Valuable Tips For Starting A Small Catering Business
Valuable Tips For Starting A Small Catering Business
I have been reading lately about how many people want to start a small catering business and this is very commendable. If catering is your passion it is hard to walk away from the idea, especially if you have friends and family telling you how good your cooking is.
Having been a caterer, and owning a large catering business I would like to cover some of the aspects to think about as you put together your dream business.
starting small is a good idea because it takes a little while to build up a database of clients
avoid paying rent anywhere if you can help it, perhaps you might be able to pay per day or similar if you do have to rent at all
only buy the basics in equipment to start with as you can hire as you need other items
always visit where you may be catering before the event to check out the kitchen and your facilities
know exactly what is expected of you before the event
keep the menu simple but very tasty
avoid buying too much in the way of commercial products if you can help it
make sure your costings are right
Setting up a small catering business needs some planning and it is best to keep the costs as low as possible until you build up trade.
Points to take into account when setting up:
cost out everything you will have to pay for like stationery, equipment and staff - know all of your costs so that you can accurately cost your menu
set up a few months before a busy season, like Christmas, and that will give you a good introduction to new clients, but be careful of the quiet period afterward
evaluate any comments you get so that you can improve as you go
discreetly push the name of your business and contact details wherever you cater - lay your business cards amongst a smorgasbord table, a few on serving platters, in a glass for people to help themselves (something different makes people take notice), but it would always pay to check with the host that this type of promotion is OK
plan months ahead how you are going to promote your business
ensure that you can financially get through the quiet gaps in the year - talk to your local shops and find out their quietest months
I loved my catering days. I loved the business and I loved the lifestyle that I had. Personal circumstances saw me depart from it.
For those wishing to be a small catering business I would leave you with this thought: "it takes as much time to make an appetizer as it does a main, but you get paid twice as much for the main" so keep that in mind when starting out. Many people think serving finger food is the way to go, but in reality it does not make a lot of money for you. It is fiddly and time consuming to make the smaller items.
If you are going to serve finger food try to have a menu that has larger items like chicken drumsticks or such like because people can see the larger food items and will be happier to pay more.
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