Catering
Management
Overview
Whenever people gather together for several hours, they’re going to require food and
beverages. At business meetings, coffee, tea, and bottled water—at the very least— are
made available for attendees. Celebratory occasions such as weddings, christenings,
birthday parties, bar and bat mitzvahs, and anniversaries call for special food and drink to
complete the festivities. These are all prime occasions for catering.
From a meal in a prestigious stadium skybox to a mobile lunch wagon on a movie set,
catering can be bone-china elegant or paper-plate casual, but it always means serving good-
quality food and drink to many people.
Several things distinguish a catering operation from a restaurant. Catering is usually done
by prearranged contract—food and drink provided at a certain cost to a specific number of
people. The menu at a catered event is usually more limited than a restaurant menu and is
chosen in advance by the client. The way the food is prepared is different, too. Although
both restaurant and catering chefs do the mise en place, or prepare the food ahead of time to
a certain extent, catering chefs prepare their food so that it only needs brief final cooking,
reheating, or assembly prior to service.
Two Main Categories of Catering
• Institutional: These caterers at hospitals, universities, airlines,
large hotels, and retirement centers provide a wide variety of
food and drink to a large number of people on an ongoing basis
—usually at the institution itself. The institution usually
contracts with a catering company to have this service provided.
• Social: These caterers provide food and beverage services to
civic groups, charities, corporations, businesses, and individuals
on-premise at a catering or banquet hall or off-premise at a
selected location.
Types of Catering Services
• On-premise Catering - catering operation is made up of a food
production area (kitchen) and a connected area where people dine.
Examples of On-Premise catering
• Restaurants
• Hotels & Resorts
• Cruise Lines
• Country Club
• Private Club
• Banquet Halls
• Religious Groups
Types of Catering Services
2. Off-premise Catering - caterer has a production facility but holds events
somewhere else. The caterer transports all required food, beverages, personnel, and
equipment for an event to a location usually chosen by the client.
• Supermarket Catering: Provide items that can be picked up and taken home or
to another location
• Dual Restaurant-Catering Operations: When a restaurant operator evolves into
catering services to strategically increase the efficiencies of the base operation;
• Convention and Weddings catering: Provides food service to support
professional, business and social activities of a large group of people; and
• Mobile Catering: Employs one or a fleet of trucks to support an assortment of
food and beverages for customers located at diverse locations.
Types of Catering Services
3. On-premise and Off-premise Combinations: Hotels and small restaurants may
prepare food in their kitchen and transport off-premise to another location to serve
their guest.
Classification of Catering Services
Classification of Catering Segments
• Commercial Segment: For profit operations; financial goals include a profit
gained from revenue minus expenses.
2. Non-commercial Segment: Not for profit operations; operates on a break-even
basis where revenue equals expenses. Catering services are provided as a
complimentary service
Classification of Catering Services
Classification of Catering Segments
• Commercial Segment: For profit operations; financial goals include a profit
gained from revenue minus expenses.
2. Non-commercial Segment: Not for profit operations; operates on a break-even
basis where revenue equals expenses. Catering services are provided as a
complimentary service
Classification of Catering Services
Types of Catering Activities for Each Segment
Commercial Segment Non-Commercial Segment Military Segment
• Independent caterers • Business/Industry accounts • Military functions
• hotel/motel caterers • College/University catering • Diplomatic functions
• home-based caterers • Health care facilities
• Restaurant/catering firms • Recreational food service
• private clubs • School catering
• Social organizations
• Transportation food
services catering
Selecting a Caterer
Requirements in Selecting a Caterer
• The caterer is respected and well known;
• The caterer does most of the catering in the client's area
• The customers are satisfied; and
• The clients are recommending the caterer to other prospective
clients
Selecting a Caterer
Ways to Acquire Reputation
• Reputation - the character of the caterer that is held by a customer;
• Referrals - recommendation of a satisfied client to others; nd
• Word of Mouth advertising - a type referral when a satisfied customer
recommends the caterer to others.
Selecting a Caterer
Qualities of a Caterer
• Genuine interest in catering
• Willingness to work hard;
• Adequate background knowledge in quantity food preparation;
• Strong desire to serve and please people; and
• Management skills
Selecting a Caterer
Factors to Successful Catering
• Kind of food provided by caterer
• Promptness and efficiency in dining service
• Dining atmosphere; and
• Relationship between the caterer and client.
