House 2 House Catering

Author: Beth

  • Expanding Your Business as an Events Caterer

    If you’re able to cater for events, there are lots of opportunities for you to grow and develop your business. It’s an area where your skills are going to be in demand, and where people will be willing to pay well to get exactly where they want. Here are some of the ways to get the message out about your event catering:

    • Advertise. Create professional artwork and make sure that it is seen by as many people as possible. This could include putting up posters and handing out flyers in relevant places.
    • Collaborate. Work with venues that hold events so that you have advocates for your business. If they’re happy to recommend you, this can really boost your business when people book their venue.
    • Research. A large part of finding new opportunities is knowing how and where to find them. Look for relevant venues and research some trends to see the kinds of people who might want to use your services.
    • Communicate. Build up relationships that are strong and ongoing. Don’t just work for someone once – give them you business card and put in a phone call every once in a while to check whether any more work might be available. Be as personable and friendly as you can be.
    • Upsell. Make sure that you have lots of different menu options and added extras like catering equipment and room decorations. This will make you as versatile as possible.

  • How to Cater for Businesses

    The corporate sector can mean big business for caterers. It’s an environment where lots of people have numerous requirements for food, both on a day-to-day basis as well as for particular events. Here are some of our top tips for making sure you can cater for businesses effectively:

    • Have lots of choice. As a catering professional, you’re probably completely used to catering for events and ensuring there are options for all requirements. This is particularly important for corporations who have clients to impress and staff to keep happy. Cater for all dietary requirements and make it clear that you have different options available.
    • Consider your branding and advertising. Businesses will be more likely to take notice of a company that has a strong brand image.
    • Be professional. Corporations take professionalism seriously. They want to know that you will be able to work with them in a professional capacity. Be self-assured, confident and knowledgeable to make a good impression.
    • Have a catering portfolio. This is something that you can show to bigger clients to demonstrate how capable you are. It will help you to get more catering work by showing what you’re able to do.
    • Listen. Ascertain what the client wants and demonstrate that you’ll be able to provide it. They will appreciate you being adaptable and receptive to their ideas.

  • Making Yourself a Versatile Catering Professional

    Everyone has their favourite dishes which become staples of their catering repertoire. Whilst it’s good to have signature dishes that always go down well, you need to remember that you have to be versatile. Never rest on your laurels with catering – it’s a dangerous move.

    Remember that when you work in the catering industry, your clients are the most important people. You need to be able to tailor your services to meet with what they want. Therefore, it’s important to keep learning so that you can offer them their first choices.

    It’s important to have plenty of choice in order to get business in the first place. If the options you have are too limited, you won’t be able to market your business properly and attract new clients. People will be looking for different types of food and drink which will meet with their own preferences.

    Think about new ways to improve and expand on the services you provide on a regular basis. You might want to create links with other businesses who you can work with to offer different services above and beyond what you alone can provide. You might also want to consider taking a course to learn some new skills.

  • Expanding Your Catering Business

    If you are a professional caterer, it might be time to think about the next step in your career. Whether you work for a company or work alone, it’s all about looking for opportunities to expand your influence.

    Build up a network of contacts. This will open up new business opportunities for you. For example, there might be hotels which require outside caterers, or wedding venues which require extra support at busy times during the year. Even if nothing comes of it immediately, it will be worthwhile to you in the long run. You might even find that other local businesses are willing to advertise for you on their premises.

    Put together a portfolio. It’s important that you can show people what you do and that you have lots of attractive examples on hand. The new contacts which you make will want to see previous work to get an idea of your skills, so make sure that the photographs you use in your portfolio show your work in its best light. It will also help when you have new customers who want to know what you’ll be able to do for them.

    Come up with new, innovative ideas which will help you to make a name for yourself. Think about the area in which you live and what would go down well amongst residents and visitors. For example, do you live near a beach or country park where you might be able to sell bespoke picnic baskets? Are there any stately homes or local cafés where you could sell your products? Is there a shortage of places to eat, leaving a gap for you to open your own? Thinking creatively in the catering business will pay off for you.

  • Getting Your First Job in Catering

    It’s always tough breaking into any industry and catering is no exception. There will be lots of competition and you can expect to find multiple people applying for any one catering job. However, if you’re passionate and dedicated, it’s a rewarding industry to work in. Here are some tips for getting started:

    • Take a course. The easiest way to get into the industry is to have a professional qualification. Many colleges will offer them and it shouldn’t be too difficult to get onto a catering course.
    • Get a job in a kitchen. Employers will value candidates who have a knowledge of food and know how to work under pressure. Even if it’s just pot washing, it’s relevant.
    • Do some work experience. Nothing is more valuable than direct experience and if you can persuade someone to let you shadow them for a couple of weeks, it will look great on your CV and catering job applications.
    • Let you enthusiasm shine! The food industry is one where people are passionate and driven. If you show that you care, you’re far more likely to be successful.
    • Cook for friends and relatives at any given opportunity. Practice really does make perfect and you’ll learn to adapt to various situations.
    • Keep a portfolio of dishes you make. Present your food prettily and take photos to show what you’re capable of.

  • Visiting a Catering School Restaurant

    If you have an interest in food and fine dining, you may be able to visit your local catering training centre to try the food which is prepared there. Many colleges and other teaching establishments will have restaurants associated with them which are often of a very good quality, and it’s an opportunity to try something different.

    Visiting a catering school restaurant can be the ideal way to try great food for very low prices. Don’t expect the food and service to be flawless – you must bear in mind that the chefs and possibly also the serving staff are still in training. However, as they’re learning to work in a professional environment, standards tend to be high and the menus might well be quite adventurous.

    If you enjoy trying new food at very low prices and want to help people learn whilst you’re doing so, this can be an excellent idea to try. Get in touch with your local catering training institution or look them up online to see whether they offer a restaurant service which is open to the general public. Menus will probably be fairly small, so it’s best to let them know if you have any dietary requirements when you book.

  • The Importance of Upselling to Your Catering Customers

    You want to be able to make as much money out of your catering business as you possibly can. One of the easiest ways in which you can do this is by upselling. This will allow you to entice existing customers into spending more money by offering them bigger, better catering options. It will allow you to make a decent profit and it will make the event more interesting for you as you’ll be able to produce more intricate, exciting food options, potentially in larger quantities.

    When you’re designing menus and considering the food and drink which you are going to provide as part of your business, it’s important to be as flexible as you can be. Whilst having set menu options may be easier from an administrative point-of-view, make it clear that these can be customised. This will allow you to sell more products in higher quantities where appropriate.

    It can be particularly easy to upsell at business events, parties and conferences where people are networking and want to impress their clients. It should be fairly simple to persuade business owners or events managers to choose more expensive options or to buy in larger quantities – the last thing they’re going to want is to look like they’ve skimped on food, or have chosen the cheap option.

    You may also want to ensure that you’re able to offer more than just the standard menus in order to give your clients further options. Consider whether you want to offer services and products like bars, lighting, centrepieces, chair covers and table cloths. These are all items which can be used to upsell, and the more aspects of an event you contribute to, the easier it will be to get a good reputation as a caterer.

  • Catering for a Themed Party

    Themed parties should be a spectacle from beginning to end, and that includes the food. If an event has a theme, it has to be done wholeheartedly or it can end up lacking the energy and enthusiasm which it needs to succeed. Everything needs to play its part in the overall concept in order to deliver an event which is as believable, fun and entertaining as possible.

    You’ll need to know in plenty of advance what the theme is going to incorporate so that you can plan the food accordingly. Be as imaginative as you like; guests will appreciate the creativity. Make sure it’s obvious what each dish is meant to be, however, as you don’t want to end up letting the theme down and causing confusion. Cupcakes are always a good option as they can be made into a variety of shapes using all kinds of different colours. If you are labelling your food, you can give it an imaginative name to fit with the theme rather than just describing what it is. For example, if you’re catering for a Halloween party, call your cupcakes ‘spooky sweet treats’.

    Whilst it’s integral to the success of the event for you to embrace the theme, you cannot forget the quality of the food either. This is if anything more important than the theme – your food will always reflect on you as a caterer so ensure that it tastes as good as it looks.

     

  • Catering for a Conference

    If you’re holding a conference, it’s usually a good idea to have a detailed catering schedule in place prior to the event. Conferences are important in portraying yourself and/ or your business in a positive light, so it’s essential to create a good first impression and to make sure that this impressions lasts.

    Make sure that you have catering on offer for when people arrive. This doesn’t have to be complicated – a cup of tea or coffee, juice, water and biscuits will suffice. Just make sure that it’s done well. For example, use good coffee, make sure the biscuits aren’t broken and serve water cold and in jugs. The catering on arrival will break the ice and act as a conversation starter – you don’t want the conversation to be about how cheap the instant coffee tastes!

    Have refreshments available throughout the day. People will be in the best mood if they’re not hungry or thirsty. Again, this doesn’t have to be flamboyant or difficult – just make sure that the there are drinks and snacks so that people can help themselves. You may want to bring in some mid-morning cakes or pastries when you have a break.

    For lunch, make sure that there is plenty of food for everybody. Over-cater if needs be, as it’s better than people going hungry. Traditional buffet food where people can help themselves usually works well. You don’t want to feed your guests enormous stodgy meals which will make them tired for afternoon meetings. You also don’t want to serve anything too messy – the last thing people want is to be dropping their lunch all over their expensive suits. Simple yet well-thought-out finger food will work extremely well.