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.