If you are going to be a professional caterer you have to get used to bidding on jobs. You will also have to come up with some creative ideas to establish yourself in the market and build your client base. This is especially true when your new company consists mostly of yourself, with a few friends willing to help serve when you need them. With some careful thought, you can intrigue executives and win bids for corporate catering Biloxi competitors wanted for themselves.
Listening to your clients and discovering exactly what they want to achieve with their business events, is very important. The marketing director may be anxious to impress a superior for instance. If you can offer suggestions to keep her project under budget without sacrificing quality, you will have an interested potential client. A simple suggestion is to fore go the obligatory cocktail hour and formal sit down dinner and replace it with an elegant cocktail reception complete with chef attended action stations.
Limiting the bar is another easy way to hold down the budget. You can create a great atmosphere by offering unusual beers or beers developed at local microbreweries. Little known wines, that are getting good reviews from wine connoisseurs, will have guests feeling privileged instead of limited. Specialty drinks will add to the fun.
Controlling food portions is another way to keep the budget in check. People love buffets and food stations, but they tend to pile as much food as possible onto their plates. Formal dinners require china, cutlery, and additional staff, but this extra cost is more than made up for in the food savings. Servers circulating the room with hors d'oeuvre filled trays are much more cost effective than a pre-dinner buffet.
You could even make some suggestions when it comes to the venues being considered. Venues with fully equipped kitchens don't require the extra expense of bringing in generators and portable ovens. If the event times are flexible, and the catering staff can come in and pick up during regular business hours, instead of after hours, the company will avoid extra charges.
The menu selection will have a lot to do with the overall cost. Filet mignon and lobster are great, and guests have come to expect them, but they among the priciest items you can choose. A menu filled with local produce and braised meats is delicious and economical. An ethnic theme is another original idea that could be considered.
A subtle way to save money, that the guests will never notice, is to use the same style glassware and china for each course. Special glasses at the bar are nice, but not necessary. You will save money using standard glassware there as well.
As a new caterer, you need more than a diverse menu and good service. You have to get creative to get noticed. Advising corporate marketing directors on ways to save money without affecting the quality of the event presentation will make both of you look good.
Listening to your clients and discovering exactly what they want to achieve with their business events, is very important. The marketing director may be anxious to impress a superior for instance. If you can offer suggestions to keep her project under budget without sacrificing quality, you will have an interested potential client. A simple suggestion is to fore go the obligatory cocktail hour and formal sit down dinner and replace it with an elegant cocktail reception complete with chef attended action stations.
Limiting the bar is another easy way to hold down the budget. You can create a great atmosphere by offering unusual beers or beers developed at local microbreweries. Little known wines, that are getting good reviews from wine connoisseurs, will have guests feeling privileged instead of limited. Specialty drinks will add to the fun.
Controlling food portions is another way to keep the budget in check. People love buffets and food stations, but they tend to pile as much food as possible onto their plates. Formal dinners require china, cutlery, and additional staff, but this extra cost is more than made up for in the food savings. Servers circulating the room with hors d'oeuvre filled trays are much more cost effective than a pre-dinner buffet.
You could even make some suggestions when it comes to the venues being considered. Venues with fully equipped kitchens don't require the extra expense of bringing in generators and portable ovens. If the event times are flexible, and the catering staff can come in and pick up during regular business hours, instead of after hours, the company will avoid extra charges.
The menu selection will have a lot to do with the overall cost. Filet mignon and lobster are great, and guests have come to expect them, but they among the priciest items you can choose. A menu filled with local produce and braised meats is delicious and economical. An ethnic theme is another original idea that could be considered.
A subtle way to save money, that the guests will never notice, is to use the same style glassware and china for each course. Special glasses at the bar are nice, but not necessary. You will save money using standard glassware there as well.
As a new caterer, you need more than a diverse menu and good service. You have to get creative to get noticed. Advising corporate marketing directors on ways to save money without affecting the quality of the event presentation will make both of you look good.
About the Author:
Find an overview of the benefits of using professional corporate catering Biloxi services and more info about a reliable caterer at http://www.scgulfcoast.com right now.