Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave insisted on deleting caviar and foie gras from the menu chosen to entertain VIPs at a reception for the inauguration of President Hillery in 1976.
The taoiseach agreed to a "de luxe" menu for the inauguration but only on condition that caviar and foie gras were not served, as had been initially suggested.
The Civil Service Dining Club won the catering contract for the inauguration on price and quality, but an official in the Taoiseach's Department emphasised in a note that there were aspects of their approach that needed attention.
"The staff will have to be more carefully selected to make sure guests are not subjected to the rather cavalier treatment which I have observed at some receptions," the official wrote in a memo to Mr Cosgrave.
He said the dining club tended to "scrimp" on staff and there was a tendency to be too liberal in dispensing spirits, as "if trying encourage greater consumption and greater profits for themselves".
"This will have to be closely monitored," he warned.
"We would also want to ensure that items such as scampi and trout do not make a token appearance for the sake of providing an attractive menu."
The official also objected to a recent reception where, instead of the glasses and tableware being cleared away, they were instead "dumped in a visible corner of a serving area or accumulated on tables giving a very tatty effect overall".