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Course Description
If you are the kind of person who...
thrives on cooking for your friends,
wants everyone to come to your house for dinner,
feels like you have more party food ideas than you could ever possibly execute in your own home
...then you might want to start your own catering business.
Caterers cook and transport food for other people's parties. Unlike restaurants where all the cooking and serving happens at the same location, caterers have the added logistical challenge of transporting food from their kitchen to the party venue.
Caterers work closely with their clients to develop a menu and a party plan that meets their clients' desires and budget. To be a successful caterer, you must have business savvy, be great at dealing with people, and able to handle stress. Additionally, you'll need be an excellent cook as well as be creative, organized and efficient. Some caterers have several of these qualities when they start out, but they have to develop the others as they go along.
This course discusses in detail the critical aspects of management involved in running a catering business like how to get the appropriate licenses and permits, what kind of kitchen you need, basic food safety practices, party planning, cooking for a crowd, planning meals, dealing with customers, understanding how to price your services, and moving the food safely from one location to another.
If you are passionate about food and you feel like you have what it takes to start your own catering business, this course can help you understand the critical steps involved in starting off on the right foot.
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Course Lessons
Lesson 1: What Is Catering?
Unlike a restaurant, which prepares food in the same location that it will be served, caterers generally cook the food in one place, and take it to a party venue to be served.
Lesson 2: State and Local Regulations
Most areas of the country require that people who are cooking for others, do so in a commercial kitchen. Specific requirements vary among states and counties.
Lesson 3: Food Safety
Food safety is a critical issue, and it deserves a whole course of its own, but this section presents some basic food safety guidelines.
Lesson 4: Business Planning
A business plan is like an outline that describes your business. In the beginning, there will be some issues you aren't sure how to answer.
Lesson 5: Getting Started
Before you quit your day job, make a detailed analysis of what all your startup costs will be.
Lesson 6: Marketing
For a catering business, marketing means letting people know you are out there, making sure they understand what kind of events you do and what you want to do, and ensuring they are able to find you when they want you.
Lesson 7: Party Planning
In the early days of your business, most clients are likely to be friends and family members with whom you already have a relationship, and who will only be so hard on you if something goes awry.
Lesson 8: Meal Planning
Meal planning can seem like an overwhelming task, but once you understand the occasion, the venue, and its limitations, the most important thing is what the customer wants.
Lesson 9: Shopping
The contract is signed, the menu is ready, and you are about to go shopping. As a professional caterer, you are armed and ready with an extensive list of everything you need, organized by the store in which you plan to buy it.
Lesson 10: Timing and Kitchen Efficiency
The more efficient you make your work processes, the less time it takes. The less time it takes, the more profitable you can be.
Lesson 11: Logistics: Getting the Food to Its Destination on Time
There are two ways catered food can arrive at its final destination: either the caterer takes it, or the customer picks it up.
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($65.00) Looking for a way to throw a children's birthday party on a budget?. more
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