# Catering company income



## ryryryann (Dec 23, 2007)

I was wondering what the average salary for someone who owns their own catering hall or catering company is


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

What constitutes average. Each state is different.
You can live off the business, all your food. you can write off your car, phone, trips for educational puposes . This is part of income as far as I am concerned Then it depends on the type of caterer you are industrial, selling things at factory sights out of a truck or private social, on premise or off premise. 
Then to how much volume do you do? 40000.00year or 11million. I have done both, Sometimes in beginning you dont take salary like any other business. The business must be built up and so does your compensation build accordingly. One thing I tell everyone is ''You will never starve"". :chef:


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## bbally (Jan 2, 2005)

$85K for a rural area


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## ryryryann (Dec 23, 2007)

being from long island it should be higher correct?


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

I was from LI to. Retired and moved to Florida. Yes, New York should be more income .,because cost living is more and cost of doing business is more. 
Keep in mind NY very competitive. There are hundreds of caterers, and the ones that have lasted are good. You also tie in with band, photographer, florist, wedding gown store, invitations printer etc. they also pay you for leads and referalls. :bounce:


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## ryryryann (Dec 23, 2007)

Im going to try and get into the Jericho Terrace this year to see how the whole catering world works


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Uhmmm.....

For the first few years, if you really are commited (?!) you will probably be pumping in every cent you earn back into the business. Like Ed said, you won't starve, but you won't be buying any state-of-the-art home entertainment equipment either. 

Money gets money, and business gets business, so it will be worthwhile to pump money into advertising (phone book and website, cards, brochures, napkins) equipment (reliable transport, decent catering equipment) staffing (biting the bullet and finding out who/what's worth hiring and who's not) and a multitude of many other things


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

Go to Leonards or Terrace on The Park, you will learn much more, not only about the actual catering end, but the volume, portion and business aspects.


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## ryryryann (Dec 23, 2007)

any specific reason why these two other than what you have mentioned?


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

These 2 places are the echolon of on premise social catering. They know every trick in the book, in fact they wrote the book . Allof the other N.Y caterers tried to copy them and use systems stolen from them. When places have lasted since the sixties, and continue to do dollar volumes both well over 12 Million per year, they must be doing something right. I ran both of them in the mid sixties, so I think I can qualify what I say. :blush:


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## ryryryann (Dec 23, 2007)

The only issue is im trying to find a place that will offer me a co op. I can get into what i said before with one due to knowing them through my family. How open are the other two places to doing co op and paying me dirt to let me get experience .


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

Why not call them ?Ask for the respective chefs. :lips:

The other item that may be noted, is that many places will not hire students on externships because of past experiences with them. Not all, but a lot of them were total screwups, either always late or not showing up, or not listening. Many adopted the attitude that their way was better., and since they were going to school for it, made their way better. I believe some of the schools should tell the students what the business is really like, instead of painting visions of sugarplums in their heads. Again this DOES NOTt pertain to all schools or all students.


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## ryryryann (Dec 23, 2007)

I'll give them a call in about a month or two to find out so i know when i have to do my coop. I completely understand what you are saying about the laziness of many students and the attitudes from them. I attend JWU and many of these kids are in a daze, either barely scraping by or trying to show off in ways that actually end up making them and there food terrible ( I have even heard our chefs speaking about the students who are doing this and how they are " full of ****" when it comes to there ability)


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## tigerwoman (Jul 18, 2002)

well then Ed you were probably the guy in charge when my mom and stepdad got married at Leonards in the mid sixties. I was the flower girl and very excited about the whole grownup experience. 

funny huh!

though at this point in time neither has a very good food reputation, you are correct, they must be doing something right, because they have kept on ticking...


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

I used to joke with people and tell them,"you should get married here, we have a lower divorce rate'':talk: 
Leonard Sessa owner of Leonards now lives in Palm Beach Fla. 
If any one opened a place down here like that they would become a millionaire in 2 years. Like up North you could kill the hotels price and service wise, because they are overpriced and terrible. If I were younger I would have done it.


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