The US market for catering is $8 Billion annually. This presentation offers restaurant and catering operators a simple guideline to improve their corporate catering business. The focus of these catering tips is on simple corporate catering orders.

1. Keys to Improve your Profits with
Corporate Catering
Corporate Catering 101

2. Companies small and large need catering for
different events including:
• Lunch & Learn meetings
• Board meetings
• All hands meetings
• Customer meetings
• Employee celebrations
What is corporate catering?
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3. Simple versus Full-Service Catering
Many corporate events require full-service
catering. This document does NOT cover
these orders. This document is focused on
simple corporate catering orders.
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4. Simple Corporate Catering
• Disposable plates, napkins,
and utensils
• Drop-off delivery
• Basic setup requirement
• Disposable trays
Full-Service Catering
• Formal or semi-formal
plate ware.
• Service personal required
during the meal
• Chaffing dishes
• Formal or semi-formal
linen
Simple versus Full-Service Catering
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5. • Predictable revenue stream. Most orders are placed a
day or more in advance.
• Off-peak order requests. Orders are typically requested
before your lunch or dinner rush periods.
• Zero additional dine-in space required. Catering orders
are outbound. You can add these orders without taking
your valuable dine-in space or staff resources.
• Minimal staff and up-front investment required.
Why do I want these orders?
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6. Announcing you offer corporate catering will not
instantly create a massive increase in catering
orders. It will take time to get the message
out and build a steady stream of repeat and
new corporate clientele.
How do I get started?
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7. • Stock up on disposable supplies including:
a) Disposable tins (multiple sizes)
b) Disposable serving utensils (tongs, spoons, etc)
c) Disposable plates, napkins & utensils
• Purchase insulated food carriers (w/ wheels)
• Locate a suitable vehicle & driver
How do I get started?
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8. Catering Supplies
Insulated Food Carrier
Wheels for Carrier Plastic Utensils
Paper Plates
Napkins Disposable Tongs, Spoons, Forks
Aluminum Food Trays
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9. Yes!
Corporate admins do not have time to pick-up
catering orders.
Don’t panic. You can start without hiring a
dedicated driver or purchasing a dedicated
delivery vehicle.
As your business grows, you can hire a driver
and invest in a dedicated delivery vehicle.
Do I Need to Deliver?
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10. While you are growing your catering, you or a
manager can handle the deliveries.
You will need a vehicle with:
• GPS (you can use your smart phone).
• Ability to transport insulated food carriers.
Handling the Delivery Requirement
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11. A simple corporate catering order is essentially a
large delivery order. The “per person”
average cost of the meal will be similar to the
“per person” cost or an average dine-in
order.
How much do companies spend per
person on these meals?
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12. We will go through the following steps:
1. Preparing a catering-friendly menu.
2. Defining your catering delivery rules.
3. Taking and managing catering requests.
4. Preparing and scheduling resources for the
catering orders.
5. Delivering and setting up delivery orders.
Ready to Go? What’s Next?
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13. A Catering menu is NOT required, but it is a
good idea to offer one. It is a way to clearly
indicate to prospective catering customers
that you offer catering. Your customers can
also more easily plan and place an order for
larger groups.
Do I need a Special Catering Menu?
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14. There are two popular catering menus*:
1) Cost per tray.
2) Cost per person (set menu).
* Consider offering both catering menu types.
What does a Catering Menu Look Like?
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15. * You can measure out the size of your regular entrée
size and multiply by the # of people a tray to
calculate the proper serving size estimates.
1) Present your MOST popular dishes in larger tray
sizes.
2) Offer 2-3 different sizes for the tray.
3) Indicate how many people the tray can serve.*
Example of a Cost Per Tray Menu
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16. • Offer a few different packages.
• Offer a few different options per package.
• Add a few “extra” options such as appetizer or
dessert options.
• Set a minimum # people per package
requirement.
Example of a Cost Per Person Menu
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17. Order sizes for different companies and
meetings vary considerably.
Many meetings may have only 6-15 people for
more smaller meetings, while other events
require service for hundreds.
How big are these orders?
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18. Delivery Parameters*:
• Minimum Order Amount - $100
• Advance Order Requirement - 24 hours
advance
• Delivery Surcharge – Free
• Delivery Area – Within 8 miles of the store
* Set realistic delivery rules. Reducing order requirements
will increase your total catering volume and attract new
business customers.
Example of Delivery Rules
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19. We recommend that you consider waiving the
delivery fee or charge a nominal flat fee. We
advise against a required % of order delivery
surcharge. Most companies will tip for the
order. We suggest allowing customers to
dictate the amount of the delivery tip.
Why not a % of order?
When a catering request is large, the customer
may be reluctant to pay a large delivery
surcharge. You risk turning away the most
profitable catering orders.
How Much Should I Charge For
Delivery?
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20. There is a wide variation in delivery tips from
customer to customer. The size of the order
can also dictate the tip value.
How’s that for a non-answer? 
How much of a delivery tip can we
expect?
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21. You are the expert. When taking and reviewing
an order, assist your customer to insure a
properly ordered meal package.
Taking the Order
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22. 1) Does the order make sense?
2) Does it have the necessary sides?
3) Does the order have the appropriate amount of
food for the group size?
4) Do they need serving utensils, plates, napkins,
etc.?
5) Verify the date/time request and make sure you
can manage the request?
6) Clear up any ambiguity on any food items.
Taking the Order
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23. 1) Order the extra food supplies required for
the order.
2) Schedule the necessary kitchen personnel.
You may need have the kitchen staff to come
in early to prep and cook the meal.
3) Schedule someone to deliver with the
appropriate vehicle.
4) Have the delivery directions and instructions
understood and mapped ahead of time.
Review & Prepare
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24. 1) Allow plenty of time to prep, cook, and
portion out the food.
2) Package the food properly.
3) Have a plan to keep the food warm.
4) Include the necessary utensils, condiments,
and serving utensils.
Cooking and Packaging the Order
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25. 1) Have a driver, vehicle, and any necessary
carts to transport the food to the corporate
office.
2) Have the proper delivery instructions.
3) Have the necessary setup instructions.
4) Use a GPS device to avoid getting lost.
5) Setup the meal according to the customer’s
instructions.
Delivery & Setup
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26. By far, the most important element to running
a successful corporate catering service is to
BE ON TIME!
#1 Priority for Customer Satisfaction
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27. We can not overstate the importance for on-time deliveries.
Most of these meals are scheduled around important
business meetings. Late catering orders disrupt these
meetings, which in turn creates huge stress and
dissatisfaction for corporate meal coordinators. No
matter how good your food is, late orders will translate
to lost business and customers.
If you are running behind schedule, it is imperative to let
your ordering contact know ASAP! They can alert the
meeting participants of the delays.
Why is so important to be on-time?
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28. 1) Provide labels with ingredients for your food
items, especially if the ingredients are not so
obvious.
2) Separate the vegetarian items.
3) Setup the trays to optimize the serving
experience.
Setup Suggestions
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29. Do you know what your setup will look like?
Provide a nice visual presentation of your food.
The presentation is important for more
formal business meetings and professional
offices.
Presentation Bonus Points
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30. Thank you.
Ken Ryu
CEO & Founder
GetQuik, Inc. “catering orders made easy”
www.getquik.com
Watch Your Profits Grow
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