Keys to Improve your Profits with Corporate Catering

Corporate Catering 101

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Companies small and large need catering for different events including:

• Lunch & Learn meetings• Board meetings• All hands meetings• Customer meetings• Employee celebrations

What is corporate catering?

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Simple versus Full-Service Catering

Many corporate events require full-service catering. This document does NOT cover these orders. This document is focused on simple corporate catering orders.

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Simple Corporate Catering• Disposable plates, napkins,

and utensils• Drop-off delivery• Basic setup requirement• Disposable trays

Full-Service Catering• Formal or semi-formal

plate ware.• Service personal required

during the meal• Chaffing dishes• Formal or semi-formal

linen

Simple versus Full-Service Catering

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• Predictable revenue stream. Most orders are placed a day or more in advance.

• Off-peak order requests. Orders are typically requested before your lunch or dinner rush periods.

• Zero additional dine-in space required. Catering orders are outbound. You can add these orders without taking your valuable dine-in space or staff resources.

• Minimal staff and up-front investment required.

Why do I want these orders?

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Announcing you offer corporate catering will not instantly create a massive increase in catering orders. It will take time to get the message out and build a steady stream of repeat and new corporate clientele.

How do I get started?

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• Stock up on disposable supplies including:a) Disposable tins (multiple sizes)b) Disposable serving utensils (tongs, spoons, etc)c) Disposable plates, napkins & utensils

• Purchase insulated food carriers (w/ wheels)• Locate a suitable vehicle & driver

How do I get started?

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Catering Supplies

Insulated Food CarrierWheels for Carrier Plastic Utensils

Paper Plates

Napkins Disposable Tongs, Spoons, Forks

Aluminum Food Trays

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Yes! Corporate admins do not have time to pick-up

catering orders.Don’t panic. You can start without hiring a

dedicated driver or purchasing a dedicated delivery vehicle.

As your business grows, you can hire a driver and invest in a dedicated delivery vehicle.

Do I Need to Deliver?

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While you are growing your catering, you or a manager can handle the deliveries.

You will need a vehicle with:• GPS (you can use your smart phone).• Ability to transport insulated food carriers.

Handling the Delivery Requirement

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A simple corporate catering order is essentially a large delivery order. The “per person” average cost of the meal will be similar to the “per person” cost or an average dine-in order.

How much do companies spend per person on these meals?

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We will go through the following steps:1. Preparing a catering-friendly menu.2. Defining your catering delivery rules.3. Taking and managing catering requests.4. Preparing and scheduling resources for the

catering orders.5. Delivering and setting up delivery orders.

Ready to Go? What’s Next?

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A Catering menu is NOT required, but it is a good idea to offer one. It is a way to clearly indicate to prospective catering customers that you offer catering. Your customers can also more easily plan and place an order for larger groups.

Do I need a Special Catering Menu?

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There are two popular catering menus*:1) Cost per tray.2) Cost per person (set menu).* Consider offering both catering menu types.

What does a Catering Menu Look Like?

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* You can measure out the size of your regular entrée size and multiply by the # of people a tray to calculate the proper serving size estimates.

1) Present your MOST popular dishes in larger tray sizes.

2) Offer 2-3 different sizes for the tray.3) Indicate how many people the tray can serve.*

Example of a Cost Per Tray Menu

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• Offer a few different packages.• Offer a few different options per package.• Add a few “extra” options such as appetizer or

dessert options.• Set a minimum # people per package

requirement.

Example of a Cost Per Person Menu

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Order sizes for different companies and meetings vary considerably.

Many meetings may have only 6-15 people for more smaller meetings, while other events require service for hundreds.

How big are these orders?

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Delivery Parameters*:• Minimum Order Amount - $100• Advance Order Requirement - 24 hours

advance• Delivery Surcharge – Free• Delivery Area – Within 8 miles of the store* Set realistic delivery rules. Reducing order requirements

will increase your total catering volume and attract new business customers.

Example of Delivery Rules

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We recommend that you consider waiving the delivery fee or charge a nominal flat fee. We advise against a required % of order delivery surcharge. Most companies will tip for the order. We suggest allowing customers to dictate the amount of the delivery tip.

Why not a % of order? When a catering request is large, the customer may be reluctant to pay a large delivery surcharge. You risk turning away the most profitable catering orders.

How Much Should I Charge For Delivery?

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There is a wide variation in delivery tips from customer to customer. The size of the order can also dictate the tip value.

How’s that for a non-answer?

How much of a delivery tip can we expect?

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You are the expert. When taking and reviewing an order, assist your customer to insure a properly ordered meal package.

Taking the Order

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1) Does the order make sense? 2) Does it have the necessary sides?3) Does the order have the appropriate amount

of food for the group size?4) Do they need serving utensils, plates, napkins,

etc.?5) Verify the date/time request and make sure

you can manage the request?6) Clear up any ambiguity on any food items.

Taking the Order

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1) Order the extra food supplies required for the order.

2) Schedule the necessary kitchen personnel. You may need have the kitchen staff to come in early to prep and cook the meal.

3) Schedule someone to deliver with the appropriate vehicle.

4) Have the delivery directions and instructions understood and mapped ahead of time.

Review & Prepare

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1) Allow plenty of time to prep, cook, and portion out the food.

2) Package the food properly.3) Have a plan to keep the food warm.4) Include the necessary utensils, condiments,

and serving utensils.

Cooking and Packaging the Order

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1) Have a driver, vehicle, and any necessary carts to transport the food to the corporate office.

2) Have the proper delivery instructions.3) Have the necessary setup instructions.4) Use a GPS device to avoid getting lost.5) Setup the meal according to the customer’s

instructions.

Delivery & Setup

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By far, the most important element to running a successful corporate catering service is to

BE ON TIME!

#1 Priority for Customer Satisfaction

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We can not overstate the importance for on-time deliveries. Most of these meals are scheduled around important business meetings. Late catering orders disrupt these meetings, which in turn creates huge stress and dissatisfaction for corporate meal coordinators. No matter how good your food is, late orders will translate to lost business and customers.

If you are running behind schedule, it is imperative to let your ordering contact know ASAP! They can alert the meeting participants of the delays.

Why is so important to be on-time?

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1) Provide labels with ingredients for your food items, especially if the ingredients are not so obvious.

2) Separate the vegetarian items.3) Setup the trays to optimize the serving

experience.

Setup Suggestions

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Do you know what your setup will look like?

Provide a nice visual presentation of your food. The presentation is important for more formal business meetings and professional offices.

Presentation Bonus Points

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Thank you.

Ken RyuCEO & FounderGetQuik, Inc. “catering orders made easy”www.getquik.com

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