Your chocolate fountain rental includes: The amount of chocolate specified in your rental package (see the “Rent a Fountain” page); unlimited wooden skewers; an attendant who acts as a “Chocolate Concierge” by monitoring the fountain, demonstrating proper dipping etiquette, answering any questions, keeping the area clean, promoting good fun, and keeping dipping items and chocolate stocked); and pre-printed napkins (upon request).
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We do all the work for you! We arrive no later than 45 minutes prior to start time to ensure that your guests will smell the sweet aroma of the chocolate as they enter the room. Once the event is over we'll dismantle and take it away. You will only have to enjoy your event!
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Although Fondue á la Fontaine is occasionally available on short notice, we recommend that you book as early as possible so that your date is on our calendar. Brides begin booking their vendors as far out as one year in advance, and dates around the year-end holiday season tend to fill up quickly.
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A $150 deposit (that is refundable up to three weeks before your event) is required to hold your date. Reservations are limited and are available on a first come, first served basis. Should your event be cancelled under the three week window, your deposit will be non-refundable, but you can utilize the deposit towards a future event subject to Fondue á la Fontaine's availability. Balances must be paid in full three weeks prior to your event.
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Our package includes 3 hours of fountain enjoyment. This time frame does not include the time for set-up or breakdown. We require at least ½ hour before and after your event to set-up and remove the fountain which should be plenty of time for your guests to enjoy this unique experience! View our on-line contract for additional rates outside of the allotted 3 hour time frame.
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The Chocolate Fountain requires a 120 volt grounded electrical outlet within 10 feet of the location of the Fountain. While access to a microwave to pre-melt the chocolate would be beneficial it is not necessary, as the chocolate can be melted directly in the fountain. A sturdy table is mandatory, as the largest fountain when filled with chocolate weighs over 100 lbs. The table must also be as level as possible--otherwise the chocolate will not flow properly. We bring a leveler with us and will adjust the fountain’s feet to account for tables that are not quite level. Please re-confirm these requirements with your facility before the event so that there is no delay in the set-up of the fountain. In addition, the facility should provide a table cloth, preferably skirted.
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Fondue á la Fontaine does not provide any additional decorations at this time. We can work with your florist, decorator or caterer in advance of your event if they would like to decorate the table or fountain in your color scheme. Generally, the Chocolate Fountain itself is the ultimate decoration for any table, and the cascading chocolate along with the colorful array of fruit and other dipping items make the table quite appealing. Of course you are more than welcome to provide any additional decorations if you so desire.
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We use two brands of premium fondue chocolate -- Sephra (dark and white) and Chocoley (dark, milk and white). Both are specially formulated to run consistently and smoothly in chocolate fountains. These brands DO NOT require ADDED OIL. Both are of the highest quality, contain a high cocoa butter content, and are crafted in the finest Belgian tradition.
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Any Chocolate Fountain will serve an unlimited number of guests as long as additional chocolate is added. If you choose a smaller package for a group for which a larger package would have been more suitable, you can purchase additional chocolate as necessary. However, our packages recommend which fountain or combination of fountains you should use in order to serve the number of guests you expect, and/or to offer a variety of chocolate types. Naturally, the amount of chocolate consumed will depend on what else is being served. If the chocolate Fountain is the only dessert, you will use more chocolate than you would if it were the compliment to a cake or other dessert offerings.
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At this stage, we do not provide dipping items. Our experience is that many banquet facilities do not allow outside vendors to provide food items when that establishment is providing the catering for the event. We ask that you provide us with your the contact information of your coordinator, caterer and venue (if different) and you should also provide them with ours. We will coordinate between the them to decide the best dipping items for your event. We realize the value of having everything provided through a single vendor, and hope to offer this service to our customers in the near future.
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A number of items are appropriate for dipping into the chocolate fountain—some are quite obvious like strawberries, and some are less obvious like potato chips, but all are quite tasty if you are willing to be adventurous. Dipping items we recommend in addition to those listed above are pineapple, marshmallows, grapes, melons, cherries, bananas and apple (sliced to order), papaya, mangoes, peaches, Rice Krispy treats, caramels, pretzels, graham crackers, angel food cake, shortbread cookies, cream puffs, vienna fingers, biscotti, coconut macaroons, dried fruit, madelines, fig newtons, oreos, brownies, peanut or rum balls, and so much more! You are only limited by your imagination, but absolutely no fingers allowed!
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- Fresh Strawberries should be washed and kept whole with green leaves removed.
- Fresh Pineapple and Melon can be cut into 1 1/2" chunks.
- Bananas and apples should ideally be cut to order, or can be cut into 2" chunks right before the event begins with fresh lemon juice squeezed over top to retard browning.
- Mini Cream Puffs are best when served partially frozen.
- Crumbly items like cookies and biscotti should be kept whole. Graham crackers should be halved.
- Large Marshmallows are best if kept in bag until just before event begins
- Large Pretzel rods are best with the fountain.
- Canned or jarred fruit like Maraschino Cherries, Pineapple Chunks, and Mandarin Oranges should be completely drained.
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We have 3 fountain sizes. The large fountain stands 44 inches tall, and weighs over 100 lbs when filled with chocolate. The medium fountain is 35” tall and is 16" in diameter and weighs 85 lbs without added chocolate. Both fountains serve nearly same amount of people. The difference is the larger fountain is more majestic – it has one extra tier, is about a foot taller, and we provide additional chocolate for the larger fountain package. The smallest fountain is 27” tall, 10.5” wide, and weighs 40 lbs. before it is filled with chocolate.
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We plan to roll out our cheese fondue fountains in the Summer of 2005. Suggested dipping items include tortilla chips, blanched vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower), assorted, cubed bread, pretzel rods, and cubed smoked meats).
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Yes. We currently have a 3-gallon champagne fountain, and plan to add a 5-gallon and 7-gallon fountain to our fleet in the very near future.
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