Eatertainment is a local catering company designed around more exciting and interesting menus, better series and more unique entertainment. If you are looking to provide your event with exceptional and innovative service Eatertainment is well worth checking out. We caught up with founders Sebastien and Sheila Centner to learn more.
What is your business called and what does it do?
Our business is Eatertainment Events and Catering. Eatertainment is a leading event planning and catering company based in Toronto but providing event solutions across North America
What made you want to do this work?
Sebastien: My mother was French from Paris and she loved hosting! My parents sort of ‘fell’ into the hospitality business after successful careers in other industries and rarely was there a night that my mother wasn’t hosting family, friends, artists, musicians, or sometimes all the above. We grew up in the middle of a party and my mother’s passion for entertaining rubbed off on me. I worked in tech right out of University but it was only a matter of months before the hospitality business drew me back while running restaurants was never my passion, planning and throwing events was so I launched our catering division (we did about 15 events that first year) and 25 years later I’m still doing it (albeit for about 500-600 events a year now)!
What problem did you want to solve with the business?
Sheila: When Eatertainment was first launched the landscape of catering in Toronto was pretty boring. There were maybe 3 or 4 companies out there and they all served the same stuff. If you’re old enough you probably remember being served chicken satay skewers with peanut sauce or rice paper rolls at every event. We wanted to change that and bring innovation and a European flair to hosting parties. More exciting interesting menus, better service, more unique entertainment, etc, etc. Now the landscape has completely changed and Toronto has some of the most innovative events in the world. We like to think Eatetainment played a small part in raising the bar.
Who are your clientele/demographics?
Sebastien: We’ve never believed in focusing on just one segment of the market. Our clients are Fortune 500 Companies, small start-ups, brides and grooms, and almost anyone celebrating a milestone, a launch, or anything in between. We have a long list of clients we’ve worked with from Red Bull to BMW to TD Bank to Chanel to … the list goes on. Because we offer event concept and planning services and catering we’ve create a unique business that has found a niche with corporate and social clients alike. Most of our local business in Toronto is split between corporate and social but our national and international business is almost exclusively brands and large companies.
How does your business make money? How does it work?
Sebastien: If we spend less than we bring in we make money 🙂 – all kidding aside it’s a tough business since margins in all areas (food, beverage, staffing, rentals, etc, etc,) are all very tight and often we are selling someone products and services months ahead of time so we have to commit to pricing which we know our costs will increase on. We do this by being fiscally responsible and following a simple rule that my mother (who was our CFO when we started) always had – if you don’t have the money to pay for something then don’t buy it. We are tremendously proud to be one of only a few companies in our industry who ALWAYS pay our suppliers, partners and staff ON TIME EVERY TIME! To be fiscally responsible we need to charge appropriately for our products and services and we stand behind the value we deliver. We’ve all heard the saying ‘you get what you pay for’ and when it comes to catering nothing could be more true!
Where in the city can we find your profession?
Sheila: Anywhere where great events are hosted. We offer our services in people’s homes, but the vast majority of events take place in venues across the city (and country). In Toronto to name only a few venues where Eatertainment can host your event; The Design Exchange, Globe & Mail Centre, Roy Thomson Hall, The Hockey Hall of Fame, SteamWhistle, Ripley’s Aquarium…and many many more. Here are all our venues
What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Give the answer as well.
Sheila: What makes Eatertainment different from other event and catering companies? We love being asked this question….The answer… you might expect us to talk about how our food is better than anyone’s (and we think it is) but there are some other great catering companies in Toronto too. Where we especially stand out if our focus on innovation and quality. We are constantly evolving; our menus, our presentation, our concepts and our services looking to continue to offer our clients industry-leading products and services that often our competitors love to imitate (it’s the highest form of flattery so we are honoured when that happens.
What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?
Sebastien: The best part – seeing another successful event come together. Seeing that bride smiling from ear-to-ear at the end of the night, getting that email from a corporate client raving about their event last night (and booking their next one). There is a sense of pride and satisfaction that comes with what we do that makes all the hard work worthwhile.
Sheila: The worst part – the long hours. This is not an industry for the faint of heart. The team at Eatertainment are some of the most passionate individuals I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and they are also the hardest working. You don’t get into this business for the money, you do it because of what Seb said above!
What is your favourite joke about your own profession?
Sheila: Why did the caterer get kicked out of the math class? Because he couldn’t stop adding thyme!
Sebastien: How many event planners does it take to fix a … DONE!
Sheila: How do you organize a space party? You PLANET.
Where can we follow you?
@sebandsheila @sebcentner @sheilacentner @eatertainment
PAY IT FORWARD: What is another local business that you love?
Coulter Wright – The Pad – Toronto’s first padel club – opened last year on Cherry Street to bring this new sport to Toronto and him and his team are amazing people and doing some great things to make the city more interesting.
Craig Wong and Ivy Lam – the husband and wife team behind Patois and lots of other great restaurants. They are amazing human beings and super talented.
Blooms Plus – an amazing small business with two floral shops in Toronto run by Mikie and her family. So talented and lovely to work with.
