Tips for Future Catering Owners

Those who are just starting to develop their catering business, be it a pompous restaurant or a small bar near a residential complex, can consider a huge variety of strategies that can both take the institution to a new level, and vice versa, nullify all efforts. Of course, each type of establishment has its own specifics, but there are rules that are the same for everyone who wants to take their business to a new level.
1. Learn the key aspects of the business. In this case, the best option would be to consult with a lawyer so as not to miss a single important detail for a particular type of establishment. What you should find out first:
• General guidelines for business;
• Regulatory requirements for a specific type of institution;
• The type of insurance you need;
• Types of registration (with government agencies), permits (for example, to collect sales taxes) and licenses (for example, to sell alcohol);
• Required software for resource optimization and sales growth (ERP, CRM);
• The type of accounting, salary accrual, reporting and other.
2. Choose the best location for your restaurant. Whether buying or renting a building, it is important that it is located in a place where you can most often meet customers interested in your kitchen. That is, renting a building for a children’s cafe near a business center is not the most expedient idea.
3. After choosing the concept and theme of the institution, knowing your target audience, you can start promoting your business. It is difficult to imagine modern catering without a page on a social network, and it is from it that the promotion begins. You should also get your own website and actively advertise it. In addition, an excellent solution would be to post an electronic version of the menu on the site to whet the appetites of customers or even make it possible to pre-order online.
4. Organize well-coordinated work – this is especially important in the initial stages. Unscrupulous workers, seeing the inexperience of the management, can misuse products, give out a smaller amount of portions, commit thefts, and be mismanaged. Precisely write down the amount of ingredients for each dish, the basic rules for waste disposal (it is advisable to minimize them and hire experienced personnel who do not make such mistakes), if possible, control all work processes and, seeing the flaws, you can correct them.
5. In order to prevent losses, the prices for dishes should be set in accordance with the current cost of products, but it is better to increase them gradually and regularly, this will stabilize profits and not shock customers. Also, take-out orders, delivery, catering, special events (banquets) are considered good ways of additional income.