As folks head back to work and resume activities that were on pause during the height of the pandemic, catering is making a comeback. According to industry research, catering represents around $16 billion in revenue in 2022, and the industry is expected to continue the growth trend.

Catering can be an excellent revenue stream for a restaurant, but it’s important to consider what your capabilities are before putting dollars behind marketing the program to consumers. Let’s take a look at how to ramp up your catering program to meet demand.

Create a Plan

It’s important to be aware of your abilities and limitations when it comes to catering before you launch or promote a catering program. Take a look at how much food you realistically can produce in terms of volume, as well as how much equipment you have in order to implement off-site catering. Understanding these parameters will help you define what catering means for your restaurant and avoid overcommitting and disappointing customers.

You’ll also want to consider how much staff you have available to help execute large catering orders. For high-volume orders, you may find the burden is excessive on your existing BOH staff, and it may be beneficial to hire part-time help. Likewise, if you are offering service for off-site catering, it’s important to have trustworthy staff who can be diverted from the restaurant to handle these events.

Once you know what you’re capable of doing, it’s time to set goals. Identify how much revenue you’d like to generate through catering, and then crunch the numbers to see if it’s possible. If not, it may be smart to consider other options, such as family-style takeout, which can serve larger numbers of guests without the specific demands of catering.

Hire a Manager

Catering touches many aspects of your restaurant, from food ordering to staffing to direct interaction with guests, but all too often, the catering process can feel like an afterthought at busy restaurants where there isn’t a specific catering manager. Identify someone on your staff or hire someone to take on this big, potentially lucrative aspect of your business. Work directly with that person to create a polished catering experience from the first point of contact to breaking down the event.

Look for someone who is interested in developing the catering program with you and provide financial incentives for them to do so. This person can help you create a marketing plan that connects to your catering program so you can improve and increase your offerings as the program grows.

Simplify the Process

Think of the point of contact for each catering job as a busy person who will appreciate a simplified ordering process. Create a page for catering on your website that answers FAQs, lists prices (even a range of prices or a starting price can help potential consumers identify if your restaurant is the right fit before moving forward), and provides ways to quickly contact your catering manager. This client will likely want answers to their questions within a few hours of inquiry, so create language in advance to address common questions regarding delivery, set-up, breakdown, and, of course, menu offerings.

Offer Tastings

You may also want to offer a tasting opportunity for clients who are interested in moving forward with catering. Catering tastings should provide a snapshot of what your team is capable of and allow clients to ask questions in-person. Prepare sales messaging to help seal the deal during a catering tasting, and have everything you need (examples of service ware, photos, and the food) ready to go when the client arrives at your restaurant.

Streamline Your Menu

Your catering menu should be a reflection of your restaurant. Streamlining your dining and catering menus so that they are similar will help keep food costs down while presenting a clear image of what your restaurant is all about.

Scale up existing recipes for catering applications and look for ways to create smaller versions of popular menu items for hors d'oeuvres. Playing with scale is a smart way to use the same ingredients in different ways.

Include Beverages

Adding beverages, both alcoholic and non, to your catering menu can be a great way to increase sales while satisfying customer needs. Coffee, juices, and batched cocktails are all good options for this category. Just make sure you have everything you need to offer beverages, including containers, cups, straws, stirrers, etc.

You may also want to offer bar catering, which is a trend that seems to be increasing in popularity. For this, you’ll want to identify what kind of beverages you can provide — wine, beer, or spirits — and members of your bar staff that can implement this type of service. Consider offering popular cocktails as well as giving clients the option to create their own cocktails with the guidance of your bar team. Some catering clients will appreciate not having to hire a separate bartender for events.

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