Shorten The Workweek?

Really? Maybe. Many other industries are adopting a four-day workweek or letting staff work from home. At first, this doesn’t seem to make sense in catering. 

The economic logic of this should prompt caterers to think about how to use a shorter workweek in a way that will fit the catering business model. You might close the company down for one day a week. If you run the numbers of expenses vs. costs, you can see that the concept needs to be considered. At least think about the idea for your slower seasons.

Caterers who close one day a week tend to select Sunday or Monday, since these are the days many businesses are closed. The advantages of having everyone off on the same day are huge. For example: You now have everyone off on the same day of the week, which strengthens your team on all the other days because everyone is involved. Some caterers close everything else, but keep their sales offices open on Monday to insure that possible prospects don’t skip them in the buying process.

Corporate business tends to be on weekdays and social catering tends to be on weekends. Some companies make the decision to become an exclusive weekday or weekend caterer. This means weekday caterers work Monday through Friday while weekend caterers work Thursday through Sunday or Monday.