Do you enjoy cooking for others? Is your buffet table a work of art? Are your parties the best in the neighborhood? Then catering may be a great career for you! It's all here-from getting licenses and choosing the perfect name to developing menus and getting the word out. Seasoned food expert and caterer Joyce Weinberg covers all aspects of the catering business and shares her secrets to success with you, including how to: Choose a specialty-fancy fundraisers, company and family picnics, or romantic weddings; Learn the ropes before you start your business; Create a marketing plan that gets your company noticed by all the right people; Find clients and generate repeat customers. The Everything Guide to Starting and Running a Catering Business is all you need to make your passion your profession!

Those passionate about parties or cooking can now realize their dream of working from home at something they enjoy. Denise Vivaldo shares her experiences and advice on all the essentials and more, including estimating start-up costs and pricing services, finding clients, outfitting one’s kitchen, and honing food presentation skills.

Describes different ways to enter the catering business, identifies essential skills and knowledge, and offers advice on equipment, food quality, staff, marketing, pricing, and contracts.

Shifting demographics and changing lifestyles are driving the surge in food-service businesses. Today’s busy consumers don’t have the time or the inclination to cook—they want tasty, nutritious meals without dishes to wash. More and more singles, working parents, and seniors are demanding greater convenience and are looking to restaurants and food services to fill that need. There’s plenty of room for more food businesses, but for a successful startup you need more than just good recipes. You also need to know about planning, capitalization, inventory control, and payroll management. The staff of Entrepreneur has put together everything you need to know to start, run, and grow the successful restaurant or food service of your dreams.

Catering continues to be an expanding industry. The author is an experienced chef with extensive knowledge of the hospitality industry. She has updated information and expanded on the role of social media.

Your hors d'oeuvres are the stuff of cocktail party legend. You're a superb chef and a whiz with people. Do you have what it takes to run a profitable catering business? If you're thinking about starting up your own home catering venture, this is the book for you-with everything you need to know about selling your services, hiring help, planning events, and delivering successful parties. Combining Christopher Egerton-Thomas's detailed, step-by-step advice with instructive anecdotes of both triumphs and failures, this practical guide supplies you with all of the key ingredients you need to transform your catering ambitions into reality. Explains how to get business, plus how to identify and serve client needs effectively * Covers caterers' qualifications and skills, staffing levels, hiring and management of employees * Provides solid guidelines on equipment and supplies, food and beverage preparation, pricing, locations, room and bar setup, and more * Prepares you to handle a wide range of events, from simple cocktail parties to large, complex affairs -- with a special section on weddings * Includes vital information on food safety, hygiene, and health * Contains troubleshooting checklists to help you ensure success -- and avoid party disasters

Bring Your Fresh Ideas to Market and Profit Fueled by growing consumer demand for new tastes, cleaner ingredients, health benefits, and more convenient ways to shop and eat, the business of specialty food is taking off at full speed. This step-by-step guide arms entrepreneurial foodies like yourself with an industry overview, the hottest trends, important research and statistics, and insight from practicing specialty food business owners on key growth drivers, opportunities, and how you can differentiate from other food businesses. Discover how to: Find the right avenue for your specialty food business: home-based, retail shop, production, wholesale, or distribution Create a solid business plan, get funded, and get the essential equipment Get the right licenses, codes, permits, insurance for your operations Gain a competitive edge using market and product research Find a profitable location, partnerships, and in-store shelf space Promote your business, products, and services online and offline Attract new and loyal customers using social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest Manage daily operations, costs, and employees Plus, get valuable resource lists, sample business plans, checklists, and worksheets