4 Tips on How to Build a Strong Foundation for Your Catering Business
By Jim Rand
I don’t need to tell you that your foray into the catering business could be a painful education without a solid foundation. Catering novices tend to make the same costly mistake: vastly underestimating the foundational process. While they may be all too willing to stand on their feet all day and work mad hours, they might neglect to pick out the right customers from the thickets — or slip up in branding. But this preliminary work is important. In fact, the absence of a solid foundation can prove fatal.
In a recent blog post I described the basics of the FEED formula, my method for creating a solid, scalable, and profitable catering business (read more). I touched on four pillars of support required to achieve this. In Part 1 of this two-part article, we’ll focus in on the first pillar, Foundation.
We’ll specifically look at:
- Target Customers
- Menu
- Branding
- Technology
In the next installment, Part 2, we’ll look at Restaurant Facilities and Logistics.
1. Choose Your Target Catering Customers
To define your target customers, ask these questions:
- “Who am I serving now, and would they want more of my food?” This focuses your sales effort on specific market segments: B2B, B2C, or both.
- “How can I get my products to those customers?” Delivery is ideal, but can your staff manage it? If you can’t undertake delivery right now, start with customer pickup. When sales ramp up, invest that new capital into delivery.
2. Populate Your Catering Menu with Familiar Offerings
Your catering menu should sync with your restaurant menu so you don’t waste time or ingredients. Plus, this move will likely draw existing customers to your catering because they already have favorites. This menu alignment makes it convenient for everyone and keeps you centered on your expertise.
3. Leverage Your Brand
Too often at the ezCater office we have amazing food delivered in generic packaging. The only person who knows the name of the restaurant that handled the catering is the person who ordered it. Don’t make that mistake. Leverage your restaurant’s brand by branding all catering materials and equipment. Brand food containers and to-go bags, all “hot” delivery bags and coolers, delivery vehicles, staff uniforms, etc.
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