Catering Business Start-Up Guide
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1
2Catering
Business start-up guide
Catering business overview
security and other services in 1 contract. Develop
business partnerships with other quality suppliers to
Catering
business
operators
include
specialist
increase your competitiveness.
caterers and food-service businesses.
Offering more than just catering services will also give
Many government institutions and businesses use
you an edge over other businesses such as
caterers and food service contractors. Demand is
restaurants or pubs that provide food catering from
increasing for full-service catering, where the caterer
their already established commercial kitchens.
is responsible for food services as well as cleaning,
maintenance, security, account and other services.
Key success factors for a catering
business
Starting or buying a catering business involves many
To build a successful catering business, you need to:
essential steps. Legally, you must ensure that you
compete on catering contracts and tenders
apply for and receive the correct licences.
market your catering business
control your product and service quality
This guide explains how to start a catering business
hire professional staff
in Queensland. It will help you understand the
manage external contracts with suppliers
challenges and opportunities of entering the catering
(e.g. cleaning, security providers)
industry so you can make good business decisions.
have business and industry expertise.
Getting into the catering
Catering industry entry barriers
industry
The catering industry is generally labour-intensive
and you need to make large amounts of food to be
Before you start a catering business, you need to
profitable. Other barriers to entering the catering
understand how the industry works, what things you
need to consider in your planning, and the legal
industry include initial start-up costs and licensing
regulations.
requirements you must meet.
Finding a competitive edge in
A small-medium size business costs less to start
because you can do small-scale catering for private
Queensland’s catering industry
functions. Stricter food safety regulations have made
Competition in Queensland’s catering industry is
it harder for small operators to meet food safety
usually based on price, however, there are other
requirements, but starting small can help you learn to
ways to give your business a competitive edge.
balance the amount of food and labour you need to
make a profit from catering. It can also get you
You
can
serve
consistently
high-quality,
well-
positive word-of-mouth recommendations.
presented food so customers recommend you to
other prospective customers. Another way to attract
(Source IBISWorld, March 2012)
customers is to include options for vegetarian, vegan,
gluten-free or dairy-free diets.
Many big catering contracts are made on a full-
service basis to include cleaning, maintenance,
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Parent category: Education