Across the country, there are hundreds of thousands of caterers, working everything from pop-up grub stalls outside factories, to cafes, bars, restaurants, junk food joints, diners, and festival event food sellers. Within the industry, there are billions of dollars to be made; after all, it’s a job that’s never going to go away – people need to eat.
If you feel that you’ve got something unique to offer the catering industry that you would like to launch as a business, this is the article for you.
Below, you’ll read some of the tips that’ll help you get set up as quickly as possible.
Registering and Testing
It may come as some relief to learn that caterers require a number of health and safety and food hygiene certificates if they’re to operate legally across the US. Without alignment to regulations and careful planning around the restrictions that are placed on food providers in the country, you’re going to expose yourself to fines and even outright bans – which will of course jeopardize or kill off your venture before it’s really lifted off the ground. Be sure to register and get certified if you’re to run a catering business in 2020.
Protect Your Investment
Catering businesses can be incredibly lucrative, or they can be terribly debt-ridden. The difference, often, is the level of protection you’ve built for your company. For instance, a business that’s operating with the correct level of caterer insurance will never need to take out a loan in order to cover the costs of a disastrous week in the business, a customer suing, or other such catastrophes. If you also manage to secure your contracts for the long-term, then you’ll be preparing adequate protection for your business in the catering industry.
Find Your USP
Your USP – or unique selling proposition – is what draws customers to buy food from you and not other retailers in the industry. If you’re selling a burger, for instance, what’s so special about your burger? What do you have in it that nobody else can claim to have? The same goes for all areas of your business – is it sustainable and organic? Is it eco-friendly? These are the kinds of things that can really set caterers apart, and encourage loyal customers who buy into your vision.
Market Your Brand
Whatever business you’re setting up – whether it be a portable food stall or a city restaurant – you need to make sure your brand is marketed in order to draw in custom. You could, for instance:
- Set up a Google Maps listing for your food enterprise
- Get onto social media to shout about your product
- Invite residents and friends for free samples to help generate gossip
- Do an opening launch with a small party and some free food for the press
- Head down traditional digital marketing channels in order to present your business on the internet
These tips will help you market your brand more effectively, leading you to more customers – many of them repeat customers – over time.
There you have it: four key ways in which you can form and flourish as a catering business as we move into 2020 and beyond.
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