How To Start A Catering Business From Home

If you have a passion for creating excellent food, you might want to consider starting a catering business from your home. It is probably one of the easiest business to start from home. You will need to have health inspections and a game plan on how you will accomplish catering for an unknown number of people.  Scheduling and planning at the key to successfully launching your catering business from your home. 

1. Begin by assessing your kitchen.  Ask yourself if it is large enough and organized for your purposes. Is there any special equipment you need? Is your kitchen ready to be inspected by the health department if that is a state or local requirement to get licensed?
2. Develop two or three menus that you can serve in your catering business. Do some price comparison shopping so that you will know just what the ingredients run and have a good idea of how much time it will take you to prepare for a catering event. Depending on how large the event it, decide on how you will keep hot items hot and cold items cold when you go to the event. If you know this information before you actually cater an event from your home, you will have all of the information necessary to answer any questions from both customers and health inspectors.
3. Get your licenses and health certificates.  Contact your state health department and your state taxation department to get any licenses and certificates you may need. You may also need a local business license which will allow you to purchase bulk items less expensively.
4. Advertise your catering business. Word of mouth is an excellent source of new customers for your catering business. Consider beginning with your friends and family.  Cater a small, intimate dinner for two for an anniversary or birthday.  One free way to do this is to use free social networking sights.  Set up a Facebook or Myspace page for your home catering business. Be sure to include your contact information on the page. When you cater a public event, and you know you will have a large quantity of food, advertise it before you attend the event. If it is a private event, let your fans know how well it went. You can also promote your business by having business cards printed, which include your Facebook or Myspace information as well as your contact information.  The next time someone is looking to have an event catered, your information will be automatically linked to their own pages.
5. Assess each event after you complete it.  After each event you cater, compare your receipts to your expenses. You will have the information you need to adjust your prices and be prepared for the next time your phone rings.

You may want to consider joining a professional catering association. They can help you to network to find local catering jobs. They are also a great source for equipment and products you will need to grow your catering business from home.

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Catering Associations