What Traits Does a Catering Business Need to Succeed?
Catering is a highly competitive industry. Customers demand only the very best and a negative reputation can spread in a matter of weeks to such an extent that it completely cripples the business. The fact is a catering business must be able to conform to the needs of its customers if it is going to succeed.
Through studying various successful catering business, it is clear they have many things in common, even though they target different niche sectors of this food sub-sector. Let us look at some of the top traits every catering business needs to succeed.
An Ability to Network
How do you think a catering business gets its kitchen equipment and staff?
They have to know the right people. It is how they not only get the highest quality equipment but also how they also increase their profit margins. The top catering businesses can cater to the specialist needs of their customers because they know all the right catering equipment suppliers. They can offer a greater range of services.
A Listening Company
Companies can only succeed if they are willing to adapt to the needs of customers. In the catering business, it is not uncommon to see customers voting with their feet and going elsewhere. Brand loyalty is not as prominent in this industry.
Smart catering companies will look for a review from a customer after every job. They will make it clear that they consider negative aspects of the service are just as important to them as the positive aspects.
More importantly, they will act upon the feedback they receive. It is how they can make sure they continue to meet the needs of their customers.
Reliability and Communication
Catering is a business that can break in a matter of seconds. It is the sort of thing that requires everything to be done at a specific time. If something goes wrong, it can affect everything else that comes after it.
The top catering companies know how to plan for each individual job. They are reliable and they have at least a 95% first-time strike rate. When something does go wrong, though, they react in the right way to solve the problem and limit any damage caused.
Another important aspect of this process is communication. The best catering kitchen suppliers will keep their clientele informed of the situation. They know that their customers are stressed and worried about whether everything is going to come off in the right way.
What about Price?
Believe it or not, most catering customers do not consider price a priority. They always want to get the lowest price possible, but they will nearly always place quality above how much they are being charged.
This is because catering is a results-based industry. If something goes wrong, it does not matter how much the customer is paying. An embarrassing meal where nothing is ready and the food is of an inferior quality will not be ignored simply because you did not have to pay as much for it.
Overall, any top catering company will realise quality always comes first. In an industry where quality is everything, it can really mean the difference between success and bankruptcy.
