Catering

Vital Information
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Start-up Investment

Low - $1,000 (working from your own kitchen)

High - $75,000 (outfitting a professional kitchen)
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Estimate of Annual Revenue and Profit

Revenue $200,000 - $2 million

Profit (Pre-tax) - $50,000 - $1 million
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(G)astronomical Profit Potential

Whether you plan to cater small, intimate affairs every day, or huge extravaganzas for %0,000 people once a year, the profit margin potential in the catering business is extremely high. Some caters manage to walk away with 66% of pre-tax profits. That figure may seem hard to believe, but when you stop and think about all the ways caterers can keep their overhead to practically nothing it becomes a more credible figure

You can begin your catering service out of your own home, using a spare bedroom as your office. You can use your own kitchen (but be careful about Health Department regulations) or perhaps rent a kitchen in a restaurant, school, or church on an as-needed basis. You needn't employ any full-time waiters or bartenders etc.,there's a whole army of part-time people out there willing to work when you need them. There are very few items you may need to cater an affair that you can't rent for the day, these include china, flatware, glasses, tents...

About the only immediate cash-outlay you'll encounter is what's needed to market your services. You will want to think carefully about what market you want to target and pick your advertising medium to reach that targeted population... If you are interested in catering for weddings, you may want to contact florists, department store heads, musicians, and people in charge of places that book weddings. If corporate entertainment is more to your liking you'll want to contact the corporations in your area (the chambers of commerce should be able to supply you with area names).

Know Which Side Your Bread is Buttered On

By far the most important marketing tool you will need to cultivate is word of mouth. Most brides, corporations, etc.,are not going to risk embarrassment by trying an unknown caterer. If you are fortunate enough to have a good reputation when you enter the catering business, i.e., were the chef at a successful restaurant on that in your advertising. If you are starting cold, you may need to be really creative in order to get your business going.

Perhaps you will need to invest some capital in throwing a party of your own and invite the decision-makers from various corporations in your area, or the aforementioned florists, department store heads, etc. These people are not going to risk their equally valuable reputations by recommending an unknown entity -- so give them something to remember and to endorse.

Also, especially in the beginning, add that little extra touch to the affairs you cater. DON'T CUT CORNERS! Remember, your compensation will not always come in the form of dollars and cents, reputation is equally as valuable, perhaps more so in the long run. Remember -- that little "extra touch" is often more effective and sometimes cheaper than advertising.

Where Are You Going?

In the catering business, you have an unlimited growth potential. You can buy your own facilities and accoutrements, hire full-time chefs and servers, use temperature-controlled holding cabinets and vans, or you can rent just about anything you need.

You may decide you want to cut down on the middle-man's profits by owning the items you find yourself renting on a regular basis: china, flatware, tents. You may want to enhance your recognition factor by designing a "signature" for instant recognition, for example, painting your logo on the outside of your delivery van. People will see this logo as the van moves around the city and when it is at the site of an affair you are catering.

Food for Thought

While 70% of the restaurant is food oriented with the rest going for service, organization, etc.,this figure flip-flops to 30% in the catering business, the rest being delivery, transporting the food, lining up rental equipment, juggling personnel. Organization is what counts in the catering business.

You also need to be a "salesman" with a magnetic personality in the catering business. You are going to deal with corporate executives, party planners and nervous brides. You will need to convince your prospective clients that you will not only provide a memorable feast, but it will be there on time, presented attractively, and served quickly and unobtrusively.

There are a number of sidelines that naturally spring from the catering business. You can act as a coordinator for flowers, party locations, or themes. You can be caterer and party planner, caterer and florists, caterer and rental agent. Don't limit your options. Be creative!

Remember, if people wanted to stick to a set menu, they could go to a restaurant, so be flexible. Make your menu suggestions, just suggestions ( a starting point, if you will). Le the client be your guide, but don't miss opportunities to turn a modest "do" into a major profit-making event. Don't hesitate when you see an opportunity to "bump-up the bottom line of an event. You may be able to turn a barbecue into a Hawaiian luau complete with roast pig.

Make sure that every event is party to remember. Go that extra inch, sometimes it can be a mile -- and result in mile-high profits. The only restrictions placed on your catering business are those you place there yourself.

Resources

Industry Association

National Association of Catering Executives, 2500 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite 603, Los Angeles, CA 90057 (213) 487-6223

National Institute for Off-Premise Catering, 1341 N. Sedgwick, Chicago, IL 60610 (800) OFF-PREM

National Restaurant Association, 311 1st St.,N.W., Washington, DC 20001 (800( 424-5156

Publications

Special Events Magazine, 20048 Cotner Ave.,Los Angeles, CA 90025 (213) 477-1033

Catering Today Magazine, P.O. Box 222, Santa Claus, IN 47579 (812) 937-4464

Consultant

Jay Treadwell, Optimum Services, 5420 Grove St.,Chevy Chase, MD 20815 (301) 656-6389

For additional information helpful in setting up your new business, information about licenses, permits, the legal structure of your business, taxes, insurance and much more refer to the Business Start-Up Fact Finder Manual

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Wish For Bangladesh

Wish For Bangladesh

Bangladesh Informations

Bangladesh emerged as an independent and sovereign country in 1971 following a ninemonth war of liberation. It is one of the largest deltas of the world with a total area of 147,570 sq. km. With a unique communal harmony, Bangladesh has a population of about 142 million, making it one of the densely populated countries of the world. The majority (about 88%) of the people are Muslim. Over 98% of the people speak in Bangla. English, however, is widely spoken. The country is covered with a network of rivers and canals forming a maze of interconnecting channels.
Bangladesh has a glorious history and rich heritage. Once it was known as ‘Sonar Bangla’ or the Golden Bengal. The territory now constituting Bangladesh was under the Muslim rule for over five and a half centuries from 1201 to 1757 AD. Subsequently, it came under the British rule following the defeat of the sovereign ruler, Nawab Sirajuddaula, at the battle of Palassey on 23 June, 1757. The British ruled over the Indian sub-continent including this territory for nearly 190 years from 1757 to 1947. During that period, Bangladesh was a part of the British Indian provinces of Bengal and Assam. With the termination of British rule in August 1947, the sub-continent was partitioned into India and Pakistan. Bangladesh formed a part of Pakistan and was called ‘East Pakistan’. It remained so for about 24 years from August 14, 1947 to March 25, 1971. Bangladesh liberated on December 16, 1971 following the victory of the War of Liberation and appeared on the world map as an independent and sovereign country.The country is the pioneer in micro-credit concept for poverty reduction, which brought the Nobel Prize in Peace for the country in 2006. The founder of world reputed Grameen Bank Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus is the Nobel laureate.

The Natural Beauty Of Bangladesh

Have you thought of a dream holiday where you see yourself on that very attractive magical coastline with very beautiful features like those in the fairy tales? Did you know that such features really exist on this very planet?

Talking of wonderful eye-catching sites let us take a trip to the North Eastern part of south Asia and land safely in one of the most beautiful countries on the planet: Bangladesh. The country is surrounded by some of the most prominent geographical features studied worldwide. To the north of Bangladesh are the famous Himalayas while the bay of the Bengal borders her from the South. To her East is the hilly region of Tripura, India and Myanmar. Finally to her West lies the west Bengal. Together these features form a low lying plain in between that is the country in their midst; Bangladesh.

The plain between all these features has plenty of rivers flowing across it forming a nice natural beautiful pattern of rivers and streams network. Padma, Meghna, Kamafull and Brahmaputra are the major rivers in this very beautiful land.

History goes hand in hand with the Natural Beauty of Bangladesh. Talking of historical sites she has quite a number of rich archeological sites to offer. This includes the Paharpur, Maianamati, Sonargaon among many others.

It also has a historical mosques and monuments. The sixty Dome mosque built in the 15th century is the largest historical in Bangladesh as well as the words heritage is situated in Bagerhat. It is also upheld for an outstanding architectural value. However, the Shait Gombuj mosque is the most magnificent and the largest brick mosque surviving in the country.

Bangladesh is not just named a natural beauty for nothing this is a title that it has fought for through its great and eye catching extraordinary features. She happens to be the home to the world's longest natural beach in the whole world. The land is mainly covered by plant cover as most of the people practice Agriculture.

Apart from the natural beauty of Bangladesh brought forth by the flora in the country, the country also has a great deal of wildlife. She is the home of the dhole; the most endangered Asiatic top predator that is on the edge of extinction. It also has the Asian elephant which is the largest mammal. Finally she has the Bengal tiger which is the national animal of the country. The next time you thinking of spending time in a beautiful place where you will be able to watch and appreciate nature's beauty, think of Bangladesh.