Catering is the art of preparing and delivering food for your guests in impeccable style. The entire process should be carried out in a smooth, professional, high-quality, and timely manner.
With events resuming and people getting back to their normal routines, more and more people are choosing this business pathway. This opens the door for a large number of events that are related to corporates, weddings, social events, birthdays, and even anniversaries.
While some of these events are spread around the year, others happen at specific times. Thus, spreading the demand across the year. Every business wants to make the most out of these events and thrives to offer the best catering services in Dubai.
In times when the existing businesses have established their strong footholds, the newer businesses are still struggling through the times. However, we have compiled a list of some quick tips and tricks that will help them to penetrate the market.
Catering Tips and Tricks for the Newbies
There is always a first time when exploring something new. For those who are entering the catering business, the food industry may initially seem a bit intimidating, especially when you are unfamiliar with rules. However, these tips and tricks will help you get started:
Cancel Out the Buffet
Buffet’s food style requires more work. Unless the client specifically requests you to have a buffet style, it is best to cancel it out. To answer your question, here is why! Buffet food needs an adequate amount of temperature to regulate it. In order to do so, every dish might need a small stove setup that is not a very safe option and can cause accidents too.
In addition to this, long queues of guests make it a bit difficult to gather food and everyone has to make room for themselves. Canceling out the buffet means guests will be served with every food on their table. This is a safer and a convenient option for guests and hosts.
Buffets also have many obstacles for the servers and the guests. Servers have to place the food on the buffet table while making way through the tables, chairs, guests with their plates full, etc. That can make it a hassle. With everyone seated, it is safer with a reduced chance of accidents.
Prioritizing Food Safety
As a caterer, you need to have a clear understanding of the basics of food safety. While your supervisor will train you on some major points, here is a quick run-through.
- Plan ahead of time
Complete as much prep as possible the prior night or prior to the day. An early advantage keeps you from hurrying and disturbing your work process some other time when orders begin to stack up.
- To plan ahead of time, you could:
Make cold dishes first – plan servings of mixed greens in advance and keep them covered on the ledge or in the cooler. Get ready high dangerous parts later, for example, Caesar dressing, which contains crude eggs and can’t be forgotten about for a really long time.
- Do minor prep for foods grown from the ground
Clean and clean your cutlery and dishes during personal time and ensure you have a lot of additional items. Set tables ahead of time and give a couple of extras on tables held for enormous gatherings. Put water glasses and containers out.
- Coordinate your menu and climate
In the event that you coordinate dishes on the menu and organize the climate astutely, you can incite coffee shops to pick certain food and beverages that lift benefits.
- Focus on food cleanliness
On the off chance that you have a private get-together, legitimate necessities are less tough. At the point when you plan and sell food economically, notwithstanding, you should source, store, handle, and show food to customers as per food cleanliness law.
Cross-contamination
When dealing with food, make sure you keep washing and sterilizing the utensils properly. This ensures that the food is safe from germs and any possibility of cross-contamination. In addition to this, experts always encourage the use of separate preparing and chop boards for meat and vegetables
Temperature
When preparing food, an adequate temperature is very important. During the entire course of preparing, cooking, and storing, make sure to avoid the danger zone. This zone is between 4 to 60 degrees. At this temperature, bacteria multiply at an alarming rate, creating a greater risk for foodborne illnesses. Therefore, temperature management is very important to prepare a healthy and safe meal.
Food Storage
Not every ingredient is fully used in a recipe. There is a need to store them for later purposes. Make sure to store them in airtight containers and label them properly with an expiry date. This ensures that the food is utilized fully and properly and before expiration. If it stays in storage for a longer period, one can simply discard it away.
Hygiene
Personal and food hygiene go hand in hand. Some of the best caterers have incorporated the use of face masks and gloves mandatory while preparing food. This greatly reduces the chance of germ safety through food when working in a safe and secure environment.
Preparing in Advance
Preparing some catering components in advance helps you to stay with the timeline. This ensures that the food is prepared and served on time. As a business owner, one can make sure that all the ingredients arrive on time. Preparing the seating arrangements, décor, culinary and even defining the role of the servers and wait staff before the event, greatly help save time and increase efficiency.
The Takeaway
Successfully pulling off your first catering event can reward you with many more clients and events, for some may book you therein. Regardless of the catering event, from weddings, corporates, birthdays, or even party catering services, make sure you are able to deliver your best. focusing on every aspect of your event and utilizing the above-mentioned tricks and tips will definitely have you making a mark in the competitive industry. Just remain focused, don’t compromise on quality, and win the show!