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Running a catering business means making decisions every day without always having time to look things up. This is where you find the answers. Practical guides on pricing, quoting, invoicing and everything else that keeps your operation running.
A client who cuts the guest count on the day, or guests who simply don't turn up, comes with the job. Without a clear change policy, you foot the bill for purchasing and staff that were already locked in. This […]
During peak periods you can't always rely on your core team, and it's tempting to just book whoever an agency has available. But casual staff you've never briefed before cost you time and risk on the day itself. This article […]
At a festival, a food truck has no guest list like a wedding does, just an estimated visitor number and a peak moment when everyone queues at once. Buy too little and you sell out with half the day still […]
As a venue, you face a choice that affects your revenue, planning and client satisfaction: do you run your own catering team, or let clients bring in their own caterer? Both routes come with trade-offs that go beyond the margin […]
A wedding gets booked a year in advance, a funeral gets arranged within days of a death. That means working with far less lead time: no tasting, no weeks to compare suppliers, and sometimes barely a day to schedule staff. […]
For a corporate party you're not negotiating with the guests themselves, but usually with an HR or office manager working to a fixed budget per head. The numbers work differently too: where almost everyone shows up at a private party, […]
Brunch catering calls for a different sum than drinks or a walking dinner: guests sit for longer, eat in several rounds, and expect a broad spread from sweet to savoury. For you as a caterer, that means a different approach […]
Couples almost always ask it: how many canapés do we need, and which ones should we choose? For you as a caterer, that's not just a menu question, it's a sum that hits your margin directly. Plan too few and […]
A business client books differently from a couple planning a wedding. They are not looking for a one-off celebration, but monthly working lunches, team events and meetings that simply need to run on time. […]
When you serve drinks at an event, you are responsible for more than just the purchase cost. The rules around alcohol on location are stricter than many caterers realise. […]
The food is ready, the order is complete, but things can still go wrong on the way to the venue. Temperature is the most underestimated risk factor in catering transport. Too warm, too long, or without the right storage and […]
Your website looks good, but enquiries trickle in slowly. That's rarely about your prices or your offer. The problem is usually in the path a visitor has to take from "this looks good" to "I'll send a message". Small changes […]
You've sent a great quote, the client agrees, and then you hear nothing for a while. Or worse: two weeks before the event someone calls to say it's off. A deposit prevents both situations. But how much do you ask […]
Two servers or five? One chef or two? How many staff you need per event is a question every caterer faces for every new booking, and too few or too many both come at a price. The type of service […]
A wedding isn't a corporate event with a different tablecloth. The couple often plans a party this size just once in their life, and everything about it is personal: the menu, the timing, the guests they've known for years. That […]
There are dozens of software packages for caterers and event venues. Most promise the same things: better overview, less admin, smarter working. But which one fits the way you actually work? […]
Finding an error in a quote is uncomfortable, but it happens to every caterer sooner or later. How you handle it determines whether you keep the client's trust. […]
You sent a good quote. And then silence. When you schedule a follow-up and how you approach it matters just as much as the quote itself in winning the job. […]
A client who calls your quote too expensive is not necessarily lost. How you respond in that moment and whether you have a clear answer ready determines whether the job is still salvageable. […]
Wine is often one of the most profitable items on a catering quote, if you price it right. Many caterers use a fixed markup without knowing exactly what they earn per bottle. […]
A quote and a contract are not the same thing, even though many caterers treat them as if they are. The distinction determines what counts legally when something goes wrong. […]