The Ultimate Business Blog Citygirlbusinessclub.com
Running a catering business can be very stressful. But that doesn’t you should give up on it. You can’t run away when an emergency hits you. You need to deal with the problem, find the right solution and get back to your feet. Here is how to deal with the key problems that you might face.
Contact Your Backup Supplier
Perhaps the biggest disaster you can face in the catering business is a supplier letting you down. All caterers have to source their food from somewhere. There are probably numerous different places from which you get your fresh produce. But what if they let you down or they can’t deliver on time? This leaves you in the lurch with a big problem to fix. This is why you should always have backup suppliers that you can contact in an emergency. They need to be there to step up to the task when your ordinary supplier fails. If they perform well for you, you might even decide to make them your permanent first choice supplier. For the food supplies that you can buy yourself, be prepared and have extras stored in case you run out. Consider basics like buying fried chicken batter in bulk (if your catering company serves friend chicken, that is!) and have ample storage of other necessary ingredients.
Find the Best Maintenance Companies
Another massive emergency occurs when the equipment that you rely on fails you. To do your job, you are completely reliant on the equipment that you use. You can’t cook food without a functioning oven. And that’s just one of the many different things that you use to do your job properly and satisfy all your clients. So, when something breaks, you need to get it fixed as quickly and as cheaply as possible. There are plenty of companies that offer catering equipment support. So, find the best one that can support you and return your business to normal in the event of an emergency.
Contact a Staffing Agency
When you run a catering business, you are 100% reliant on your staff. If you don’t have staff in place who can cook the food, prepare it, present it and package it, you’re in big trouble. But people get ill, or they have to take time off work for other reasons. This happens to all businesses. But when your staff have specialist skills, it can be hard to cope when they’re not able to be at work. That’s why you should instantly contact an agency that deals in temporary catering staff. Having the contact details of one of these agents at hand is essential when you find yourself short-staffed.
Put Contingencies in Place to Avoid Future Mistakes
When something goes wrong in your catering business, you don’t want to repeat that mistake in future. That’s why you need to learn from every mistake you make and put measures in place to ensure that they don’t happen again. One of the best things you can do to avoid these common mistakes is to organise the business better. You should make sure that you avoid double booking clients by making sure that you have a software in place that makes bookings clear. You should also have a list of contacts and companies that can help you out in future situations and emergencies.