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• Preface
• Running Your Own Catering Busine
• Getting Into The Catering Busine
• Finding And Equipping Your Busin
• Health And Safety
• Business Finances
• Marketing Your Business
• Looking After Your Customers
• Food And Drink
• Designing Menus
• Food Suppliers
• Specialist Suppliers
• Staffing For Your Catering Busin
• Keeping Your Business On Track
• It’s Show Time! Running An Eve

Starting and Running a Catering Business

• Preface
• Running Your Own Catering Business
  • Why Run A Catering Business?
  • Skills You Need
  • Types Of Catering
  • What Next?
  • Working Out Your Strengths
• Getting Into The Catering Business
  • Starting Your Own Business From Scratch
  • Making Your Business Unique
  • Being A Sole/Joint Partner
  • Partnerships
  • Forming A Company
  • Buying An Existing Business
  • Becoming A Partner In An Existing Business
  • Working For A Catering Company To Learn The Ropes
  • Which Route To Take?
• Finding And Equipping Your Business Premises
  • Registering Food Premises
  • Moveable/Temporary Premises
  • Working From Or At Home
  • Renting Or Buying Dedicated Catering Premises
  • Renting Or Buying An Established Catering Company
  • Scrutinising The Property
  • Ventilation Requirements
  • Hygiene
  • The Kitchen
  • Kitchen Equipment
  • Cooking Equipment
  • Hiring Equipment
  • Storage And Refrigeration
  • Transporting The Food
• Health And Safety
  • Fridge Storage And Temperature Control
  • Food Poisoning
  • Hygiene Standards
  • Environmental Health Requirements
  • Safety In The Kitchen
  • Transporting Food
  • Further Information And Useful Contacts
• Business Finances
  • Your Business Plan
  • Estimating Your Start-Up Costs
  • Estimating Your Business Finance
  • Your Assets And Liabilities
  • Dealing With Seasonal Peaks And Troughs
  • Calculating Menu Costings
  • Raising Capital
  • Dealing With Banks
  • Business Partnership
  • Capital Expenditure
  • Next Steps In Finding Funding
  • Bookkeeping And Accountancy
  • Vat
  • Payroll
  • Insurance
  • Credit/Debit Cards
  • Top Legal Tip
  • Avoiding Debt
  • Professional Advice
  • Useful Contacts
• Marketing Your Business
  • Making Marketing A Priority
  • Identifying Your Target Market
  • Choosing A Name
  • Your Signage
  • Promotional Material
  • Advertising
  • Your Media Profile
  • Other Ways To Publicise Your Business
  • Cookery Classes
  • Adult Education Classes
  • One-To-One Cookery Classes
  • Masterclasses
  • Charity Functions
  • Personal Chef
  • Writing A Column Or A Cookbook
  • Farmers’ Markets And Food Festivals
• Looking After Your Customers
  • What Will Your Catering Company Offer?
  • Pricing Your Catering Services
  • Meeting The Client
  • The Right Kind Of Clients For Your Business
  • Sample Letter And Proposal
  • Invoices
  • Post-Event Summary
• Food And Drink
  • Working Out What You Can Do
  • Compiling A Menu
  • Sample Menus
  • Different Diets
  • Your Clients’ Equipment
  • Dinner Parties
  • Keeping Up To Date
  • Sourcing Your Ingredients
  • The Sandwich And Salad Trade
  • Client With Unsuitable Menu Requests
  • Recipes
  • Instructing Kitchen Staff
  • Guide To Food Quantities
  • Guide To Tables, Seating And Dance Floor Space
  • Special Diets
  • Drinks
  • Wine
  • Water, Coffee And Tea
• Designing Menus
  • Creating A Menu
  • Menu Planning And Dish Creation
  • Create Contented Customers
  • Good Food Communication Between Kitchen And Waiting Staff
  • Menu Writing
• Food Suppliers
  • Finding Suppliers
  • Tips For Buying
  • Sourcing Your Ingredients
  • Quality And Provenance Of Produce
  • Useful Contacts For Sourcing Produce
• Specialist Suppliers
  • Dealing With Specialists
  • Marquee Hire Companies
  • Equipment Hire
  • Tips For Dealing With Specialist Suppliers
• Staffing For Your Catering Business
  • The Importance Of Service
  • Waiting And Kitchen Staff
  • Finding Staff
  • Motivating Your Staff
  • The Staff Interview
  • Other Employment Tips
  • Overtime
  • Employers’ Responsibilities
  • Kitchen Hierarchy
  • The Kitchen Career
  • Kitchen And Waiting Staff Working Together
  • Staff Behaviour
  • Service
  • Staff Rotas
  • Cleaning
  • Briefing Waiting Staff
• Keeping Your Business On Track
  • Keeping Your Customers
  • Effective Time Scheduling
  • Solving Business Problems
  • Reducing Risk
  • Long-Term Success For Your Catering Business
• It’s Show Time! Running An Event
  • Dealing With Crises
  • Planning Ahead
  • Example Dinner Party
  • Managing An Event
  • After The Event
  • Being A Caterer

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