The post-funeral reception has been a long-standing tradition in our community. It is a time for people to meet and greet each other, some of whom they haven't seen for years. This is especially true if there has not been an evening gathering. The reception becomes the only chance for people to socialize. The formality of the service is over, and food and drink tends to relax people so they can be more themselves, and share the thoughts and emotions they have. At a funeral reception, tears are seldom seen - instead we hear laughter and stories. For generations this gathering was typically held in the family home, but today families are looking for other locations for the reception.

          Within our company, we have never wished to compete with the many church groups, legions, banquet facilities, hotels and restaurants that already provide quality reception facilities. That is their area of expertise, and their livelihood. Many of them are struggling to survive in our present economy. For many of the churches, funeral receptions have been an important source of income for the church, and a social event for the ladies. Likewise, for many families, when there is a legion or service club connection, there is not a fee for the reception. When that is the case, why would they want to pay us for such a service? However, when we built our Westfort Chapel we knew that eventually we would add a formal reception hall to the building due to public demand.

          For years we have assisted families with making arrangements for funeral receptions. We can even offer special reception packages for local facilities, which are only available at a discounted price for our client families. We will provide a family with direction, or make the necessary arrangements on their behalf.

          For those families who wish to hold everything in our facilities, we do host funeral receptions on site. Because we do not have a formal reception hall, there are some limitations, but we are most willing to accommodate families as they wish, and they seem to appreciate our efforts. When we host receptions, the family has a choice of caterers. We will make suggestions (refer to the section on Catering), and can act on the families behalf to order the food. We charge a nominal fee to cover the further use of our facilities, the staffing, our supplies, and the post-reception housekeeping (imagine 100 or more people eating and drinking in your home). Beyond the obvious staff and facilities, we then furnish the coffee, tea, juice, cups, plates, utensils, and napkins.

The "Waverley Chapel" - At our Waverley location, funeral receptions can be held either in our upstairs coffee / smoking lounge, or our mainfloor visitation areas. Upstairs we can comfortably accommodate 40-50 people, and on the mainfloor 80 or so. If the family wishes, we can utilize both areas for the same cost, and we find that people roam around and visit anyway. Ultimately, we can easily handle more people in our building than most families can in their own homes. Likewise, if they used their home they would likely be spread out in multiple rooms and on more than one floor anyway.

The "Westfort Chapel" - At our Westfort Chapel, because the funeral home is built all on one level, funeral receptions can make use of the entire building. Refreshments are located in several areas, and we find that people roam around, visiting, more than they would if they were in a more formal banquet hall setting. While we may find it awkward, we have handled receptions for up to 375 people without any complaints from our visitors.

          While we would prefer to have separate reception halls, until the time when it is practical for us to build additional facilities, our current practice works well, it is better use of our existing facilities, and our client families seem to appreciate our efforts and the options.

          To the people who rely on receptions as part of their livelihood, we would ask that you understand that we are fulfilling requests from our clients, not intentionally crossing over into your business.

OUR CATERING SERVICES and SUGGESTIONS:

          At Everest of Thunder Bay, we do not instruct families where they must / should purchase the food for their reception.  We are not a licensed food establishment, and therefore cannot directly handle or prepare food.  Likewise, we do not wish to compete with the various church groups and quality catering services already available in our community.  Therefore, we recommend that families make their own arrangements directly with the caterer of their choice.  That will help ensure that you receive exactly what you want and are expecting.  We will be pleased to assist you by answering your questions, and by providing helpful guidance. 

          If you do not have a preference of your own, we can either direct you to a reputable caterer, or assist you by making the arrangements on your behalf.  If we do handle the responsibility for arranging for the food, we do reserve the right to add a nominal markup on the after-tax cost of the food, to cover our time and liability.

          For families that are hosting funeral receptions in a private home, we offer use of our coffee urns and folding chairs.  There is no additional cost for use of our equipment, and we would be pleased to deliver them to your home and pick them up after the reception.  We can also recommend a reputable janitorial service, for post-reception cleaning if required.

For the safety and convenience of your family and friends, based on our experience over the years, may we make the following suggestions:

- While sandwich trays may cost slightly more, they are much more neat and sanitary than buns and meat trays.  They are also much more cost-effective due to less wasted food.

- If you do have buns, please ensure that they are pre-sliced.  For public health reasons, we cannot be responsible for slicing them, and it is far safer than having a sharp knife available for people to cut their own.

- Due to an ever-increasing number of nut allergies, please ensure that all food is nut-free.  This is especially important when friends are bringing food, and ingredient labels are not available for inspection.  This will help protect your family and friends from a potential tragedy, and will allow everyone to partake in the reception.

- Leftover food need not be wasted.  Please feel free to take it home with you, or we can deliver it to one of the local soup kitchens (ie: Shelter House or the Dew Drop Inn).

          Thank you for visiting our web-site.  If you have any questions or comments, plese do not hesitate to contact us.

 - John-Bryan Gardiner, Vice-President, Managing Partner.