New to Catering

[NeroW]

Hi,

I am going to be catering a Christmas party/open house for a woman who owns a wine, coffee, and high-end food/kitchen store here in Kalamazoo--W.J. Upson's is the name of the place.

She is a friend of my mother's and that is how I got the job.

She wanted to use me last year but I told her I wasn't ready. I had not completed my education yet and had no practical experience with large parties. Well, this year I suppose I am ready.

It's a very nice party in a very nice neighborhood and is well-attended by what passes for "society" here in Kalamazoo. Translate: maybe there will be other nice jobs hiding in this somewhere. Obviously I want to do well.

The service is buffet-style (no passing of trays). Of course, she takes care of all the wines, which is good--if it were my responsibility, we'd be drinking Gallo.

I have a few questions:

1). I have provided her with a list, very casual, just "brainstorming" some ideas as far as what I could do. She was pleased and impressed with the list, but noncommittal as far as specifics. The party is the first Sunday in December. When should I start pressing her, or should I not press her at all?

2). She seems to think that I should provide the budget. To me, this is backwards. When she asks me for a budget, does she mean a food budget, or a labor budget? Because I will work for wine and coffee If she were to nail down specifically what she wanted to serve, then I could work my numbers from there. But I feel it should be the other way around--she tells me what she wants to spend (judging from past years, it's a lot), and I work within that parameter. We come up with the menu together. Is that correct?

3). This woman has never been happy with her caterers, and in past years she and her husband have done all the cooking themselves to avoid disappointment. This is what makes me certain she is very "hands-on" and would want to participate in menu planning. This also makes me feel that inevitably, she will not be happy with me, but that is not a topic of discussion for eGullet. Shall I send her a nice, business-y letter, thanking her for her consideration, and suggesting a meeting with her and her husband, maybe sometime in October? Just to start the ball rolling?

4). How does one charge for these events anyway? I expect to spend a lot of time on it as I am somewhat of a perfectionist. I also expect to be able to order some of the food through my work, cutting costs a bit on her end. Do caterers prepare spreadsheets for their clients? Or something less formal? What do you guys charge? Is it hourly? There will be about 100-150 total at this party throughout the day. Does amount affect what I would charge her for my labor?

As you can see, I am completely new to catering, but I am confident in my skills and that I can do a good job. Any suggestions as far as catering etiquette are MUCH appreciated. And of course, since this is eGullet, canape suggestions are welcome as well.

Thank you.

[Abra]

You are correct in that she should start by identifying her budget. You can probably move her towards this by saying something like "I can narrow this list down for you, but the choices really do depend on the budget. Would you like me to start at about $40 per person?" It's just a waste of time for you to dream up a blue-sky menu, only to find out that what she really wants is to do it herself and spend no money except for food.

As for costing, 3-4 times the cost of the food is the industry standard. I usually come in at about 3X, myself. I charge for labor by the hour, plus the cost of groceries, but that's not the usual thing to do. I prefer it, because if you charge a flat fee you are obligated to collect sales tax, and then remit it to the tax folks, which is a whole ball of wax that I'd rather not get rolling.

If she refuses to give you a budget, but will tell you which menu items appeal to her, you can cost out each recipe, and there's no substitute for doing this! Figure out how much each recipe will cost to prepare, add 10% for margin of error, and divide by the number of people attending. When each recipe has a per-person price attached to it, add them up, and you'll know what your per person cost is. I can eyeball it now, but I know what almost everything costs, where I shop. In the beginning I used to walk the market with my list and write stuff down.

I'd ask her specifically what problems she has had with caterers in the past. Just tell her that it's very important to you not to disappoint your clients, and the best way to do that is to have a clear idea of their expectations from the get go.

[ruthcooks]

Catering clients can either set the price or choose the food, not both. They either give you a total budget price or a price per person, and you get to tell them what they can get for that money OR they choose the food and you tell them what price you can deliver that menu for.

I used to make up several sample menus with different prices to give prospective clients an idea of budgeting. I've never heard of a caterer setting the budget. Perhaps the client is mis-using the word.

Another way to price is to set an hourly or daily rate for yourself. Like $240-$400 per day or $30-$50 per hour, depending on the area, plus cost of food and help. This might be the way to go, where she can choose any menu she wants. After you've done a job or two, you'll be better able to determine "what it's worth" to you to take on a job of this size, and figure out the relationship of food cost to your price.

[irodguy]

You really need to start with an idea of what she wants. Does she want "heavy appetizers" or does she want a full meal?

Are you providing full staff? How involved does she want to be? You might end up needing to charge extra for her "involvement"

She really needs to give you at least a general direction. I would start with getting the direction and possibly giving her some samples (of course price these in)

Then price the groceries along X 3 + 15% for waste. Anything above this depends on what you are looking for. Is this an attempt for you to grow your business with her contacts? If so you might want to give her a screaming deal and tell her that's it's a special deal only for her.

Good Luck!

[LaurieB]

First off, good luck on your new endeavor!

You've already gotten some excellent advice, but I thought I'd add my 2 cents as well. I've done some catering on my own, but mainly have worked for big high end catering organizations, so here goes.

1) As you have already given her a list of ideas, definitely send her a letter asking for a meeting. Early October is not too early to request this. You need also to plan and define your role in her party. Are you providing just the food? Are you providing bar and beverage service? Wait and bar staff? In regards to food, you have already given her some ideas. You will want to discuss this with her to determine a more definitive menu so you can give her a specific quote on the cost of food per person. Don't be afraid to ask her what she would like to spend on food, per guest. Keep in mind that what she wants to spend per person is not what YOU will spend per person.

2) If she gives you the old "Well, what do you think I should do?" routine, give her 2 options. Write out two menus that you know you can execute, that you know will be good and that you know will work, cost-wise, for you. Price them out and then present them. Then discuss from there.

3) In regards to her not being happy with her former caterers -- hmm. One of my standard questions to a client is NOT "what did you really like in the past?" It's "what really didn't you like/didn't work/made people unhappy?" The answer makes it pretty simple -- just don't do that.

4) In regards to labor, are you talking about you yourself only, or other staff? I could give you some direction based on what you're providing -- just let me know. I see you're in MI so costs are probably sort of consistent with where I am.

Feel free to PM me or respond with any questions. I'd be more than happy to help.

Laurie

[dano1]

i would advise against the "screamin deal" thing This very well could come back to haunt you when Mrs. XX calls for a quote and says Mrs. YYY only spent this much.

As said a 25-30% foodcost should be where you are at overall-depends on menu; whitch is something she needs to ok. If renting tables, linen, flatware, etc, bill her for it. Same with labor ie, servers, station attendants, etc..

hth, danny

[tanabutler]

3). This woman has never been happy with her caterers, and in past years she and her husband have done all the cooking themselves to avoid disappointment. This is what makes me certain she is very "hands-on" and would want to participate in menu planning. This also makes me feel that inevitably, she will not be happy with me,

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This is the part that gives me pause. I've been in my line of work (graphic design services) for over twenty years. Only twice have I had unhappy clients, and BOTH times, I knew going in that I shouldn't have taken the job. That little voice inside warned me early on, "Uh-oh." I should have resigned immediately. I won't ignore that little voice again.

I hate seeing you get your footing with what might be an impossible situation.

I second the vote against the "screaming deal." Be professional, cover your bases, and don't apologize for your lack of experience. Your education is worth something.

A word about buffets. Don't lay out something like shrimp, or you will witness and honest-to-God feeding frenzy. When I catered, I controlled costs by tray passing the really good stuff. It's much more difficult for people to make complete pigs of themselves if someone is holding onto the tray. Unmonitored, it can be very very ugly.

[LaurieB]

I "third" the vote against giving someone a "deal" because you want them to refer to to their friends. They will refer to because you were 1) so good! and 2) so cheap! And they will tell people what they paid. Do a fast comparison shop and charge accordingly.

Laurie