Answer:
Make Delicious Food
•Most caterers will start a business because of their passion for the culinary arts, but don’t get stuck making only what you are familiar with. If your customers want something new or unique, explore different options and expand your menu. If you’re not comfortable creating the dish they’ve requested, don’t default to, “we don’t serve that,” instead, try working with the flavor profile, or offering a comparable dish. In addition, focus on making the food pleasing to the eye. The “visual taste” can sometimes be just as important as the actual taste.
Ensure Excellent Customer Service
•This is probably the case for 99.99% of any service oriented business, but especially for catering. Your customers want to be “wined and dined”, no differently than if they were in a restaurant. Be sure to call the week before an event and review the details. Has anything changed? How can we exceed the expectations of this client? Also, there is nothing nicer than a personal “thank you” after an event. In the age of emails, think about a phone call or a hand written card.
Ensure a Sanitary Environment
•The health department will be sure to keep you on your toes in this area, and for good reason. You don’t want to deal with any kind of liability lawsuit, or end up getting anyone sick from the food at your event. This can be tough for on-premise events with limited (or no) kitchen space, so be sure you’ve planned ahead. Update your pack list to include meat coolers and cleaning products, if necessary.
Keep attire professional
•I’m a big fan of coordinated uniforms—whether it’s formal black and whites, oxfords and aprons, or matching t-shirts, it adds a professional touch to the service and tells guests who is working the event. Even if the staff uniform is not 100% identical, be sure all clothing is clean, at the very least! Would you want to be served from somebody in the dirty apron splashed with pasta sauce, grease, dried meat, and dirt? Not me.
Keep business expense low
•It is important to constantly review your business expenses for opportunities to lower, and even cut, costs. Are you shopping food vendors for the best possible prices (there are companies out there to help do the analysis)? Are you properly portioning to eliminate waste and over ordering. Are there opportunities to use leftover dishes and ingredients to make products for other events? Can you leverage organic referrals instead of expensive advertising media?
Hope this will help you! (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)
Study Hard
