What a Film Catering Day Actually Looks Like — From Call Sheet to Wrap

If you have never hired a location caterer before, the whole thing can look opaque. The call sheet shows times. The contract shows numbers. But what actually happens on the day? When does the kitchen show up? When does breakfast finish? Who handles the bin bags at wrap? Here is a complete walkthrough of a typical Salt Wind film catering day in Cornwall — start to finish.

Pre-Shoot — The Day Before

The catering day actually starts the night before. We confirm crew numbers with the production coordinator. We confirm dietary requirements. We confirm the call sheet (specifically: crew call time, breakfast service window, lunch window, expected wrap). We confirm location access — which gate, which car park, which field.

The vehicles are loaded by 6pm the night before. Fresh produce, dry goods, gas bottles, water containers, kitchen kit, gazebos, service equipment. Nothing is left to the morning. The fridge van is on cool overnight. We sleep early.

3:30am — On the Road

For a 6am crew call we leave Redruth at around 4am. For a 5am crew call it's 3am. The driver knows the route, including any single-track diversions or weight-restricted bridges that satnav might not flag.

5:00am — Arriving at Unit Base

We arrive 60 to 90 minutes before crew call. The kitchen team starts setup immediately. Gazebos go up in 15 minutes. Service tables are positioned. Gas is connected and lit. Water containers are positioned. The hot drinks station is the first thing live — we want coffee brewing before anyone else arrives.

The vehicles are repositioned out of the way of the production trucks. By 5:45am the kitchen is fully operational.

6:00am — Breakfast Service Opens

Crew arrives in convoy. The first thing they want is hot coffee — that's already pouring. Bacon and sausage are on the griddle. Eggs are being cooked to order. The vegan cooked breakfast is on its own separate griddle, fully stocked.

Service runs for 60 minutes. Crew flows through, gets fed, and is at base camp ready for the first setup by 7am. Stragglers and late call departments get fed in a second wave. The kitchen does not close at the end of the official window — bacon rolls and hot drinks stay available.

9:00am — Mid-Morning Standby Live

Standby station is fully stocked and live. Pastries restocked. Hot drinks topped up. Fruit refilled. The first bacon roll run goes to set at around 10am — we walk a tray of hot rolls to the shooting position so departments who can't break to base camp still get fed.

The kitchen is now in lunch prep mode. Mains are being prepped, sides are being assembled, the lunch line is being set up. Crew should not see this happening — they should just see the standby station running smoothly.

12:30pm — Lunch Service

Lunch is the main hot meal of the day. Service runs 60 to 90 minutes in a rolling window so departments can break in waves. Typical menu structure: two hot mains (one meat, one vegetarian/vegan), three sides, salad bar, fresh bread, dessert, and the hot drinks station still going.

Departments break per the call sheet. Camera goes first usually, then sound, then construction and supporting departments. Cast and supporting artists eat at unit base too — the production decides who eats when. We feed everyone.

By 2pm lunch service is done. The kitchen reverts to between-meals mode. Standby station is restocked. Hot drinks back to full capacity. The lunch line is broken down and the kitchen team starts prep for any evening or night-shoot meal if the schedule needs one.

3:30pm — Afternoon Standby Surge

The afternoon energy dip is real. Crew has been working since 6am and is into hour 9 of a 12-hour day. We add hot snacks to the standby station — soup, hot wraps, stuffed pastries — alongside the usual cold offering. A second hot drinks push happens around 4pm.

If there is a night shoot continuing past official wrap, we run a second hot meal at around 7pm — sometimes called a 'turnaround meal' — to keep crew fuelled through the late hours.

6:30pm — Wrap Approaching

The 1st AD calls last looks, the final shot is set up, and crew starts to think about wrap. Standby stays open until the last department leaves. Hot drinks are still flowing. Bacon rolls and snacks are still being made for the camera team breaking down equipment. We do not pack down while crew is still working.

7:30pm — Pack Down

As soon as crew is wrapped and clear of base camp, we start the pack-down. Service tables come down. Gazebos come down. Kitchen equipment is cleaned, packed, and loaded. Bins are sealed and loaded out — we take all our waste with us, we never leave it on location.

Pack down takes 60 to 90 minutes for a standard service. The unit base is left exactly as we found it — no food waste, no packaging, no scorch marks where the gas burner was.

9:00pm — Back to Base

We are usually back at the Redruth kitchen by 9pm. Equipment is unloaded, washed, and prepped for the next day. Production gets a quick text confirming wrap and any feedback we picked up from crew. Then the team finally eats dinner.

The Numbers Behind a Day

For a 50-crew shoot, a typical Salt Wind catering day involves: a kitchen team of three to four, a service window from 5:30am to 7:30pm (14 hours on base), three meal services plus continuous standby, around 200 hot drinks served, and around 350 to 400 individual food items prepared and served.

None of this is glamorous. All of it has to work first time, every time.

Why This Matters for Production Coordinators

If you are coordinating a shoot and have never worked with a location caterer before, the value is in the things you don't have to think about. You don't run the breakfast service yourself. You don't restock the standby station. You don't manage dietary requirements at the meal break. You don't handle the bin bags at wrap. The catering team handles all of it, freeing the production office to focus on the actual shoot.

The right caterer arrives before you do, sets up without instruction, runs the full day on autopilot, and disappears at wrap. That is the brief.

Frequently Asked Questions — Film Catering Day Process

How early do you arrive on base?

60 to 90 minutes before crew call. For a 6am crew call we are on base by 5am at the latest. For a 5am call it's 4am.

How long does breakfast service last?

Official breakfast service is 60 minutes. In practice the hot drinks station and bacon rolls stay available until lunch — we don't slam the door at the end of the window.

Who handles waste at wrap?

We do. We bag and remove all our own catering waste — food packaging, food scraps, used disposables. The unit base is left as we found it.

What happens if a department needs to skip lunch due to shoot demands?

We hold hot meals back, send hot wraps and snacks to set, or feed them at standby with full hot food when they can break. Nobody on a Salt Wind shoot misses a meal.

Get a Quote for Film Catering in Cornwall or Devon

Send the call sheet, location postcode, and crew numbers and we will quote a full day's service. Call 01209 206255 or email [email protected]. Based in Redruth, covering Cornwall and Devon as standard.