Proven Businesses You Can Start From Home – Catering and Cooking

Last Updated: July 21, 2010

Catering and Cooking

Catering and cooking involves the preparation of food for meals, snacks, parties or events; usually involving irregular large orders.

You need to be able to produce a reasonable range of good quality foods, and have cooking and refrigeration equipment to look after the orders properly and safely. If you deal with larger orders this could involve buying a larger fridge and/or freezer, and possibly even a larger cooker.

The ability to manage the timing and storage of a large number of ingredients and finished products is a substantial benefit; as good planning will make difficult tasks seem a lot easier.
You must be sure that you meet hygiene standards at all times, fol lowi ng the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995. You will also need to register your premises with the Environmental Health Service at your local authority at least 28 days before you start business. Catering businesses usually charge on the basis of what food was prepared, or how many people it was prepared for. By charging in this way your customers know the costs and what they are getting before they order. Catering businesses commonly gain customers through word of mouth; another effective way is to leave business cards at venues that commonly hold events which would need catering. Appearing in a local directory (e.g. Yellow Pages or Thompson Directory) will also allow potential customers to find you when they book an event.
Although competition levels for catering businesses are usually quite high, there is the potential to make lots of sales; and although profits per item are not usually very big, the costs after the initial cooking and cooling equipment are very low.

Pro2

There is a potential for large orders.
Apart from ingredients, running costs are low.

Cons

There is lots of competition.
Initial equipment cost can be high.
You are likely to need another staff member to fulfil large orders.

Summary

Skill Level: Low to Medium
Start up Costs: Low
Training: Short courses
Experience: Cooking skills are required for serious startups
Equipment Costs: Low
Transport Required: Yes if catering for events
No of Staff (incl. you): 2

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Proven Businesses You Can Start From Home – Catering and Cooking

Catering and Cooking

Pro2

Cons

Summary

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