Costco Connection - June 2007

Before
you hire,
inquire

Hosting events, as Evan Williams does at her bed-and-breakfast in Lawrence, Kansas, gives caterers more control over the ambience of a party. However, it adds grounds maintenance and cleaning to caterers’ responsibilities.

Below are six essential questions, culled from experienced caterers across the country, to ask before you hire a caterer

1 What kind of experience does the caterer have? What is his or her reputation? Ask for references and follow up on them.

2 What sort of food does the caterer serve? Can you arrange for a tasting?

3 What is the quality of the presentation? What sort of serving pieces are used for buffets? Ask for pictures of previous buffets or table settings.

4 Will the quote be the final cost or are there other fees? Does the quote include a gratuity?

5 How about leftovers? Some caterers dispose of them; others bag up leftovers and put them in your fridge.

6 Is the caterer licensed and bonded?

retirees. And others are at various stages of life in between. Some are classically trained at prestigious culinary schools; others learn the business as employees before striking out on their own.

Regardless of the type of food they serve or the flair with which they serve it, there’s a common thread: an undying zeal for food.

STOCKDISC

“Most foodies are in the business because they have an obsession with food. It goes beyond what you would call an interest,” says Biber, who launched Two Guys Grilling after retiring from a career in the computer industry. He worked in the food industry as a youth and had maintained a passion for high-end cuisine before making a business of it. As a result, Two Guys Grilling developed dishes, such as Brazilian coconut chicken, Cajun shrimp scampi and chipotle New York steak, that transcend most people’s expectations of barbecue.

“It really started for me when I got my first hibachi. I grilled everything I could on the four- to six-coal marvel. My first professional lesson came when I was 8. Always there was this voice calling to me from the grill,” Biber says.

the San Clemente Inn, located in San Clemente, California. “The way I interact with customers, the way I work an event, is what drives sales.”

Linda Manca of Manca’s Catering in Bellevue, Washington, agrees: “Because my husband, Mory, and I understand our clients’ needs and have repeatedly delivered the kind of experience they want, they expect to see at least one of us at each party.”

Pleasing the crowd often involves going the extra mile for a client. That means accommodating various guests by offering vegan, kosher, gluten-free and many other dishes. These kinds of culinary concerns are increasingly important in today’s health-conscious world.

MARK HUTCHINSON

And it means an occasional customization of the standard approach. For example, Andrew Lafflam, of Mission Viejo, California–based Beyond Cuisine ( www.gobeyondcuisine.com), normally caters multicourse meals for small, very formal dinner parties. “However, at a birthday party, I recently taught a group of 15-year-olds to make sushi because my client’s daughter absolutely loves sushi,” he says.

There’s a lot on the line with each production. For a caterer, a crowd-pleasing event is the best advertising for repeat or new business.

“Satisfied clients and happy guests make for a successful catering business, because word-of-mouth marketing is the single most effective marketing strategy in the industry,” points out Donna Billman, of Donna B’s Gourmet Cookies ( www.donnab.com), based in Laguna Niguel, California.

Crowd pleasers

A love of food is at the heart of any good caterer, but close behind is a knack for working well with people. Bill Hansen, who runs Bill Hansen Catering ( www.billhansencatering.com) in Coconut Grove, Florida, which has served the greater Miami area since 1980, says successful caterers tend to be people pleasers.

“This trait works in their favor, in that they are naturally disposed to work extremely hard to satisfy their clients,” says Hansen, who co-authored Off-Premise Catering Management ( Wiley, 2005).