Tips & Tricks to Restart your Catering Business

by Anne Dickson April 25, 2020

As local governments start to reduce stay at home restrictions from COVID-19, catering businesses will needs to start preparing for this "new normal" world. Here are some helpful tips & tricks to get your business back on its feet for summer 2020:

Don’t wait for the phone to ring with cancellations; be proactive and contact all of your clients and re-assure them that you can make changes to their event, date, menu, guest count etc.
Re- consider your deposit term and instead of asking for a large initial down payment to secure a date offer a staged payment plan. Clients are worried about paying large sums of money out when there is no guarantee that their event will be allowed to take place
Offer Curbside collection of your menu in party sizes with the option to add single use chafing dishes and utensils
Introduce quality disposable/single use plates and cutlery instead of china to reduce handling. Eco conscious clients will appreciate the shift to environmentally friendly products. Bamboo and paper are not the only option anymore, palm leaf plates are made from farmed, sustainably sourced from fallen leaves and are available in sealed packs of 25. They add a rustic, chic feel to an event.
Encourage your clients to move away from Family Service and where possible offer plated meals or staffed stations with sneeze screens.
Promote single serve drinks such as coolers, beer, or alcoholic seltzers to reduce handling by staff
Partner with a food delivery service to deliver full catered events, every thing that a clients needs ‘except the staff’!

We'd love to chat about how we can help you navigate this time in your business. We are happy to share tips and things that we believe will help. Send us an email at hello@dicksonscateringequipment.com or book a call with us here!