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Guest
Guest
I am looking into starting my own catering business. I didn't go to culinary school but I do have nearly 8 years of various restaurant experience including apprenticing for a CIA chef for a year. I have a very good grasp on the culinary side of things and I have been a business owner for a few years as well. I live in a small town in Florida. I have been working with another caterer in the area and I have really fallen in love with it. I do realize that there is MUCH more to catering than cooking and I'm up for it. Chances are that I will be doing very small gigs (30-100 people -100 max-) so I don't worry so much about staffing them as I can find help when I need it. I don't have access to an onsite location so all jobs would be offsite.
I do have a few questions:
1. What are some of the best ways to market myself as a new caterer in the small town I live in?
2. From what I understand I CANNOT cook from home, I must have a professional kitchen and be licensed by the state. Where are some places I can check with for using a kitchen and what are the odds that I could use it on a per job basis instead of being out $xxx/month for rent that, in the beginning, might be hard to come by?
3. How long do you generally need to put together a job from initial meeting to clean up at the end? How do you handle proposals, payment, etc?
Thank you so much for your time in helping out.
I do have a few questions:
1. What are some of the best ways to market myself as a new caterer in the small town I live in?
2. From what I understand I CANNOT cook from home, I must have a professional kitchen and be licensed by the state. Where are some places I can check with for using a kitchen and what are the odds that I could use it on a per job basis instead of being out $xxx/month for rent that, in the beginning, might be hard to come by?
3. How long do you generally need to put together a job from initial meeting to clean up at the end? How do you handle proposals, payment, etc?
Thank you so much for your time in helping out.