Catering is the professional preparation and serving of food and beverages. Event planners find it a convenient method of advancing their guest’s hospitality needs. The business is booming – and why not – the hospitality industry has upped its game. But what does event catering entail? What are the expected industry minimum standards? Well, like all businesses, it requires professionalism and meticulous planning. Without a good team, event catering will be a bad experience for the person organizing it.
A great example of an event where you can find a wide variety of catering for events in Miami is The South Beach Wine and Food Festival. The Wine and Food Festival is four day culinary extravaganza that features wine and cuisine from all over the planet.
Below are the various stages of an event catering process.
Cooking and Delivery
To be successful at event catering, caterers need to be adept at food preparation and cooking. To be a professional cook or chef, you need to have under gone at least 3 years training in a food and hospitality college. Hygiene when cooking food cannot be gainsaid. The most successful event catering business is the one that observes personal hygiene almost to the level of eccentricity. You need to have the necessary cooking utensils such as cooking pots, cooking pans, cooking sticks etc. Good cooking is one thing, delivering the food in a hygienic and professional manner is another. Food delivery is a nightmare if you do not have the right equipment. You need to have automobiles that are sanitized, good packaging utensils and crockery, and refrigerated vans for perishable vegetables and drinks. You need to be able to deliver the food in time, serve in time and clear out the event venue in time. Event catering is a time conscious business.
Staffing Logistics
Event catering should be an organized affair. You will need to have the kitchen staff, the transportation staff, the waiting staff, managers, suppliers of food materials to the kitchen, event decorators as well as cleaning staff. As an owner of an event catering business, you will be expected to handle this staffing logistics with ease. Before taking up an event catering job, this entire staff must be in place. Failure to have the necessary staff is planning to fail.
Event Venue Preparation and Serving
Most companies that outsource event catering services expect the catering firm to decorate and arrange the venue as well as serve the guests. From event themes and colors to table arrangement and fixing a temporary bar and kitchen, a manager at a catering firm is expected to have the event venue ready. Note that event catering is not a business for the faint hearted or the disorganized. It is a business for people with excellent planning capabilities. To handle the large number of people and logistics, you need to have management skills and high emotional quotient. You will need to be able to balance competing egos with your business agenda. From arrival times of the various event guests to meal times and beverages servings, a caterer will have his hands full. Always remember to ask what kind of guests will be attending the event. You do not want to be caught off guard by having guests that are vegetarians, teetotalers, or those that are restricted by their religions from taking certain foods. Event catering is a highly complex and demanding business, yet being involved in it is both exhilarating and involving.
