THE SEVEN FUNCTIONS

OF CATERING
 Revilla, Jonna Mae V.

Comilang, Julie Ann

Andrade, Karl Angelo

REPORTER
S: Cabinas, Jayann

Segarra, Glenys

Corpuz, Stephanie
 All caterers, including corporate, social, on-premise, or off-premise,
need to have a solid understanding of the following seven fundamental
catering functions. The mastery of these seven functions helps to
ensure real success. 
These are the fundamental catering management function:
(1) Formulate the tactical plan for the event
(2) Executing the operational tasks
(3) Organizing resources
(4) Matching equipment needs to the requirements of the food and service
(5) Implementing the plan
(6) Controlling the event by use of financial tools and predetermined
standards; and
(7) Obtaining Insurance coverage and ensuring all legal concerns are
covered by a contract.
FIRST FUNCTION: PLANNING
 The basic catering management function.
 The first step after the acceptance of the proposal is for caterer to
begin formulating a comprehensive plan for the event.
 “The closer the caterer gets to the event, the more difficult the event
becomes.” - Ingredient for Success 14.
 All plans should flow from the caterer’s mission statement.
Therefore, always remember, Ingredient Success 15: “Every
observable action exhibited by the caterer evolves from the public
mission statement.”
Purpose of a Catering Plan
 A catering plan serves many purposes. One purpose of a plan is to ensure the caterer’s
future.
 Strategic plan 
- Plan established to guide the entire catering organization over the long term, 3 to 5
years into the future.
- It attempts to position the organization on a path of success.
- Requires modification and rejuvenation as forces in the caterer’s market shape and
reshape it.
 Tactical plan
- Specifically, created to guide the caterer in a much shorter time frame.
- Creates a forceful focus on each event.
- Has a much shorter life span, requires precise detail, and execution.
Purpose of a Catering Plan
(continuation)
 A plan enables the caterer to establish achievable objectives.
 Objectives are established to serve as benchmarks to measure
progress.
 Common organizational objectives may include the measurement of
guest satisfaction, attainment of financial goals, human resource
development, greater staff productivity levels, increase in market
share, and positive organizational growth.
PLAN
 A blueprint or map. This powerful tool, when properly
used by the caterer, keeps everyone in the organization on
the right route.
 A plan helps to minimize unexpected surprises.
 It attempts to eliminate uncertainties by creating a
supportive organizational environment.

 Swiss Cheese Approach = One technique caterers use.

Time-Line Planning
 Formulation of a plan for a catering event must include all principal
players responsible for executing the event. These would include the
catering manager, the chef or food and beverage manager, the buyer or
purchasing agent, and the service manager.
 Chef or food and beverage manager = Responsible for the menu, recipe
development, beverage and service, recipe costing, menu pricing,
determining production needs, staffing needs, and scheduling of
employees.
 Service manager = Responsible for all service staffing needs, table
setups, food and beverage service, and scheduling employees.
 Buyer or purchasing agent = Responsible for researching the availability
of each menu item and its cost.
Food Production Planning Time-Line
Event Minus 75 Days. 
 In planning the menu for the event, it is necessary for the catering manager to
fully inform the chef or food manager of the overall theme and objectives.
 The catering manager should, in planning, allow minimum of 2 or 3 weeks
for the back-of-the-house staff to research menu selections, the product
market, methods of procurement, and appropriate recipes, and for recipe
development.
 The chef will, during the planning stage, be concerned primarily with the
menu and its development, including the nutritional balance, taste, color,
texture, plate coverage and presentation.
 The buyer or purchasing agent must have a list of specific items needed to
produce the menu.
Event Minus 45 Days
 At this point, the caterer will have a good idea of what products are
available on the market and their relative costs.
 The chef, using an appropriate staffing guide, should be able to
provide the caterer with an accurate description of personnel needed
to produce the selected menu.
 During this time the chef or food manager meets, to formulate
production plan, with key production personnel in the kitchen.
 The purchasing agent can be present at this meeting to provide
information on product availability, suppliers, special handling
needs and dates and times of expected deliveries.
Event Minus 30 Days
 One month before the event, the chef or food manager will verify
the menu.
 All required products should be inventoried or readily attainable on
short notice.
 Delegation of individual responsibility for each menu item and its
production will be verified.
Event Minus 15 Days
 During this period, the chef or the food manger checks with the
purchasing agent to ensure inventory is in order.
 All staffing and work schedules are rechecked.
 Final verification of all equipment needed to produce and serve the
food on the menu is completed.
Event Minus 7 Days 
 One week before the event, the caterer schedules another meeting.
All the department supervisors must attend. At this meeting, the
purchasing agent reports on action taken for the procurement of
ingredients and products.
Event Minus 1 Day
 The production schedule outlines the responsibility of the chef or
food manager 24 hours in advance of the event.
Event Plus One Day
 This is the time for the caterer to make sure all records for the event
are complete. This includes a final report describing the event and
recommended changes in menu, production, and service for future
events.
Staffing Planning Time-Line
 At the initial organizational meeting, where the purpose of the function is discussed, some
consideration must be given to the staffing needs for the event.
Event Minus 75 Days
 Staffing requirements should include the food production area, service and/or dining room,
bar setup, and cleaned up crews. 
Event Minus 30 Days
 All staffing needs should be finalized at least 1 month in advance of function.
 Managers must give consideration to special training requirements for employees who will
assist at the event.
 Event Minus 14 Days
 Two weeks prior to the event, the caterer reviews predetermined staffing requirements
 Caterer should review and approve all department work schedules before they are posted.
Event Minus 7 Days
 Seven days before the event, the caterer should be able to answer the following
questions:
1. How many employees are scheduled for the event?
2. How many can assist in more than one job?
3. How much training was required?
4. Has training been completed?
5. Who will supervise in each department during the event?
6. Are backup employees and supervisors available?
7. What are the total labor costs by department?
Day of Event
 At least 1 hour before the function starts, the caterer may require department
supervisors to submit a report that all staffing requirements have been met and
that employees are at their stations ready to assume their duties.
Event Plus One Day
 One day after the event, all department supervisors submit an after-
action report to inform the caterer how staffing requirements were
met and how the work progressed during function. This information,
along with total labor costs, will assist the caterer in projecting
needs for future events. It will also help to improve the quality of
service.
Second Function: Operations-Executions of
tasks
 Once the caterer has identified and broken down a customer's needs and wants, it
becomes easier to assign specific tasks to exceed their objectives. 
 A successful caterer can interpret customer needs and wants but the real challenge
is to translate each customer objective into a specific, operational task.
Operational task
= Direct function of the type of catering event being implemented. 
 The caterer develops the plan with the organizational team. Every detail of the
event is written down. Each detail is reviewed and assigned as a task. 
 By identifying and bundling all similar tasks, the caterer can assign or delegate
each bundle of tasks to the appropriate employee for execution. 
Delegate = The assignment of responsibility and authority to an appropriate
employee to execute a "bundle of tasks" or a job in the catering operation.
Bundle of tasks = The catering management procedure to identify and group all
similar employee tasks together based on event's tactile plan. It is used to assign or
delegate tasks to the appropriate employee for their execution.
Execution of tasks = The physical action by an employee to accomplish
predetermined goals defined as tasks.
 All tasks must be identified, bundled, delegated, and executed to exceed customer
satisfaction. This procedure enables the caterer to identify and operationalize
predetermined and intangible customer needs into achievable elements of a plan.
 Gearing up the catering team to execute these tasks identifies the third fundamental
catering function--organizing resources.
Third Function: Organizing the Event
Organizing is the process of formally structuring the organization so each
assigned task can efficiently and effectively attain the stated objective.
 A purpose of a formal  structure is for the distribution, maximum
utilization, monitoring and control of scarce resources by the caterer.
 The caterer will organize human resources, capital resources, the financial
resources to accomplish stated objectives.
Human resources - include the skill level, knowledge base, experience level,
and maturity level (length of service) of employees. The task of recruitment,
selection, training, retainment, and advancement of the employees are critical
to building a reliable and effective staff.
Capital resources - include the facility, equipment, land and
investories of raw materials managed by the caterer to exceed
customer expectations.
Financial resources 
- Deal with the management, distribution, acquisition, control, and
investment of money.
- Include the caterer's personal financial investment and the ability to
secure capital from lending institutions.
Ingredient for success 16:
"Accurate forecasting of market trends and changes in food prices
are keys to establishing correct pricing and meeting preestablished
financial objectives."
Fourth Function: Equipment

Equipment needs are based on the menu, service

requirements, type and location of the event, and special
needs of the client. A common first question for the caterer is
“What equipment is needed for this event and how will it be
handled?”
Determining equipment needs.
1. Will the event be held on–premise or off–premise?
2. If the event is held off–premise, is refrigeration needed?
3. How will the cold and hot food be kept at temperatures
required to minimize bacterial growth?
4. How will the hot and cold food be safely transported?
5. What kind of serving equipment is needed for the event?
Fifth Function: Implementing
Implementing
 The plan requires direct communication with the team leaders.
Communication with the kitchen manager, service or dining room
manager, office personnel, and purchasing manager is necessary for the
team to know exactly what is required for implementation and
execution of the plan.
 The kitchen staff needs to review and bundle each task required to
produce each menu item. the service staff needs to review and bundle
its tasks relative to the type & style of services
 As the event draws closer, the implementation of the plan by the staff
becomes increasingly important. Finalizing schedules, identifying staff
members accountable for executing each task,& review  of procedures
prepares the staff for successful implementation of the plan.
Sub Plan
 A caterer will bundle tasks from each subsystem & add
these elements together to create a master plan each
catering function is implemented by its own executable
sub plan. Therefore, the events master plan is built by the
contribution of each subsystem.
Sixth Function: Controlling
Controlling/monitoring: 
 Checking current outcomes against forecast plans and making
adjustments when necessary so that goals are achieved. 
 The caterer must develop and implement internal and external
control procedures into the management of the catering system. 
 Control of food, beverages, and labor costs, including salaries
wages and employees benefit is an extremely important in catering
management task.
Controlling as Management Function

Controlling
 A process of monitoring performance and taking
action to ensure desired results.
 It sees to it that the right things happen, in the right
ways, and at the right time.
Importance of Controlling
 Setting up standards
 Measurement of the performance of the organization
 Comparison of the performance
 Analyzing the Deviation
 Taking remedial action
 Control based on feed
 Control based on concurrent
 Control based on prediction
Seventh Function: Understanding Risk
Management , Insurance and Legal Issues
 The caterer's must know the responsibilities patrons, employee and
protect their own  insurance.
 The insurance plans should cover equipment, and guest  at both on-
premise and off-premise , events.
 Ensuring that the basics are covered is an essential step  in
protecting  one's livelihood. But how the caterer's protect
themselves  from unforeseen event.
 They established  a crisis team that can help address immediate,
unforeseen disaster  and crisis that may occur through no fault of the
caterer.
 They also create similar safety management team that can help  to
troubleshoot the legal concern .And also the team  should be responsible 
for conducting  a routine safety check to the staff , equipment and also  the
procedure to ensure  proper compliance with  HACCP  standards.
 HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) 
 The caterer should never perform a function without a well -written signed
contract in a place. The contact is the final document for the determining
the liability .
 A contract should spell out basic stipulation for the event including the
number of guest; the date, time, and location of the event; and other agreed-
upon specifics to be carried out. It should also include provisions for
refunds, cancellations, charges for increases or decreases in the number of
guests, and the caterer's level of responsibility in the event of unforeseen
occurrences.
THANK YOU!