Wednesday 30 May 2012

The Basics to Start Catering Services Business

Have you ever received the dying comments for cooked meals? Does your friend or family member always look out for an occasion to get their taste buds soothed with your yummy delicious meals? Are you in search of the ways to start your own catering business? Well! Hold on, you are at the right place. Read on below to know why I said so!

Being a great cook or providing the world class catering services is really not a cup of tea for everyone until and unless one has the strong desire or passion to do so. Although, being into the catering service means one should be competent enough to provide the best services at affordable rates, at the same time one needs to consider other important segments of the service industry. If you really want to pursue the profession of catering business on a serious note, here are some valuable tips to follow:

  • When you have plans to become a successful caterer, be sure you are enthused with that passion, temperament and skills to cook delicious food that may not only soothe the taste buds or tummy but also enriches the heart with joyous blessings. Working as a caterer means offering the best of the best services to the consumers to make their functions, parties or occasions memorable or worth celebrating.
  • The main thing you need to consider is setting up an office within the vicinity so that the people should be aware of the services that you provide. Make sure you maintain a perfect balance in your home or office life, so that it may not hinder your quality deliverance and potential growth of the business.
  • The next step towards providing good Catering Services or being a good cook requires the utmost dignity and honesty towards the profession. When you are ready to go for this business make sure you get the clearance or a certification from the health inspector. The health inspector would assess the menu and the ingredient's quality that you would use to prepare the food. He may aware you with the health norms while working in the commercial kitchen.
  • If you duly pass the health inspector instructions and guidelines you are permitted to work as caterer serving the people on the small or large scale based upon your capability and experience. There are some caterers worldwide who worked on shared arrangements basis on a trial, with a notion to enter the corporate market with the sheer creative and practical knowledge.
  • Once you are popular enough to offer the desired Catering Services, take your business into different modes of expansion such as wedding occasion, birthday parties, corporate meets, procession, and events. Try to expand the business by hiring the ideal cooks and chefs into your team to maintain that quality and on-time delivery aspects. Try to make your guests as happy as you can to maintain that trust or worthiness in a working relationship.

Tuesday 22 May 2012

The Need and the Importance of Right Wedding Caterers


A wedding is much more than deciding a gown, buying some birch boxes, ordering stylish tuxedos, photographs or limousines; it’s all about, “doing everything just what the doctor ordered and making the dream of a big fat marriage come true; it is to make it happen in such a way which for sure leaves impression on attendees. There is just a thin line between creativity and ostentatious and if one is looking for the right twist at his wedding, then hiring wedding caterers would be the best decision who can deliver one that edge.
Wedding is the most special occasion in anyone’s life and it comes along with memories that people can cherish for life. Bride and the groom spend so much of time deciding on ways they can make their day perfect without even a glimpse of error in it; however, wedding planning is not as it easy as it seems to be. No one would like to get things wrong on the day which is full of chaos; a location full of relatives and guests; fireworks; dining; cocktails and etcetera.
The foremost is choosing a destination for a wedding where the couple will tie the knots. This place could be any among the most exotic locations in the world and no doubt that most of us are unaware about these locations. In this case, there is no harm in consulting few wedding caterers; responsible shoulders on whom on can bank upon and can rest the whole ceremony and that too at very exclusive prices.
Hiring an affordable caterer can be little tricky but all one need to do is to check their past records, which gives one the hint of their work. It is always ideal to discuss the budget before placing them to work and they can guide one with the best wedding theme as per their choice and latest vogues. These caterers come along with the great power to make or break an ideal occasion and it all depends on choices one make; make the right move to make the wedding day the ultimate memory of your life.
No one argues on this fact that once the wedding is over, the only area of discussion will be the food and the arrangement of the wedding. Being a host, one cannot be everywhere; one cannot be at the reception all the time; one cannot be around the kitchen every second minute; one cannot check the chafing bowls every time. So, a perfect solution to all these worries is, “either one can invite quotes for the event from the catering companies serving in the region or through some catering websites, which is a hub for most of the reputed wedding caterers after which you can personally visit them to finalize things for the D-Day.

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Hire a Wedding Caterer and Ensure that Your Daughter’s Wedding Day Goes without a Hitch

Your daughter is all set to tie a knot and as a Father, you want to make her wedding day a perfect day. One of the ideal ways of having your daughter’s wedding day go without a glitch is to have the entire day planned and organized by a reputed wedding caterer.

The food must be exotic, the decor must be spectacular, services must be transparent and gracious and the evening should be spent simply magical. Bygone are those days when you need to organize everything yourself, as now there is a large number of people who have made a speciality of organizing wedding as an avocation. This means that when the wedding day arrives, all you need to worry is getting dressed and reaching the church on time. What a pleasure!

However, finding the perfect wedding caterer is a major factor in making a wedding event a successful and memorable one, after all, food and other refreshments at the wedding is what most guests will be looking forward to! It is fundamental to spend some time focusing on menu and venue that suits your needs and all that involves selecting the right catering service.

Ask for Recommendations:
Word of mouth and recommendations are known to be the most reliable means of finding a reliable wedding caterer. Venues generally provide a list a caterers, who they prefer working with. Alternatively, ask the florists, photographers and other suppliers whether they can suggest a good catering service. They may have a number of contacts from previous weddings.

Furthermore, you can ask newly married couples you know about the catering service they hired and if they were satisfied with the service rendered. You must also ask the couples about who designed and baked their wedding cakes and whether their catering service provided a mobile bar or other amenities.

Taste Test:
Once you have a few candidates in your mind, you can start investigating them further. Ask for sample menus together with photographs of wedding cakes and canapés they have created, and find out who will be the head in charge of preparing and serving the delicacies. Make sure that you ask each caterer if the catering service abide with the food quality and safety licensing and norms in your area.

Expertise and Experience:
Let the caterer make use of his/her expertise and experience to the benefit of your daughter’s wedding. While you are relatively to have a clear idea of precisely how you wish your daughter’s wedding to be, your caterer may also have some unique suggestions that can work as a cherry on the cake.

Do they fit the Bill?
When you have found 2-3 potential wedding catering companies, pay each one a visit with your ideas and a budget outline. A good catering service must be able to suggest a menu that both matches to your style and budget.

Finding a good wedding caterer will perhaps go a long way towards ensuring that your daughter’s wedding a divinely enjoyable occasion that your guests will fondly rejoice as long as you as her proud father will do.

Monday 14 May 2012

Right Wedding Caterer is Essential, as It Can Make or Break the Wedding Reception

“Food, Glorious Food”, droned Lionel Brat, something we all concur with. Food is something no one can assert not to be affected by; people have found friends because of it and wars have been fought for it. In fact, during a wedding, it garners the prominence that it never relishes on any other day. Therefore, in case you are planning a wedding, best wedding caterer must be at the top of your To-Do list.

Most guests attend the weddings for enjoying the gourmet food and usually come home discussing about how savoury or unsavoury it was. Since it is the heart and soul of a wedding, would you not pick a wedding caterer wisely, so that you do not end up with unhappy guests? Here are a few things that will aid you select the right wedding catering service for your Big Day.

What is on the Menu?

It will likely do you good to have an idea, if not a completely concrete idea regarding the kind of food that you would be served on your wedding day. You must check out 4-5 catering services so that you are able to avail what you desire instead of settling for what the caterers offer.

Your Idea vs. the Catering Service Company Idea:

It is you wedding day and your ideas must be followed. However, there are catering service companies may have innovative additional inputs on your idea. This is good because they will be able to adapt to your likings and render additional tips that will make your wedding mesmeric. On the other hand, there are catering services that may counter your ideas. It may even be feasible for some wedding caterer to refute your idea, as they want to explore what they prefer. Always be specific with your catering service prior to consenting to their services so that you will have the wedding of your dreams.

Taste Do Not Waste:

It would be wise if you could schedule taste testing with each prospective caterer. For all you know, everything might fall into place with a specific catering service, for example, the menu and the assortment, but if the taste of the food served is subpar, you may need to continue the hunt for a good wedding caterer.

Charges and Hidden Charges:

Your wedding catering company is there to lend a helping hand in order to make you realize your dream wedding. However, they are also there for business, which in turn means they would try to earn from you as much as possible. Ask the caterers on their prices of their food. Understand that a caterer can charge based on the number of heads or they can just bring cuisines based on your estimated guests. Other catering service charges you need to be aware of are preparation fees, clean-ups and delivery fees.

Food Presentation and Left Over:

There are 2 ways your wedding catering company would serve the food on the wedding day- they may have the food served buffet style or they may place the food on the table. Select diligently since each option comes at different price. Moreover, you must discuss on what to do in case there are any food left after the reception.

Finally, have all the specifications in black and white in order to insure you avail what you have asked for. Read the agreement document prudently including the fine print before signing the contract. Finding the perfect wedding caterer is a tedious process, but it is imperative if you wish to have a perfect wedding reception.

Tuesday 8 May 2012

Smart Catering Tips for Couples in this Jilted Economy

If you have been planning to tie the knot and desperately looking forward to cutting of corners then you are not alone. In this dwindling economy, couples are looking to get the best deals in a limited budget. It is easy to achieve this by a little smart work and of course a lot of negotiation. Food, being an integral part of every wedding, needs the most attention. Therefore, it is important to seek smart catering tips that may help in serving the best food even with an inadequate budget

In the section below, we have discussed some catering tips that will help to save expenses for the couples along with letting them have the best celebration experience -

1. It is imperative to understand that the food should be tasty and sumptuous but going overboard can result in increasing of expenses. For instance after the cocktail, have a three course meal for the guests instead of five as it will prevent any wastage. If there are salads at the cocktails, then including a salad in the main course should be eliminated.

2. Instead of elaborate ingredients, include simple fresh seasonal ingredients in the salads such as spring greens. This will help in bringing down the cost and will help to make a setting for the entrée options that will follow.

3. Ask any event planner and he/she will tell instantly that most guests eat with their eyes first. Therefore, creativity is necessary for those looking to give their guests a unique experience. For instance, serving trays or chaffing bowls should have an element of twist and it will be instantly appreciated by the guests.

4. Experienced caterers will help you to eliminate many common entries that will not be missed by guests. Entries such as cheese platters are regularly enjoyed by the guests at other places such as home or work. Try something different like offer potato dough bites with goat cheese, cheddar cheese and an assortment of dips.

5. It is best not to serve the best wines or liquor and to opt for something in the middle. It is easier to try a variety of signature drinks with appealing garnishes. It can help to cut down the consumption and cost of liquor. 6. When it comes to desserts, it is better to stick to regular flavors than trying something gourmet. It is also easy to negotiate with the caterer to eliminate the cake cutting fees completely.

One should always seek expert’s advice and catering tips to make their celebration memorable even under the limited resources.