The Ultimate Guide to Catering
The Ultimate Catering Guide by Allied College Chandigarh – The catering industry is divided into three main segments.
1. COMMERCIAL:- In commercial catering financial goals involve profit-generating by selling food and beverage products.
For example Restaurants, fast food outlets, bars and pubs.
2. NONCOMMERCIAL:- In non-commercial catering financial goal is not to generate profits by selling food and beverages. Here selling food is a secondary business along with the main business.
For example Hospital catering, college/university catering and transportation catering.
3. MILITARY:- This catering involves all catering activities related to the armed forces or diplomatic events.
For example Army-based camp catering.
Formal training helps to learn properly about the catering services. Various catering courses are available to provide good training.
Various types of catering services
There are two main types of catering
- On-premises and
- Off-premises.On-Premise Catering – is catering for functions such as a banquet, weddings, receptions, or birthday parties. These events are held on the physical premises of the establishment or the homes of the host who is throwing the party. On-premise caterers get the advantages of large space. Hotels, restaurants, and banquet halls offer many services at one time. Off-Premise Catering – this involves producing food in a central kitchen and then delivering it to the client’s location. Part of the cooking of food may be executed or finished at the event location.
Shipboard caterer
The ship’s crew consists of personnel who sail on board a ship and carry out all its operations, especially when the ship is at sea (with some responsibility when at port). Traditionally, for the ship operation, the crew of a commercial ship is divided into three departments
Deck department
Engine department
Catering (steward’s) department.
Duties of shipboard caterers.
Providing products and services for ferries, restaurants, and management of on board shops.
Providing good quality raw materials, with special care and sensitivity to local, ethnic and religious culinary traditions.
Full and complete consideration for hygiene, health and quality regulations.
Mobile Catering
A mobile food cart is a trailer that does not have a motor and is driven by an automobile, bicycle, or hand to the point of sale. Carts generally have on-board heating or refrigeration systems as per the need to keep the food ready for consumption.
A catering truck helps a vendor to sell to a larger public than a cart and to reach a bigger market. The service is the same as a cart. The truck carries an abundance of prepared foods that customers can buy.
A food truck or mobile kitchen is a modified food van with a built-in deep fryer,barbecue grill and some other cooking equipment. It offers more variety in the menu because the ordered food can be prepared as ordered.
A mobile caterer vendor has the choice to park the van in one place,like a cart, or to expand the business’s reach by driving the van to several locations.
A concession trailer has equipment like a mobile kitchen, but it cannot move on its own. Therefore it is suited for events lasting several days, such as funfairs..
Wedding caterer
Benefits of wedding caterers
1. Leave It to the Experts
Food is one of the most important parts of a wedding reception. People talk about bad food for years. Good food is always a pleasant experience.
Wedding catering cannot be left in the hands of someone who doesn’t know his job.
Hotels have onsite chefs but they may not have expert caterers.
When you hire a wedding caterer, their knowledge and experience help in creating the best menus. They can take care of the major part of the wedding and make you tension free.
2. Hiring a Catering Service Is Cost-Effective
If you hire a chef and then supply all the food yourself, it can be very expensive.
Wedding caterers have their own suppliers and they know where to get high-quality ingredients.
There are no hidden costs. When you discuss your wedding catering budget with your local catering service, they make clear what can be provided for that price.
3. They make customised Menu for You
It is not easy to make a menu for a large number of guests. Experience is required to design a perfect menu, and it can be challenging to craft a menu you’re happy with.
While working with a caterer, you can give them a rough idea of what you want to include on the menu. They will guide you accordingly towards a balanced menu with different flavours and dishes complementing one another.
A wedding caterer gives you options for items you can choose from so you have the perfect menu to satisfy all your guests.
Various catering colleges provide education to excel in catering services.
4. Hiring a Caterer Minimizes Stress
You have hundreds of things to organize for your wedding, it can be stressful. You want to enjoy the important day and keep it stress-free.
It’s the catering company’s job to provide food for weddings. They know their job and will take care of all the minute details for you. This in turn will make your wedding as stress-free as possible for you.
5. You Are Provided With Waiting Staff
Most catering companies provide waiters as part of their service. You don’t need to worry about hiring another group of people to be the servers at your wedding.
The company will take care of everything for you. They are professional and experienced. They can easily serve a vast number of people.
Usually, they also provide all the silverware required for your party. Another thing you need not worry about when making plans for your big day!
6. Exceptional Quality
If you want your wedding menu to be unique and not ordinary, it is a good idea to hire a wedding caterer.
Catering companies are experienced to make sure your wedding food is exceptional. From the quality of the ingredients to the way it is served and presented everything is taken care of.
