Getting Started in the Catering Business

Video Transcript

"As a college student, I needed to make a little extra money, so my first job was working in the catering department of the University food service, and I quickly fell in love with the business and have made it my passion ever since. I'm Karen Lasher, chef/owner of Around the Table in Camas, Washington. And I want to talk to you a little bit about how to get started in the catering business. Now, hopefully, what you'll do is write a business plan. Do a lot of great work up front. But once you've done that and got your plan settled, how do you get started? How do you get out there are get business? Word of mouth is critical in this business. And it really is how you build your business. You can do a lot of advertising, but you really want to focus on word of mouth, as well. You need to know your target market, and start figuring out where you're going to meet those people and how you're going to attract those people. And then know that every event that you do is done so well that those people will tell other people. It's great to start small and work up, and be able to perfect your product along the way, keeping in mind that catering is not just about food. It's about food and service, and you need to be able to provide both of those well. If you really want to perfect your product, it's great to work for other caterers. To work in restaurants, to do things for friends. Volunteer to pretend cater an event, as if you were the caterer, and that way people can give you feedback. Catering is a great business. It's very rewarding, and it's a lot of hard work, as well. But if you do the hard work up front, once you get started and get your feet moving, you'll just start rolling and you'll have a great business."