Lecture 1Introduction to Catering Business Outline of Last Lecture I. This is the first lecture of the semesterOutline of Current Lecture II. Need for Catering Defineda. How it differs from Restaurant workb. Categories of CateringIII. Two main categories of Catering a. Institutional b. SocialIV. Who uses Catering services?V. Exploring a Career in Cateringa. Qualities in successful caterersCurrent LectureI. Need for Catering Defineda. Gatherings than span several hours require food and beveragesb. Business Meetings demand coffee, tea and bottled water (at the very least)c. Celebratory occasions such as weddings, christenings, birthday parties, bar and bar mitzvahs, and anniversaries require special food and drink for the event to occurd. Catering can be as grandiose as a prestigious stadium skybox luncheon, or as casual as a mobile lunch wagon on a movie seti. Regardless of the event being china elegant vs. paper-plate casual, if there is good-quality food and drink being served, it is regarded as Cateringe. Catering vs. Restaurant Operationi. Catering demands a prearranged contract:1. Cost is listed2. Specific number of people the event will serve3. Menu is chosen in advance and tends to be more limited than a restaurant menu ii. Food preparation differs than in a Restaurant1. Both Restaurant and Catering chefs do “mise en place” (prepare food ahead of time to a certain extent), but Catering chefs prepare the food so that it only needs brief final cooking, reheating or assembly prior to serviceII. Two Main Categories of Catering:a. Institutionali. Revolves around the industries of hospitals, universities, airlines, large hotels, and retirement centers ii. Provide a wide variety of food and drink to a large number of people on ONGOING basisiii. Normally occurs at the institution itself; institution normally contracts with a catering company to have this service providedHTM 2514 1st Editionb. Sociali. Provides catering services to civic groups, charities, corporations, businesses, and individuals on-premise at a catering or banquet hall or off-premise at a selected locationii. For a catering company to succeed they must locate the correct demographics to provide their services to: individuals, groups or businesses who are able to pay for this service1. Opportunities for catering businesses multiply every year!III. Who uses Catering Services?a. Convention Centersb. Hospitals, Universities, Retirement Centers, Nursing homesc. The Entertainment Industry: musicians on tour, movie sets, plays in production, professional sporting eventsd. Businesses: meetings, openings of businesses, special sales events, corporate retreats, team-building exercises, awards banquets, executive dining, employee meals, galas, etc.e. Community Groups: fund-raisers, donor or sponsor lunches, galas, etc.f. Individuals: For special in-home dinners, bridal and baby showers, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, funerals, and similar eventsIV. Exploring a Career in Cateringa. Mid 1990s: Fastest-growing sector of food service industry b. This specific segment of the Hospitality industry consistently grows each yearc. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (division of US Department of Labor) state:i. Food preparation careers should be in demand through 2012 ii. Institutional Catering is on the rise (Note* this book was published in 2008)d. Restaurant Industry Forecast 2000 states that Social Catering is the fastest-growing of the segmentsi. This is because contract catering allows institutions to keep costs down and social catering is growing in popularity due to the fact that homes are now being built with upscale appliances which inspires owners to entertain more often ii. The increase of cooking and lifestyle programming on television as led the average person to learn more about food products, wine and cooking, thus wanting a more sophisticated approach to entertaining in the home, business, or communitye. How to be a Successful Catereri. Over 70% of all catering services are owner run so a successful caterer normally marries the culinary talents of a chef with the business savvy of a CEOii. Caterers must have a passion for entertaining or else the long hours and hard work will tire them out instead of be rewarding for someone who is truly meant for the catering industryiii. Guests are always complimenting these people on their abilities to cook and entertain and tell them that they need to entertain for a livingiv. But the combination of passion for cooking and a love for entertaining can not take you all the way to being a successful caterer; here are other tips:1. Attending formal classes on catering and business management 2. Work for a caterer until you have a high level of understanding and sense of the businessv. Some caterers attempt to work out of their home kitchen which is not licensed by the local health department – this is VERY risky 1. Troubles with health department if guests become ill2. Don’t understand the realties of running for-profit catering business and the fixedexpenses that come with this (that are all necessary for continued business growth):a. Business licensesb. Separate business phone and fax linesc. Web sitevi. Some qualities in successful caterers:1. Excellent organizational skills2. Time-management3. Ability to multitask4. Friendly, hospitable personality5. Ability to manage stress6. Extensive knowledge of ingredients7. High level of written and verbal communication skills8. Natural leadership and motivational skills9. Knowledge of social and religious cultures/customs10. Excellent networking skills11. Proficiency in basic accounting principles12. Basic mechanical skills13. Good negotiating skills14. Quick thinking and problem solving skillsvii. Examples of how you can get around the barrier of not being business-savvy:1. Spelling and grammar aren’t the best – contract with a high school English teacher/professional food writer to proofread letters, contract, menus on case-by-case basis2. Don’t understand accounting principles – take noncredit adult education class at your local community college, hire accountant or shadow restaurant/catering manager to see how book work is done3. If style sense suffers – concentrate on area of catering where this is less important such as institutional or outdoor barbecue catering; or hire someone tohelp with your style4. Can’t fix anything around physical business space – offer retainer to full-time or retired handyman or