Catering Businesses - Good Luck!!!!

While most of us simply enjoy the culinary delights dished up by catering companies, those with a flair for food and an entrepreneurial spirit will be keen to experience the business opportunities that lie beneath the silver serving trays. I hope this blog has helped you realise your potential in the Catering Business and I would love to hear your feedback and personal experiences that you have earned for this wonderful business opportunity in the Catering World. 

Useful contacts

Restaurant & Catering

1300 722 878

info@restaurantcater.asn.au

Australian Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers’ Union

02 8204 3000

www.lhmu.org.au

Australian Government Small Business Support Line

1800 777 275

Top Tips for Catering Management

The manager of a catering business often takes the lead to help clients plan and execute special events and other one day programs at hotels and other venues. Even though talent and perseverance can help anyone become a successful business owner, here are some tips for anyone who wants to start a catering business:

1. Gain catering jobs experience. For anyone who thinks they want to be a caterer, they should work for a caterer first. This work experience allows you to decide whether or not you want to start a catering business.

                                                                                                   

2. Find a licensed commercial kitchen to rent. 
Once you are ready to start your catering business, you cannot provide catering services from your home kitchen, you must find a licensed catering kitchen. By renting a licensed catering kitchen if anytime you decide that catering isn’t for you it is economically smarter to rent a commercial kitchen than buy.




3. Set your catering prices. 
The catering business is like any other, you must have profit and loss statements for everything that you do. Be sure to tally up the hours you put into doing the event because the best way to know if you are making money is to approach it hour by hour for every job. 


4. Rent catering equipment.  The best part about managing a catering business is that everything you need may be rented, but make sure you invoice your client for all of the rentals that are needed for the event.

 


5. Obtain business insurance. 
The importance of insurance is that you must be equipped with the proper business license and commercial liability insurance  to cover client, vendors, guests or anyone who is potential affected by your services in a negative way. Furthermore, if you have hired workers, you must have worker's compensation insurance for each of them as employees




6. Join a catering association. 
Join a professional organization such NACE or related professional associations such as MPI or the International Special Events Society. You can attend chapter meetings and national conferences where you meet others who are starting out or are more established. 


7. Stay focused on your catering business. 
You should be creative, but also remember that you are a business. The art of catering is one of the most fun and important parts of the business, but always remember you are in business and need to keep track of the books and paperwork.

Catering Businesses - How to Start a Catering Business (eHow Videos)

Here are some videos to guide you on to: How to Start a Catering Businesses

Rules and Regulations

In order to successful own and mange a catering business you will have to deal with an array of rules and regulations, outlined by the Restaurant & Catering Association.

Your catering business premises should be clean and in good repair, with adequate drinking water, pest control, lighting, ventilation, restroom, hand washing and drainage facilities.

The room in your catering business which food is prepared should have surfaces that are easy to clean and disinfect, with adequate facilities for washing food and equipment, storing food and removing waste.

   Food handlers should wear clean clothes and observe good personal hygiene. They should not     

       smoke when preparing food and should be trained in all areas of food hygiene.

Equipment, containers and vehicles used to transport food should be designed to be easy to clean and kept in a good state of hygiene. Vans will often need to be refrigerated if transporting cooked food.

Food hygiene law is rigorous and anyone wanting to successfully set up a catering business will have to think very carefully about where they set up and what equipment they buy.

Catering Businesses - An Introduction

The catering business is considered one of the most profitable home-based business ventures, with a high potential for expansion and growth, however there are specific guidelines for managers to succeed in this industry. These guidelines include meeting meet all appropriate food safety and hygiene requirements, business operators are required to contact Council and, subject to meeting the relevant criteria, be registered to operate a food catering business.

These requirements apply to all food catering businesses including spit roast caterers operating from a butchers shop or domestic premises in addition to those operating currently used as a restaurant or cafe or the like and known to Council. Over the next few day I will run through the rules and regulations, and some handy tips on how to successfully manage a catering  business.