Catering and Banquet Mgmt
Instructor: W. Raleigh Whitehurst
Grading
Attendance –
Just like baseball – 3 strikes (absences) and you are out
Tardy/Late – up to 6 minutes late – loss of ½ attendance
points
Leave early same thing!
Attendance points awarded daily
Participation –
Active interest and participation in the topic,
Grading
Quizzes –
10 Quizzes – no make up quizzes!
Quiz given randomly during class!
30% of Final Grade
Project –
Party Planning!!
20% of Final Grade
Final Exam –
30% of Final Grade
Introduction to Off Premise Catering
Chapter 1
 Off Premise catering is generally considered serving food at a location away from
the caterer’s food production facility
 Examples of facilities include:
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Hotels
Restaurants
Commissaries
Home kitchens (illegal in most if not all states, including Florida)
 Generally are considered to fall into 3 categories:
 Party Food Caterers
 Hot Buffet Caterers
 Full Service Caterers
There is a Market niche for all levels of Off Premise Catering – from the backyard BBQ to the
Oscar “After Awards” Parties
An Art and A Science
The Art –
Creating moods and transforming dreams and
visions into reality using Food, Props and People
and satisfying the desires of the client.
The Science You Have to make money!!! That means knowing
your costs from People to Pasta!
Crisis Manager
 A Successful Caterer – or any Professional, must be
able to deal with Inevitable Crisises :
 Catering truck stuck in traffic
 Facility problems – no permits, bad fire inspection, equipment failures
 There are mistakes on the Event Order – wrong dates, payment
confusion, etc.
 Missing Equipment, Utensils
Differences between On Premise and
Off Premise Catering
From the client’s perspective :
Should be less expensive – (not necessarily so!)
More Personal
Unique
From the Caterers view:
Facilities – unfamiliar and frequently lacking equipment
(But sometimes really fun!)
Greater seasonality – hard to keep people or get the
good ones when everyone is busy
Advantages of Off Premise Catering
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Advance Deposits- payments in advance
Limited start up investments
Controllable Inventory, costs
Additional Revenues
Business by Contract
Direct payment
Advance forecasting
Exposure for the business – word of mouth
Selective about the clients you work for
Of Course – Now the Disadvantages
 High Stress – no excuses – Delivery a must!
 Cash management and flow can be erratic
 80% of work/events are compressed into 20% of the time
 Much of the work is during times others spend with family
( Weekends & Holidays)
To Be Successful
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Work Experience
Passion
Entrepreneurial – will to take risks
Basic Business Knowledge
Ability to Plan Organize, Execute and Control
Ability to Communicate Effectively
Willingness to take calculated risks
 There’s even More…….
What it takes continued:
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Sound Mind and Body
Creativity
Dependability
Open Mind
Ability to meet the needs of the clients
Ability to project a good image
Sense of Humor
Managing the Operation
 Develop your Strategic Plan – Know where you are
want to go.
 Start with a statement of core values
 Should include client satisfaction, ethical practices, staff
satisfaction, training, motivation and environmental
awareness.
Mission & Vision Statements
From the Core Values comes the Mission Statement:
“XYZ catering is committed to providing outstanding events through
excellence in food and service that results in repeat clients and company
growth”
From the Mission Statement to the Vision Statement:
“In 5 years XYZ Catering will be the leading Off Premise Catering firm in the
community with a strong record of service with sincerity”
Statements must be S.M.A.R.T.
 SPECIFIC
 MEASURABLE
 ATTAINABLE
 RELEVANT
 TIME BOUND
Management & Leadership
 Hands on Attention to the smallest details – you
cannot run this type of business form behind a desk
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Get feedback from clients and staff
Oversee the staff during the function
Jump in and help when needed
Leaders are out front
Professionalism and Courtesy
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Do what you say you will
Give prices and commitments only after you have all the facts
Treat all with respect
Build relationships with clients
Be on Time
Be Honest
Stand behind your work
Be strong in the face of abuse and do not pass it on!
Dress Professionally
Enjoy your work – or you will burn out!
Ethicsor the “Man in the Mirror”
“A Good Reputation is more valuable than money”
Truth in menus
Misleading advertising
Unjustified and last minute add ons
Greed – taking more work than be handled
Bad Mouthing the Competition
Kick backs under the table
Under reporting income
Personal Management
 Manage Stress
 Time Management
 Get Organized
Catering in the Future
 Over 50,000 off premise caterers
 Competition is increasing Set yourself Apart – “Different
, Better, Special”
 Staffing is always a challenge
 High tech is great – but service is key
 Service Based Economy to an Experience based
Economy
7 Habits of Highly Successful Caterers
(with apologies to Steven Covey)
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Take Calculated Risks
Have Concern for Others
Keep up on Trends
Prioritize well and have good Time Management Skills
Want Quality over Quantity
Detail Oriented
Set High standards and Live Them as an Example
Measuring Success
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
You are Happy
Your Family is Happy
Your Staff is Happy
Your Clients are Happy
Your bank is Happy
Everyone is Happy, Happy, Happy!
Next Week
Chapter 2 – Laws Locations
and Contract
Quiz – Chapter 1