A Small Space & 500 Monthly Orders: How Couch Tomato Catering Makes It Happen

By Jacqueline Raposo

Couch Tomato catering is small but mighty force in the Philadelphia catering scene. Between their West Chester and Manayunk restaurants, they turn out a whopping 500 delivery orders every month. Of those orders, 475 go to office lunch and learn meetings or large-scale corporate events. One recent event required 93 pizzas alone. It’s a big win in a city Thrillist claims is ripe for those with a serious pie obsession.

To make enough dough for a 93-pizza delivery alone, it takes Couch Tomato catering over 50 pounds of flour and a whole lot of planning. Owners Craig Mosmen and Michael Cassano explain just how they make it happen.

Catering At The Right Time, In The Right Place

Craig Mosmen and Michael Cassano founded Couch Tomato in the Manayunk area of Philly in 2003. But the region was not yet the hot Philadelphia catering and restaurant scene it is today. As such, the team quickly recognized a local need for takeout and delivery lunch service — and that their menu of flavorful Italian food was a particular hit during office hours. So, they decided to focus their attention on growing a particularly smart catering program.

Mosmen researched other successful Philadelphia catering businesses to see where competition excelled and what they lacked. They soon came to understand that repeat business would only get them so far. Returning customers brought friends and inspired new catering business. But that wouldn’t be enough. To build trust in Couch Tomato catering, they set up a striking marketing plan complete with a dedicated webpage and video that relays the various services they provide. They figured that even if a customer didn’t utilize all the web information or watch the video, they would be offering that initial trust just in doing the legwork.

By 2006, orders started flying in.

How Do They Make All That Dough?

Each batch of Couch Tomato catering’s dough is made from organic white or whole wheat flour and takes three to five days to proof until it’s just right. They credit consistency of orders for being able to plan days in advance. That means they can make several batches at one time with the 50-pound bags of flour. Once mixed, the bowls of proofing dough go to various storage spaces until they’re ready to roll out.

Read the rest of our interview with Couch Tomato here.