Starting Your Own Catering Business

You don't have to have any formal cooking training or education to start your own catering business, but there are some skill that you will need.

To determine if this is the right business for you, ask yourself these questions.

• Do you love to cook?
• Do you have an artistic flair for making food look fancy?
• Are you good at organizing, record keeping and planning?
• Do you have good people skills?
• Do you have lots of stamina
• Are You able to work well under pressure

If this sounds like you, starting a catering busines may be the career that is right for you. You may want to specialize in catering certain events or foods like cakes, appetizers, comfort foods, or more elaborate foods with complicated recipies.

Types of Catering:

• Event Catering - Kids parties, individual Parties for anniversaries, graduations, engagements,Business meetings or conferences and weddings
• Mobile catering - A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose. Mobile catering is common at outdoor events (such as concerts), workplaces, and downtown business districts.
• Ship Catering - Cruise liners or Merchant ships, who often carry Catering Officers.
• Airline Catering

How To Start A Catering Business

Start with a business Plan - This is the first step you need to take. Your business plan will help you get your loan if needed and will also help you get organized with your initial start-up planning. (click here for sample business Plans)

• Get a Business License
• Buying A catering Franchise
• Picking a Catering Business Name
• Register Your Business Name
• Learn about business taxes
• Where to get finanacing
• Get Insurance
• Download Business Forms & Templates
• Learn about bookkeeping
• Kitchen- find a commercial kitchen to rent
• Leasing
• Find A Food Service Provider
• Developing a menu
• Food Service Suppliers
• Staffing
• Setting your prices
• How To Prepare A Catering Estimate
• How to do a client consultation
• Preparing a catering contract
• Catering home business

• When you are ready to start catering, write a press release for local newspapers and radio stations. You can also place your press release on the internet.
• Develop a website or blog.
• Offer your catering services to fund-raising events
• Invite wedding and event planners to an open house to see and taste your foods.
• Flyers- Hand flyers out to businesses, wedding planners and friends.
• Yellow Pages
• Partnering - Florists and party supply stores can give you referrals.

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