A Practical Plan for Catering
The best catering companies are built on systems, clear capacity planning and solid logistics. A practical operational plan is the tool you need to turn your pizzeria into a catering powerhouse!
Kitchen Command Center
Unlike in-house dining, takeout or even delivery, catering involves manufacturing a product in one location to be consumed hours later in another. You have little control over the environment outside of your restaurant, so your internal infrastructure needs to support this journey.
Optimize Prep Space:
Can your current kitchen handle a busy dinner rush and a 100-person catering order simultaneously? Consider when staff might have capacity to do this work. You may need to designate times or days solely for catering prep.
How much space do you have in refrigeration and dry storage? You might need to limit catering to weekdays, when the restaurant has more storage space.
Holding and Transport:
All food-safety rules still apply, and this is where many new caterers fail! You need dedicated equipment for holding food at safe temperatures and containers that minimize spillage and maintain quality. Professional, insulated carriers are a gamechanger for events. If you can’t buy it, build it. If you can’t build it, change its use. For example, we use the immersion circulator as a pop-up water heater.
Staffing the Right Road Team
Your in-house staff might be excellent, but catering staffers need a unique skillset. They are problem-solvers, logistical experts and the face of your business off-site.
Key Roles:
You need reliable drivers, event captains (who act as on-site managers) and efficient off-site servers/setup crew.
Training is Crucial:
Train staff not just on food handling but on customer interaction, problem solving and efficient setup/teardown.
Capacity Planning:
Define your “maximum operational capacity” by calculating your perceived max and backing off 10%. We never overpromise and under-deliver.
Equipment: Investing Wisely
As revenue grows, utilize 8% of each event’s net revenue for strategic equipment investment. New equipment increases efficiency and opens new opportunities.
Transportation:
A reliable delivery vehicle is non-negotiable. Refrigerated vans are ideal, but don’t let lack of one stop you!
Chafing Dishes and Dispensers:
For buffet-style jobs, quality chafing dishes, sternos and insulated beverage dispensers are essential.
Action Stations:
If you decide you’re ready for weddings or high-end events, you might invest in portable ovens and induction burners for action stations. Interactive catering is a great way to increase your cost per person, and it might become your niche!
Logistics & Documentation
If your operation relies solely on verbal instructions, it will fail. A robust catering business runs on clear systems and documentation.
Make a One Pager:
This single document is the playbook for every event. It must include:
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Client contact info. (including day-of contact).
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Full menu and dietary restrictions.
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Load-in time, setup time, serve time and teardown time.
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Exact location (including specific suite numbers or gate codes).
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Equipment checklist (who is bringing what back?).
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs):
Create SOPs for everything: how to pack a chafing dish, food-safety protocols for transport, uniform requirements and client-interaction guidelines. These SOPs empower your team to maintain consistency without oversight.
Go Time!
You’ve built the network, identified the clients, and now you have the operational blueprint. Now go deliver!
MELINDA CARBAJAL is the CEO and managing member of Colorado-based Simply Pizza.
