Catering Business.

If you enjoy cooking and planning, starting a catering service may be the perfect choice for you. As a caterer, you'll be in charge of planning and delivering appetizers, desserts and drinks for all kinds of events, from weddings and birthday parties to conferences and receptions. Many caterers also provide boxed lunches, cakes and picnic fare. Owners of a catering business make an average of 20,000 a year working from a home kitchen.
Call your local Health Department to check up on regulations. You will more than likely need to get a series of permits, insurance and inspection certificates.

Decide if you want to provide chef services also known as in home catering or if you want to start a larger business, in which case you will need to rent an industrial kitchen. Plan a menu, paying special attention to what type of food you plan to offer and what type of food is off limits. Dishes that require exotic ingredients or are complex may not be the best option at the beginning of your business. Consider taking a few classes or workshops to learn about food trends and exotic meals before you start. Or invest in a business management class so you learn what's involved in managing your own business.
Contact the National Association of Catering Executives to learn more about the business, get ongoing support and connect with other professionals in the business


The first option to get started is by offering your catering services to corporate events. Whether these events are held at the corporate headquarters, or at a local recreation hall, you can offer your catering services to these high paying customers. Start your marketing efforts by designing a highly professional brochure that can be delivered by mail to local corporations. The brochure should cover what menu items you have readily available that you can prepare yourself or have prepared inexpensively by another baker, food provider, etc. , as well as special request items. Give details on delivery and serving options you provide, as well as clean up and removal arrangements. Most corporate events will require your full services from preparation and delivery, to serving and breakdown of equipment. Remember, your services should never be too limited, always try to offer as many options as possible, even serving pieces and tables if possible .

Another great niche you can focus on are special events such as birthday parties, anniversary parties and retirement celebrations. Here you could work directly with a local recreation hall that provides space to rent for these types of events. You could provide an array of packages directly to the recreation hall at a slightly discounted rate to be offered through their facility. This could bring you a lot of extra business due to the large number of events held at these types of locations. The last additional option to consider is a wine and bar service. Here you can network with a local event facility as above as well as with local food caterers. You could provide an array of services with this idea as well. You have the option of just providing alcoholic beverages directly, or service and glasses for the event. Networking is a great way to increase your business fast For more ways to make money with catering, and complete details of starting a catering business, such as needed permits, etc., visit the link below under the Resources Heading, titled Catering Business Start Up Guide .