Is Your Restaurant Ready to Provide Catering for Businesses?

For restaurants, catering can be a great way to earn extra income. There are only so many people you can seat in your restaurant at any given time, but the number of catering gigs you can take on is almost limitless.

How can you take advantage of this opportunity?

Leverage your reputation.

Diners come to your restaurant every day. You treat them well, give them great meals and provide a memorable dining experience. Why wouldn’t they ask you to cater their events?

Advertise your services.

Add catering menus to your website and review sites like Yelp. Note that catering is an option on your menus, flyers and anywhere that diners are likely to see it. Potential customers must know that you offer catering.

Limit your expenses.

If you don’t want to invest in adding staff to cater events, consider drop-off catering. When businesses treat their employees to lunch, they look to local restaurants to provide those familiar and tasty foods. This growing trend represents a nearly $20 million pie. Don’t you deserve a part of it?

Assess your scalability.

It doesn’t make sense to offer your entire menu for catering. Not everything travels well or is easy to make in large quantities. Lean on recipes that will feed a crowd and feature local ingredients.

Respond to demand.

Most drop-off catering orders are placed with a few days notice. Can you be ready? If you do get more notice, do you have the capacity to store items until they are needed?

Be ready to deliver.

Make sure you have the drivers, vehicles and equipment you need to deliver on your promises, and that your insurance will cover you adequately.

Equip yourself for catering.

Do you have what you need? For drop-off catering you need disposable trays, plates and utensils as well as single-serve condiments. For full catering you need warming trays and a nicer grade of serving items, etc.

Looking for other options to increase your restaurant revenues? Great ideas come from great people. At Horizon Hospitality, the restaurant executive search firm professionals can help you find top restaurant talent. If you need restaurant general managers, executive chefs or any other restaurant executive, our restaurant recruiters can assist you in your search. Contact Horizon Hospitality today.

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