A good caterer has a passion for cooking, is highly organized, and is professional. Every budding business experiences challenges, but insightful advice can improve processes. Read these helpful catering tips and tricks for beginners now!
Create Practical Menus
Many caterers offer too much food on their menus. An unfocused menu overwhelms clients and your staff. You’ll struggle to organize ingredients and prep items for several dishes. Keep things simple with practical menus. Consider finding a niche and basing your menu on a specific cuisine. Maybe soul food or barbecue is the route to go.
Prioritize Food Hygiene
Food hygiene is critical for catering because it ensures all dishes are safe to eat. Without proper care, foodborne sicknesses can ensue. For instance, eating raw chicken is a safety risk because it leads to illnesses like salmonella. No caterer wants to make their clients sick! It’s not just bad for business; it can also cause people to take legal action against your company.
Use color-coded chopping boards to avoid cross-contamination. Keep thermometers on hand to check the internal temperature of the meat. You and your staff must tie back your hair and frequently wash your hands. All these initiatives contribute to safe catering!
Prep Some Dishes Ahead of Time
Catering is physically demanding, especially on the day of an event. Stay ahead of tasks with prep work. Another helpful catering tip for beginners is to get some dishes ready ahead of time. For example, make cold dishes like coleslaw or potato salad the night before events. This way, there are fewer things on your plate!
You can also chop vegetables, marinate meat, and freeze dough before the day of the event. You don’t want to sacrifice cooking time for tedious tasks.
Consider Props and Décor
Bring mini chalkboard food signs, decorative toothpicks, or branded allergy cards to events. Props and décor make serving stations visually pleasing. Consider seasonal decorations, such as wreaths and dried flowers, to spruce up tables too.
You can also enhance food with decorative fruits and herbs. The fresh pops of color make your food look better!
Don’t Forget About Customer Service
Food presentation and ambiance are important, but quality customer service is essential too. Catering is a business that relies on customers. People don’t like rude staff or recommend businesses with poor customer service to others. Therefore, client satisfaction is critical. Hire passionate, enthusiastic staff and ensure everyone has customer service skills.
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