Table of Contents
Introduction viii
01 So You Think You Want to Be a Caterer? 1
Do You Have What It Takes? 2
Opportunities in Catering 3
Does It Pay to Go to Cooking School? 5
Starting as a Personal Chef 5
Apprenticeships: Learning by Doing 8
Learning from the Mistakes of Others 10
Learning from Your Own Mistakes 11
Getting Organized 12
Leaving the Security of a Job 12
How This Book Is Organized 14
02 Working Out of Your Home 15
Setting Up an Office 17
Training Family and Friends to Take You Seriously 21
Employing Family Members 22
Complying with City Ordinances 23
Working with Your Local Health Department 26
Sharing a Kitchen 28
Renting a Kitchen on a Per-Day Basis 29
Outfitting Your Kitchen 29
Setting Up Your Pantry 32
Transportation 33
Establishing Relationships with Wholesale Purveyors 33
Your Next Step 35
03 Your Business Plan 36
How to Structure Your Business 37
Writing a Business Plan 39
Business Books, Software, and Online Resources 56
04 The Legal Aspects of Your Catering Business 58
Why You Need a Good Attorney 58
Insurance: Can't Live with the Premiums, Can't Live with the Risk 59
Written Agreements and Contracts 61
Working with Subcontractors or Suppliers 62
Employees 63
Becoming a Great Manager Booklist 76
05 Setting Prices, Estimating Quantities, and Writing Proposals 78
How to Price Your First Menus 78
Calculating Your Kitchen Labor 83
How to Estimate the Right Food Quantities 83
Quoting Other Party Costs 91
The Art of Bidding and Writing a Proposal 92
How to Stay Profitable When You're Working with a Fixed Price 98
Closing the Deal 100
06 Sales and Marketing 108
Sell, Sell, Sell 109
Defining Your Niche 110
Choosing a Name and Logo 113
Designing Promotional Pieces 114
Making Your Menus Part of Your Marketing Program 116
Standing Out from the Crowd 119
Keeping a Portfolio 120
Putting Together a Promotional Kit 121
Drumming Up Business 125
Marketing with a Website 128
Getting Referrals and Repeat Business 130
Advertising 131
Tracking Your Success 135
07 Using Photos and Recipes Effectively to Sell Your Home-Based Catering Business 136
Photos 136
Recipes 140
08 Crunching the Numbers 144
Making Good Use of Your Accountant 145
Accounting Systems 149
Buying Computers and Software 152
Invoicing 153
The Artist versus the Businessperson: Why So Many Caterers Fail 153
09 Setting the Stage for a Successful Party 155
Before the Party 155
Organizing Your Time and the Party Setup 158
The Menu and Start-Up 160
Scheduling Staff and Assistants 164
Arranging Transportation and Packing Out Your Party 166
Catering a Buffet 173
Getting Down to the Wire 179
10 Pulling It Off with Ease 181
The Day of the Party 181
Getting to the Party 181
Arriving at the Party Site 185
Winding Down: Why Your Party Has to End On Time 185
Report Cards from Staff and Clients 187
The Day After 188
Two Days Later 192
Three Days Later 194
Two Weeks Later 195
11 Solving Problems 197
12 Catering Menus and Quantity Recipes 209
Cooking Methods and Why It Is Important to Know Them 209
Catering Menus 213
Baby Shower Buffet Lunch Recipes 215
Business Lunch Recipes 220
Traditional Holiday Dinner Recipes 228
Hors d'Oeuvres Cocktail Party Recipes 235
Elegant Garden Wedding Recipes 240
Deliciously Healthy Dinner Recipes 245
Family-Style Vegetarian Dinner Recipes 250
Crowd-Pleasing Tasting Menu Recipes 254
Southern Picnic Recipes 258
Appendix 262
Index 274
About the Author 280
