Catering Needs To Be A Win-Win.

There is little that surpasses the feeling a caterer gets after walking into an empty venue, after they create an amazing catered event in less than ninety minutes of set-up time. Or, the rush a caterer feels when a bride seeks them out before leaving her reception just to give the caterer a final thank you and a kiss on the cheek for making her day so special. Or, the happiness and pride a catering team feels when they have just solved an unforeseen crisis that the event’s guests didn’t even know was happening. These are all the simple joys of catering.

However, the profession of catering is also a complex one. Caterers face a constant battle between pleasing customers and running a profitable business. Sometimes these two goals don’t necessarily go hand in hand. The problem rests in the fact that caterers are very nice people. They truly enjoy helping customers experience total satisfaction with any catering order whether it is a simple box lunch or a corporate gala. On the other hand, some caterers, in their quest to please customers and their guests, often place making a proper profit lower down on their list of priorities.

Profit is an important part of any successful business. My concern is that some caterers, as business people, tend to think with their hearts a little too much.

Sometimes caterers worry so much about customer satisfaction that they forget about creating a win-win relationship between themselves and the customer. Caterers tend to overcorrect on situations where there might be a chance for unhappy hosts. In fact, some caterers feel a sense of guilt if they make too much profit, so they are always willing to put some of an event’s projected profit back into the event just to make sure nothing will go wrong.

While many businesses and professions are becoming less personal with respect to customer contact, catering remains intensely personal. Caterers share the joys and worries of their customers from the first contact to the event’s end. They become part of the customer’s family or corporation clocking in countless hours of pre-event assistance. Therefore, I believe caterers should make the money they deserve. There are no retirement homes offering free rent for those caterers who put pleasing others ahead of also making some profit along the way. 

Make a sign for your desk to assure a win-win: Our Goal Is A Happy Customer and Proper Profits.