Your business is growing by leaps and bounds. In fact, your restaurant is full every night, even on Monday. You’d like more business, but don’t want to invest in more space. No problem. Catering is an excellent way for restaurants to bring in more business without investing in a larger location. That’s not all. Catering can be very beneficial for restaurants.
Large Orders
An excellent benefit of catering is the ability to snag a very large order. Imagine catering to a wedding party of 100, 200, or even 500 people. Or a business function that serves 1,000 guests. Not all orders will be this big, but most orders will have at least 25 people. You can also require a minimum number of guests for a function.
Flexibility
Catering also offers flexibility. It offers you and some of your staff the chance to get away from the kitchen and enjoy events all over town. It might be an event at the local high school or a community event in the local park. Either way, you’ll be able to enjoy more than just the same restaurant kitchen, day after day.
More Customers Without More Space
As mentioned in the intro, the ability to serve more customers may be limited by restaurant space. By offering catering, you open up the doors to serve many more customers. Catering at local arenas, fairgrounds, etc can allow you a lot more space without an investment.
Ability to Reach More Customers
Your restaurant may only hold 100 guests at a time, but catered events sometimes host up to 1,000 guests. Imagine being able to serve that many people. It could be huge for your business.
Chance to Attract New Customers
When you cater an event, you put your restaurant out there for more people to try. Someone that eats food at an event you catered, may love the food so much they become a regular customer. This can work the other way around, too. Someone who can order your catered food though a service like Foody Direct (browse full menu here for an idea), may order larger pieces later on. This can put you ahead of the pack if there are hundreds of great restaurants in the area.
Lower Food Costs
A catered events usually has a basic menu instead of several different entrees. This means that you can cut food costs by putting in a larger wholesale order. You also won’t have to worry about food going to waste because it wasn’t ordered off the menu.
Increased Profit
Catering almost instantly increases profit. Yes, you will have to pay to transport the food, but the ability to cook in bulk and serve hundreds of guests at one time can greatly increase your profits.
Catering is a service that any restaurant that wants to increase business should offer. Not only does it allow you to serve more people, but it can also help spread the word of your restaurant.