the rental fees for this service.
• Once you have a final headcount for your Friday night dinner (but not later than Monday of the simcha week), meet with Debby to discuss the layout you want for your tables.  You’ll create a diagram for the custodial staff to make sure that the tables are placed where you want them and with the right number of chairs at each table.
• Let Debby know how many people you are expecting to arrive in time for Friday night services.  The service is typically held in the Beit Midrash.  If you have a large number of guests, however, it will be held in the sanctuary.
• Relax and enjoy yourself!  Your simcha is just beginning!