Cinq Sens

Cinq Sens is a caterer based at Rue de l'Industrie 6 in Fontaines, in the canton of Neuchâtel, run by the company Cinq Sens Sàrl. It caters weddings, family parties and company events at the venue of your choice, and it can supply the service staff, the tableware and linen, and the decoration along with the food.

A caterer with several kitchens behind it

The site's menu shows that catering is one part of a wider business. Alongside the Cinq Sens catering service, the company lists MIDI CINQ (a staff restaurant and a distributor of ready-cooked meals), L'Éveil des Sens (school catering), La Halle des Sens (a restaurant and seminar room), and a Manifestation line with a traveling restaurant and a stand. There is also an online shop, and the Notre société section has pages on the company's history and philosophy. For a couple, that range signals an organization that cooks every day and handles volume, not a one-off events team.

How it approaches a wedding

The catering page says the service creates your event to measure, adapted to your tastes and wishes. It names the settings it works in: "Du charme d'un château à une maison de Maître en bord de lac en passant par une salle villageoise, votre salon ou votre jardin" (from the charm of a castle to a lakeside manor house, by way of a village hall, your living room or your garden). The team, it says, will give your day the sparkle of an exceptional day.

The wedding paragraph opens with the quotation "Le plus beau jour de votre vie" (the most beautiful day of your life) and says that "Du vin d'honneur à la pièce montée, chaque détail a son importance": from the vin d'honneur, the reception drink after the ceremony, to the pièce montée, the traditional tiered wedding cake, every detail matters. The company promises to put its full experience to work so that the wedding is a complete success.

On money, the page makes a claim that matters to a couple budgeting from abroad: its experience lets it budget your event "sans surprise", without surprises. It also says, "Nous vous garantissons une prestation professionnelle à la hauteur de vos exigences" (we guarantee you a professional service that meets your standards).

The formats

The list of services shows how a wedding day can be built:

• Apéritif. A "festival de fines pièces" (festival of fine bites) presented on original platters, with fresh products and an artisan tradition.
• Cocktail dînatoire. A standing meal where guests compose their own plate, with a wide choice of culinary stations.
• Repas à table. A seated meal at the venue of your choice, with a menu made to measure.
• Repas en buffet. Themed buffets with a wide choice of products and a more relaxed touch.
• Barbecue. The "barbecue Cinq Sens", with rack of lamb, salmon steak and grilled eggplant among the examples.
• Livraison. Several dishes can be taken away or delivered.

The same list covers seminars, product launches, team building (as cooking classes or a "top chef" contest), company parties and family parties.

Staff, tableware and décor

The "Service & organisation" section is the most useful for a couple planning from a distance. Service staff are chosen to reflect the company's values of professionalism, friendliness and dynamism, and they run the event entirely so that you can enjoy your meal.

On tableware and linen, the page gives a practical warning: few halls are fully equipped with suitable, up-to-date material, so tableware has to be planned. Cinq Sens can offer everything from quality porcelain to ecological single-use tableware. For decoration and furniture, it says it can advise, from a simple floral arrangement to a complete concept around your theme, and call on its partners for their advice.

Venues it knows

Under "Traiteur agréé" (approved caterer), the company says it can advise on a location according to your wishes and the region you want, and propose privileged places for an exclusive event. It is referenced with a list of venues: Stade de la Maladière in Neuchâtel (where it is the official caterer), Moulin de Bayerel in Engollon, Chartreuse de la Lance in Concise, Von Rutte-Gut in Sutz-Lattringen, Domaine de Chambleau in Colombier, Château de Boudry, Abbaye de Bevaix, Caveau des Deux Tilleuls in Saint-Blaise, Porte des Iris in Vullierens, La Halle des Sens and La Maison Blanche in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the Salle de spectacles in Saint-Aubin-Sauges, Château d'Eclépens, Domaine d'Aucrêt in Cully, Restaurant Pont-de-Thielle in Thielle, Château de Grandson, Château de Cormondrèche and Château Le Rosey in Bursins.

That list is a genuine help for a couple who have not yet found a venue. Being referenced at a place is not the same as running it, so the booking of the venue itself stays with the venue.

Contact and booking

The page offers a "Demande d'offre" (quote request) and a contact link, and asks you to describe your project so the team can propose an offer suited to your wishes and budget. It also invites you to ask for the "carte de base", a base menu that is not exhaustive but meant to inspire, after which the team suggests meeting to define your expectations. The footer gives the phone as 032 854 21 00 and the fax as 032 854 21 09.

What the site leaves open

The page publishes no prices, no minimum or maximum guest numbers and no lead time, and it gives no email address in the text. The site is in French and says nothing about English. A couple who do not speak French should use the quote request form, keep the message simple, and ask whether planning can continue in English.

Who it suits

Cinq Sens suits couples marrying around Neuchâtel, or at one of the venues on its list, who want one supplier to handle food, staff, tableware and décor, whether the venue is a castle, a village hall or a garden. The venue list is a real asset for a couple still searching. The formats also stretch both ways: the barbecue and themed buffets make a relaxed summer party possible, while the seated meal, the vin d'honneur and the pièce montée cover a classic formal day. The caveats are the French-only site and the absence of published prices, which means waiting for the base menu and a quote before comparing.