11 Top Catering Tips & Tricks For New Caterers
The food service industry is a demanding industry and catering is definitely part of that and perhaps one of the toughest sectors of the food industry to master.
Let’s get straight into some tips and tricks for the new caterers out there by the one and only Elia Taverna.
Be Comfortable
One of the most important things is being comfortable. You need to be comfortable whether you’re running the show, making the food, or serving the food. Wear comfortable shoes and make sure you have enough uniforms to be fresh every day.
Be Nice To The Customers
Customer service can make or break a business. Nice or neutral are the 2 behaviors you get to switch between almost all of the time. Engage with the customers, make conversation, smile, resolve any issues, whatever you can do. You might not be able to do that with every single customer at all times due to multitasking and problematic people. That’s when you switch to neutral.
Write Down Your Responsibilities
It always helps to write things down. We have a lot of things going on in our heads and it’s easier to think about when we can see some of it on paper. Write down what you’ll be doing and you can even take it with you to work.
Stay In Shape
Exercise fairly often and make sure you can keep up with what the job expects from you. You’ll be carrying glass, walking back and forth, lifting, and other things along those lines. You don’t want to be cramping up or getting tired.
Keep The Food Safe
Do not cut any corners when it comes to keeping the food safe. Store the food correctly. Don’t keep the food out too long. Handle it properly. Follow every rule there is about food safety.
Create A Simple Menu
You will end up making trouble for yourself if you create a menu with a bunch of different things on it and you’re not ready for that. Provide enough variety to the customer and make it easy for you at the same time. Add signature foods & drinks too.
Prices
Price your food fairly. Make it worth buying and worth selling. Come up with coupons, deals, and specials too. Who doesn’t love a discount?
Presentation
Good presentation is a major plus. The food could be great, but that might matter less if the dish isn’t dressed up right. Good presentation also creates a good memory for the customer.
The Food
This should be the most obvious. Make great food and listen to the feedback you get from the customers. Don’t serve your customers something you’re not confident in.
Keep It Clean
Keep everything clean at all times. Customers love cleanliness. A dirty environment will run them away. Take cleanliness serious in every way possible.
Feedback
Tell your customers to review your catering service. Another thing you can do is put pens and review cards out. This will create multiple ways to leave feedback. You can ask the customers to leave a review on the card and/or leave one online.
I hope you found this useful and can use something you learned from here to help you with catering. Good luck and thank you for reading.
About Christian Reynolds
Christian is the chief reporter, editor, and webmaster at Cleveland Leader. An aspiring news anchor, his hobbies outside of investigative reporting are golf, martinis, and adventure travel. If you have a scoop on any developing story, please contact him on this page.
