Since many people love to eat, many entrepreneurs see this as an opportunity to start a business that can be quite profitable. However, setting up and opening a restaurant or food truck can be a time-consuming and expensive undertaking. If your heart is to succeed in the food industry but you don’t want to go through the hustle and bustle of opening a restaurant or food truck, starting a catering business may be your best bet.
The great thing about opening a small catering business is that you can operate one from the comfort of your home. This means that you will not have to spend more money to buy certain equipment and items for cooking or baking, since you already have the basic items or even everything you might need for this undertaking.
To make sure you’re on the right path to starting a small catering business and ensure your success, there are some helpful tips you can follow. These tips include the following:
Be sure to follow local health and safety codes for home catering. Even though you are not opening a restaurant, you are still required to apply for and obtain a business permit or operating license. Learn about the process for obtaining one and the different health and safety codes you will need to meet or pass.
Create a list of all the equipment and products you need and make sure you have them. The equipment, products, and supplies you will need for your kitchen will depend on your type of operation. If you plan to cook your food in the on-site kitchen for a particular event, you’ll only need the most basic commercial preparation supplies at home. The same principle will also work if you will be cooking from a mobile kitchen or creating a temporary kitchen at the event sites. In such cases, you will need mobile coolers or refrigeration units, basic kitchen supplies, steam table pans, kitchen work tables, disposable catering supplies, and food carriers. You’ll need to invest in kitchen equipment like a deep fryer, convection oven, and stove (if you don’t already have them) if you’re not going to be using a temporary or mobile kitchen for the events you’re hosting. Since you are just starting out, you can rent other items such as hot plates, catering display items, and table skirts. Once your business is doing well, you may want to consider purchasing these items to save money in the long run by lowering your rental costs.
Invest in catering software. Using the right catering software can go a long way in helping you track and manage your business. Catering software can help you calculate your costs quickly and effectively. It will help you to be more organized with all the tasks and information you need to manage, as it will give you a platform where you can document contacts, data, budgets, team schedules, activities, etc. Finally, with this software, you can create and present professional and impressive proposals to your clients.
Finally, work on getting clients for your catering business. Using catering software can already help you get customers. Aside from this, come up with a solid marketing strategy, take advantage of your low profile (ie, sell your business as a provider of “the best homemade comfort food”), and offer tastings so you can win some customers.
Learn more about optimizing the right catering software and other helpful tips for running a successful catering business here.