how do i start my own business catering/cafe?
Posted by Caffe | Posted in Cooking & Recipes | Posted on 25-01-2010
Tagged Under : Business Catering, Start Business, Start My Own Business
will asked:
want to start out preparing in the home and venture out into a cafe
want to start out preparing in the home and venture out into a cafe
Look in the phone book/on internet and talk to people in your city who are already doing it. Learn from them, and then go for it!!!
Best of luck!
IT Depends on what state or town you are in. You MUST abide by all the state and local health requirements and get the certificates and clearance by the health department EVEN IF you are doing it out of your home. Get the appropriate business licenses, fictitious name, etc. THEN… check with other caterers, get their menus, etc. Decide what you want to specialize it…. test out the recipes on friends, neighbors, strangers, anyone you can get to try your food….. THEN put together flyers, ads, get the newspaper involved by writing a story about you etc.
You’ve got two different avenues here; let’s tackle them one at a time.
The best routes to take are to research the process of starting a business as well as the industry you’re interested in.
I recommend checking out the SBA, Entrepreneur, The Start Up Journal & Nolo. All 4 are great informational resources for the new/small business owner. I posted links for you in the source box.
Associations may be a good avenue to explore. These organizations will address many of the thoughts, questions and concerns you’ll inevitably have as well as many you haven’t anticipated yet. See the source box for some relevant links.
RE: Catering
Here are some book titles that are relevant:
* How to Start a Home-Based Catering Business, 5th by Denise Vivaldo
* How to Run a Catering Business from Home by Christopher Egerton-Thomas
* Start and Run a Catering Business by George Erdosh
There are plenty of free informational resources out there. Check the source box for links to articles.
RE: Cafe
Here are some book titles that are relevant:
* The Restaurant Business Start-up Guide by Paul Daniels
* Restaurants That Work: Case Studies of the Best in the Industry by Martin E. Dorf
* Restaurant Financial Basics by Raymond S. Schmidgall
* Opening a Restaurant or Other Food Business Starter Kit: How to Prepare a Restaurant Business Plan and Feasibility Study by Sharon Fullen
* Upstart Guide Owning & Managing a Restaurant by Roy S. Alonzo
* The Restaurant Managers Handbook: How to Set Up, Operate, and Manage a Financially Successful Food Service Operation by Douglas Robert Brown
There are plenty of free informational resources out there. Check the source box for links to articles.
Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!