How to Grow your Catering Business for 2021

With a just a few months left in the rollercoaster known as 2020, there’s still a lot you can do to boost your business. This will also help you prepare for the next year. If you specialize in food and catering, the upcoming holiday season can be the perfect time to make the most out of your services. 2020 has seen a rise in the use of online marketing, technology and a more frequent use of curb side pick up and delivery options for caterers and restaurants. Here are a few ideas that can help you  push your catering business to the next level!

Use Technology

The world is even more reliant on technology as the global Covid 19 pandemic still calls for social distancing and restrictions that affect businesses. Use technology to your advantage to reach your customers and attract new ones. How can you do this?

Create social media pages:

Instagram and Facebook are great platforms to showcase your catering business. Share photos, videos and other behind the scenes material of your meals, your menu and much more. Using hashtags related to food and catering will also help your posts to reach a wider audience. Social media also makes it easier for customers to reach you to place orders, redirect to your website or just give reviews. It’s a more personable approach and gives your business a warm and welcoming ambience.

Connect with food drop services:

There are many apps which can allow customers to place orders for your menu items through a third party. If you’re a small caterer you can utilize such apps to help get your food delivered. It also allows you to support another business!

Go digital:

Create a digital customer database to help you keep track of orders, payments, your inventory and accounts. This helps to create order and makes it easier to pull up information on demand. It can also be used for analytics to pick up on trends. You can test which items are frequently requested and purchased and even determine your peak selling periods.

All this information can help you to boost your business.

Create a logo:

Making a logo for your catering business can help you get noticed. You can use it online for your social media and website platforms, on merchandise such as t shirts, work aprons and hats. You can also use it on your business cards, menus and even your packaging. It helps to build you brand and make you recognizable. A great way to get a cost effective logo is by becoming a member of the Biz Credit Movement. Platinum members get three logos created for free to choose from.

Private Chef’s Table Events

Many restaurants still have restricted dine in options or none at all due to Covid 19 regulations. An alternative to this (while following strict safety guidelines) is to host a chef’s table event. This means preparing and serving food to a limited number of people in private.

This can be appealing to customers such as a couple or a small family for special occasions, birthdays and anniversaries. You can do this at your catering site, an outdoor location or your client’s residence. This can also be great for small weddings and engagement dinners.

Farmers’ Markets

Farmers’ markets are a great opportunity to do some networking for your catering business. Create your best-selling dishes to showcase, sample and sell. Rent a stall for a small fee or go big and invest in a food truck. Prepare business cards, flyers and other contact information that you can easily distribute to potential customers. It gives you a chance to appeal to a high traffic environment and even connect with customers from areas outside of your community.

Offer Contract Proposals

If there are offices, schools and other large companies in your area you can try offering catering contracts to such establishments. Whether it’s to supply catering for functions, lunches or daily breakfast boxes, design a range of menus and present them to the various companies that may require such services. While it may not be a frequent occurrence, it’s a great service to have on the table so that potential clients have more options to choose from.
Push Seasonal Menus
Create a menu and catering package for the holiday season. Offer meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas that can allow customers to take a break from their regular cooking and opt for your menu instead. Promote a hassle free and easy to order package which can appeal to families who want to try a professional catering service to prepare their holiday dinner meals.

Be Creative

There is a lot of creativity and room for creativity in business. In the food and catering industry, you can achieve many new avenues to promote and upgrade your business. Always remember to work on constantly improving your menus, your customer service and provide quality products at affordable prices. You can even consider moving into manufacturing and having your food items displayed and sold at supermarkets or small groceries.

With many new food and catering business popping up, there is a lot of competition. Being innovative and keeping up with market trends can help you to stand your ground and keep up with the competition. Have an open mind and learn about your target client groups, their wants, needs and spending habits in order to adjust your marketing and services to be more appealing.

Before embarking on any business venture it’s very important that you have the proper licensing, food and safety certification, business registration and other vital paperwork. If you don’t have these things in place, you can be running at a major risk. Luckily, Moore Financial Services can help you stay on top of your business documentation. With the Biz Credit Movement, you can access professional guidance, legal and business consultations and even learn how to build credit, receive funding and much more. If this resonates with you, contact us today to push your business forward.