How To Run A Catering Business

Are you a good cook? Do you love cooking and serving food to your friends and family? Are you interested in starting your own business that involves your love for food? If you answered yes to all these questions, then a business in catering is just for you.

Starting Your Catering Business

There are a lot of things that have to be considered before you can start your own catering business. There is the matter of your capital or start-up cost. And, if by any chance, you do not have the necessary capital, where do you intend to get financing. You may need to procure a loan from a bank. Then you will need to get all the necessary licenses and permits. Your catering business will require proper catering equipment and accessories. And a budget for advertising or marketing will need to be prepared.

Find Your Niche

There are many different types of catering services. You will need to decide which type of service you would like to offer your clients. Will you be providing a packed meals catering service from your home or will you be offering catering for full meals for events. Do you intend to specialize in only a certain type of product like wedding cakes? Consider what you are best at and build on it.

Learn to Manage Your Business

With your own catering business, you need to learn management skills. You will encounter problems and challenges just like any other business so you need to know how to deal with difficult situations. There is the matter of accounting or bookkeeping, hiring staff for an event, planning and organizing an event, negotiating with suppliers and, handling logistics.

Equipment Required

Aside from a fully-functioning commercial kitchen, you will need a phone line and a vehicle that you can use for deliveries. For cutlery and flatware, you can initially rent anything you may need until you can afford to purchase supplies of your own.

Marketing Your Business

Marketing your business is essential. You may write articles or hire ads in your local newspapers. You can also speak with the local radio station in your area. Flyers and posters can also help. As you get clients, depending on the quality of the service that you provide, your major advertising method will become by word of mouth.

Source: ezine articles

Great Ways to Be a Great Restaurant Customer

Going out to a restaurant is like a dance; when everything’s in rhythm, there’s a gracefulness to it: Servers make you feel good, the kitchen makes its best food, and dinner gets to you right on time. But in this dance, customers aren’t the audience; they’re the partners. Here are a few steps, both for when you’re leading and when you’re following.

1. Make Miss Manners proud

I hate to start this thing off sounding like a scold, but c’mon people, look your server/busser/bartender in the eye, and say, “Please” and “Thank you.” Please. Even I know to do this, and I was raised in a barn. And while I’m at it, here’s some grooming advice: The only cologne worse than Desperation is Entitlement.

2. Work the phones

Making reservations online is great—you can do it whenever you want, like before your morning coffee, when you know you shouldn’t be allowed to talk to people. But once you’re caffeinated, you should feel free to talk to restaurants: Give them a call ahead of time if you’re coming with a friend who has an allergy or is on a special diet; if you’d like a more private table; if you’re going to be late for your reservation; or anything else that’s going to affect how they deal with you. Most places are happy to make special arrangements if they have some advance notice. That way they’ll be ready for your vegetarian mother with an onion allergy and she won’t wind up eating plain buttered noodles. Just remember that you’ll automatically be a more charming conversationalist if you call outside of the dinner rush.

3. Remember that the menu is your friend

I once saw a woman put down her menu without opening it. Instead, she bullied her waiter into reciting every ingredient in the house so she could decide that she wanted the grilled lobster, only steamed, and served with the sauce that goes with the chicken on the side, next to the roasted potatoes that come with the steak. Only the potatoes had to be boiled. If the cooks weren’t going to mangle her food, I was going to find my way into the kitchen to do it for them.

There are places where this is an acceptable, even preferred method of ordering. But if your poor server starts recoiling like you’re a dog with a foamy mouth, you’re not in the right place for it. Remember that a kitchen, during service, is a specialized assembly line. It takes a team working like a machine to crank out 300 dinners in two hours, and they do that best when they’re putting together dishes they’re used to putting together. Don’t gum up the works. We all want food cooked with love, but you really don’t want food cooked with contempt. (Allergies, of course, are an exception, but in that case it’s best to call ahead—both for the cooks’ sanity and your safety.)

4. Consider the obscure

While we’re talking about using the menu, show a little love to the lonely. Let’s face it: Most of the time the steak is there because the chef feels like it has to be there for the people who won’t eat anything else. It’s not a labor of love; it’s an obligation. But probably the pig’s foot or the eel are not there out of obligation. Probably they are there because someone in the kitchen loves them and really wants to do right by them. You want to get in on that action.

Source: Yahoo Shine

10 ways to save big at restaurants

If you're like me, you love dining out and would sooner sacrifice cable and cell phones before you're willing to throw in the restaurant towel. Thankfully, there are cheap ways to do it, without having to make major sacrifices. Now is the time to learn how to love eating out for less and here are some tips to get you started.

1. Learn to share
Unless you're at a super fancy , where pasta portions are the size of a fist, there's no reason (and no excuse) not to split. The typical American portion size feeds two people. It's time we got a little more portion conscious, anyway.

2. Ditch the bottled water
Many restaurants filter their tap water so bottled water is a wasted expense.

3. Become an early bird
 Restaurants often extend deals to early diners. Call ahead to find out about early-bird or happy hour specials.

4. Belly-up to the bar
Bar menus are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and delicious. 9 times out of 10, they're also cheaper.

5. Doggy-bag it
There is no shame in taking home leftovers and with a little creativity, you can whip up a few new meals out of last nights dinner.

6. Brush up on your comedy act
Chat it up with the staff and extra points if you can make them laugh with you. While you're at it, ask if there's a mailing list with specials and discounts for loyal customers.

7. Make Sunday the new Friday
Many restaurants are jumping on the discounted "Sunday supper" bandwagon. Call ahead and inquire.

8. Make sides the new appetizer
Sides can be just as big and just as good as appetizers. Don't be shy and ask for your side to come first.


9. Do group dinners
Call ahead to find out if there are special menus for big parties. Most restaurant want the business and will work with you to find a comfortable price. So, sharpen those negotiation skills.

10. BYOB
We all know restaurants charge an arm and a leg for drinks. Find out the best BYOB establishments near you and bring your favorite inexpensive bottle of wine.

Source: Yahoo Shine