Catering

Startup Costs: $10,000 - $50,000
Home Based: Can be operated from home.
Part Time: Can be operated part-time.
Franchises Available? Yes
Online Operation? Yes

THE BRIEF:

If you're one of those fearless people who enjoys giving elegant dinner parties, get rave reviews from guests and/or your relatives beg to have holidays at your house because of your cooking, then catering might be your cup of tea. As a caterer, you'll plan menus and elegant or playful presentations for everything from company picnics to debutante balls, then cook it all up, deliver it to the event, serve it and clean up afterward. You can specialize in affairs such as weddings; specific goodies such as cakes or cookies; or clients including corporations, charities or individual parties.

ASK THE PROS:

How much money can you make?

Established caterers can demand top dollar for their services, but starting out, you'll have to have flexible rates. But the potential is there to bring in millions of dollars, which can be invested back into the business, as Jerry Baker of California-based The Food Matters told Entrepreneur. "I started with a $25,000 loan and $25,000 of my own. I've invested back into the business well over a million dollars in the past few years in order to have the right equipment to do the perfect job."

What kind of experience do you need to have?

"From a cost-of-entry perspective, catering is probably the most flexible of all the food-service businesses. While you need a commercial location, you can start small and build your equipment inventory as you need to. You may even find an existing commercial kitchen that you can rent. In the beginning, if you need something unusual, such as a champagne fountain for a wedding reception, you can usually rent it rather than buy it. And your food inventory is easy to control, because in most cases you know well in advance exactly how many people you’re cooking for." —Start Your Own Restaurant and More

What’s the most important thing to know about this business?
While your family may clamor for your meatloaf and mashed potatoes, you'll need more than just the ability to whip up some spuds. You'll also need a flair for presentation -- the ability to make the fruits (and other foods) of your labors look fancy -- as well as a talent for the latest trends in food and party ideas. You'll also need an abundance of organizational, time-management and record-keeping skills. Catering requires lots of hard-core planning and pacing. Last but not least, you need a good grounding in safe food-handling practices, product liability laws and health regulations, and good people skills. The advantages to this business are that it's creative and fun -- you can throw a party any time you like and serve up all sorts of new dishes and new ideas -- and somebody else foots the bill.

"Successful caterers are organized, consistent and creative. They enjoy working in an environment that in some ways changes every day, while in other ways stays the same. While a lot of the preparation, cleaning and serving becomes a bit routine, the places to which you’ll travel and the kinds of functions you’ll attend can differ greatly."—Start Your Own Restaurant and More

Related

Catering

What You Need to Know Before Starting a Catering Business

The Market

1113

Needed Equipment

1113

Catering Ideas

Specialty Foods

Have a unique recipe? Make a name for yourself with your specialty food.

Farmers' Market

Feed into the organic trend by organizing a farmers' market in your community.

Coffee Service

Help employers keep their employees happy with a coffee service.

More from Business Ideas

Side Hustle

I Made $14,000 in 1 Week With a Spontaneous Halloween Costume Side Hustle — Here's How

Sabba Keynejad was in art school when he started to refine his entrepreneurial skills.

Starting a Business

This Ex-CIA Officer's Near-Death Experience Inspired Her to Start a Business That's Earning Over 8 Figures a Year: 'I Have a Higher Risk Tolerance Than Most'

Emily Hikade, founder and CEO of luxury sleepwear and home company Petite Plume, had an unconventional path to entrepreneurship.

Business Culture

Love Doesn't Have to be Tough — 3 Things to Do to Keep Harmony in Your Family-Owned Business

Family matters. So does being intentional in the workplace.