Catering Business Ideas: 5 Best Ideas for Catering Business

By
Joanna Okedara
Table of Contents
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    If you are thinking of starting a catering business, there is no time like the present to start. With over 140,000 catering businesses in the US alone, there is a huge market and demand for catering services and catering business ideas.

    There are different types of catering services you can offer your target market. However, the catering industry is enormous, and it is crucial to create your unique selling proposition to be ahead of the competition.

    Key Takeaway - Choosing a unique idea that will grow catering business can be challenging with hundreds of catering business ideas. Several catering business ideas exist, from being a restaurant contract caterer to offering group catering services for team meetings.

    Let’s look at some of the best catering business ideas you can adopt for your catering business.

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    5 Best Catering Business Ideas to Get You Started

    1. Mobile Catering Business

    Mobile catering is a type of catering business in which meals are prepared and served from a vehicle. These trailers, also referred to as "lunch wagons" or "concession trailers," have refrigeration and heating systems with a kitchen unit installed. 

    A mobile catering unit might be employed as concession stands at a fair, a street vendor selling meals to passersby, or an emergency food delivery service. In addition, some caterers use these vans to serve their guests at event locations without access to a commercial kitchen. 

    However, most States do not allow the sale of food from mobile catering vehicles. Check the regulations of the state or municipality you want to operate your catering services before starting.

    Tips For Starting a Mobile Catering Business

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    1. Event Catering Business

    Event catering is one of the most common types of catering businesses. From birthdays and backyard barbeque events to small luncheons and retirement parties, event caterers cover various events and food.

    If you have a flair for event planning and food, you can start an event catering business. However, in the long run, most event caterers become complete enterprise event planners and open an event management business.

    However, it is essential to understand the basics of catering for different categories of guests and parties. Furthermore, to stand out in the event catering industry, you must be willing to put extra effort into planning your eCommerce marketing strategy. 

    Event catering also requires a large team of great employees, including bartenders, wait staff, and servers. Your team must be prepared to work most weekends and be on their feet. 

    Tips for Starting an Event Catering Business

    • Build a relationship with other event vendors such as wedding planners, photographers, and bakery business owners
    • Work with a great team
    • Be great at organizing events
    • Use professional wait staff uniforms
    • Offer competitive pricing
    • Make delicious food
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    1. Lunch Catering Business

    The lunch catering business involves preparing meals, especially lunches, for customers in a company. You may cater lunch for small teams within a department or the entire company. 

    With lunch catering, a company places a group order on your website or mobile ordering platform. Your team picks the order, and you deliver it at the set date and place. Lunch catering thrives on group orders.

    It is crucial to be creative with the order management process. For instance, Jason Deli allows team members to choose their meals when they order. They can also decide if they want to split their payment or if one person pays for the group order.

    Having a digital catalog and a well-planned menu is essential to the success of your lunch catering business. It is also important to use the perfect food packages and boxes to deliver food to customers.

    Usually, lunch catering is an offshoot of a full-service catering business or a restaurant business. However, you can take advantage of this and become the go-to catering service for lunches.

    Tips for Starting a Lunch Catering Business

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    1. Meals to Go Catering Business

    Meals-to-go catering businesses offer customers quick meal options. This type of catering involves preparing dishes that customers can heat in an oven when they’re ready to enjoy the meal.

    Tips for Starting a Meals-to-go Catering Business

    1. Health Catering Business

    Health catering is a specific-type catering business. You should consider starting a health catering business if you fancy cooking healthy meals and making healthy drinks.

    With a particular target market, it’s easier to grow your brand name. For example, health catering businesses can partner with weight-loss groups, gyms, hotels, and other customers interested in eating healthy.

    Tips for Starting a Health Catering Business

    • Create the perfect healthy-food menu
    • Partner with a nutritionist or healthy-food expert
    • Build the perfect health-themed brand marketing plan

    Frequently Asked Questions About Catering Business Ideas

    Starting a catering business requires careful planning and consideration. Let’s answer a few questions about choosing a catering business idea.

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    What is the Best Food Business to Start?

    You can start various types of food businesses depending on your skills, niche market, and budget. Here are some of the best food businesses you can begin:

    How Do I Start a Successful Catering Business?

    Here are some tips on how to start a successful catering business:

    What are the 7 Types of Menu?

    Here are the seven types of menus:

    • Breakfast menu
    • Prix fixe menu
    • Luncheon menu
    • Dessert menu
    • Supper menu
    • Dinner menu
    • Beverage menu

    Now the Real Work Begins

    Choosing a catering business idea means you are one step closer to launching your catering business. Remember to prepare your business and marketing plans with several ideas available to start your business.

    Having an idea is the easy part. Turning this idea into a business is a whole different ball game. But, with an all-in-one eCommerce marketing and restaurant business management software like BlueCart, it is possible to make your catering business idea a reality.

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