How to Start A Niche Catering Business

Be your town's top party chef with your niche catering business.

If your love cooking or being a hostess, you may have dreamed of opening a catering business. But you may soon discover that being all things to all people doesn't bring home the "bacon" when compared to the amount of work and upfront costs involved. Catering can be a profitable business, especially when you learn how to use niche marketing to increase your business. Discover some target markets for different types of catering services.

Things You'll Need

• Knowledge of food preparation.
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Instructions

1. Before you start cooking, inquire at your state's health department office to learn "what licenses, permits, or certifications you will need to operate your business," advises Digital-Women.com. The department will likely inspect your kitchen, or you will have to rent a kitchen that is already certified.

2. Investigate all business costs. You'll have insurance, license fees, marketing and advertising costs, and possibly employee pay. Naturally, you must look at your supply of utensils, pots and pans to see what you'll need to buy. Factor in gas money for shopping and delivering the goods to your clients. With luck, this may lead to the need to lease, buy or otherwise hire a delivery truck.

3. Offer your catering services to local business events as one of your service niches. Whether these events are held at the company headquarters or at a local recreation hall, you might find these to be high-paying customers, depending on the business size and budget. Start your marketing efforts by designing a highly professional brochure that can be delivered by mail to local corporations. The brochure should cover what menu items you have readily available (that you can prepare yourself or have prepared inexpensively by another baker or food provider), as well as special-request items. Give details on delivery and serving options you provide, as well as clean-up and removal arrangements. Corporate events catering normally requires your full services from preparation and delivery to serving and breakdown of equipment. Offer as many options as possible, even serving pieces and tables, if possible.

4. Another niche to focus on is special events such as birthday parties, anniversary parties, retirement celebrations and even funerals. Here you can work directly with a local recreation hall that provides space to rent for these types of events. Provide an array of packages directly to the recreation hall at a slightly discounted rate to be offered through their facility. This could bring you a lot of business due to the large number of events held at these types of locations.

5. One possibility to consider is a wine and beer or full-bar service. You could provide an array of services with this idea as well. You have the option of just providing alcoholic beverages or service and glasses for the event. Here you can network with a local event facility as well as with local food caterers.

6. Find a need that isn't being met in your community. Maybe there are several cold cuts, cheese and bread caterers, but what about vegetarian or even vegan? If you are comfortable in those realms, let people know your catering business offers these niches. Maybe someone is looking just for a large variety of cookies for an afternoon meeting. If you are a star baker, this might be a niche for you.

Tips & Warnings

• Network at every event to increase your business.

References

• Digital-Women.com: Niche Business Idea
• Profitable Small Business Ideas: Business Catering From Home Start Ups