Setting up your own catering business can be both exciting and rewarding, but there’s a lot of things you need to consider before taking the plunge.
Starting a food-based business comes with a lot of responsibility. So, to help get you started, below you’ll discover some great tips and advice on how to build a successful catering business.
Familiarise yourself with the legalities
When you’re setting up a catering business, there’s a lot of legalities to consider. If you’re setting up from home for example, there’s certain things you are and aren’t allowed to do. It’s a good idea to get the environmental health department to come and check your kitchen, or your business premises, to ensure it’s fit for purpose.
If you’re looking to sell alcohol, you’ll need a license and you’ll also need to follow strict health and safety guidelines. Food hygiene is especially important, and you’ll also need to take out catering insurance. There’s a lot to learn so it’s crucial you do as much research as possible into the legalities of a catering business.
Invest in the right equipment
If you want to ensure you’re serving up hot, fresh, safe and delicious food, you’re going to need the right equipment. This includes cooking equipment, cooling equipment and cleaning equipment.
It can be expensive setting up a professional kitchen, so it’s worth considering funding if you don’t have a huge budget.
Marketing your business
Once the business has been registered, you have all of the licenses and approval you need, and you’ve got your equipment set up, it’s time to market yourself. Without marketing, nobody is going to know your catering business exists.
As well as online marketing, you’ll need to do some offline local marketing too. Get a website and set up social media profiles for your business. This will help you build up a web presence for customers that search for you online. You’ll also be able to reach thousands of people through online advertising. In terms of offline marketing, think leaflets, ads in your local newspaper and running events.
These are just some of the things you need to think about when you’re starting a catering business. It’s certainly not easy, but if you do as much research as possible and plan ahead, all of the hard work will definitely be worthwhile.