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Caterer

First things first and in case you didn't know...

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A caterer provides food and drink services at events, parties, or gatherings.

 

While they can do full meal services, they typically focus on creating a variety of easy to eat ‘bites’ confections, baked goods, and sometimes custom-themed food, often alongside setup and presentation services for a polished ‘presentation’ at events.

 

The duties and responsibilities of Caterers vary depending on the event they are catering for. Their main duties generally include:

  • Adhering to regulations for food handling and safety

  • Arranging transportation of all food items

  • Cooking and organising menu items, typically off-site in a kitchen intended for commercial food preparation

  • Plating food with decorative elements, packing and wrapping for transport

  • Communicating with suppliers and equipment rental vendors

  • Consulting with customers about any meal or headcount changes prior to the event

  • Planning ingredient amounts to prevent waste or overages

  • Submitting invoices for customers in accordance for company policies

  • Inspecting event sites before the event to check the kitchen facilities and plan the layout

  • Estimating the cost of personnel and food for events, usually quoted at a per-person price

Key skills/talents

The following are a few key skills you should have if you’re looking to become a caterer...

 

  • Culinary Skills: Knowledge of dessert recipes, baking techniques, flavour combinations, and presentation skills.

  • Creativity: Designing unique food combinations and displays for themed events.

  • Organisation: Planning menus, managing ingredients, and adhering to event schedules.

  • Customer Service: Strong communication to understand clients’ needs and preferences.

  • Effective Communication: Strong communication skills are important for conveying the catering ‘offer’. This includes marketing and social media communication

  • Adaptability: The food industry is dynamic, and trends can change. An owner should be adaptable to evolving tastes, dietary preferences, and industry trends.

  • Networking Skills: Building relationships with suppliers, local businesses, and the community is important for sourcing quality ingredients and collaborating on events etc etc

  • Attention to Detail: In a culinary business, attention to detail is crucial for maintaining quality in food preparation, presentation, and service.

  • Business Acumen: Budgeting, costing, and pricing skills are important to manage expenses and profits.

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​Qualifications required

While formal qualifications aren’t always required, many caterers benefit from...

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Some may pursue an Apprenticeship in Catering to gain practical skills. The following link is for the official apprenticeships UK website: https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/apprentices/browse-by-interests/catering-hospitality

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Rules and regs

As you would expect, there are a number of food safety laws and regulations that anyone working within the food industry must adhere to. Below we have listed the main ones, but you should consider speaking with your local council for further information relating to food regulations:

 

 

The Food Standards Agency give further information here: https://www.food.gov.uk/about-us/key-regulations

All food businesses will also need to register with their local local authority, as part of the food business registration: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/food-business-registration

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Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) are responsible for enforcing food safety and hygiene. They have certain powers under the Food Safety Act 1990 and various food hygiene regulations. If a food business fails to comply with the law, EHOs can give a poor food hygiene rating score or issue enforcement notices. For more serious offences and non-compliance of notices, officers may decide to prosecute, which may mean fines, imprisonment and even closure of the business. If customers are made ill by unsafe food, they may also claim compensation, which can be very costly.

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Remuneration framework

Every quote Katie does is bespoke and depends on the customer brief, but as a rule of thumb, this type of business/role works one of two ways:

 

  1. Either on a margin and mark-up basis, which is to cost up all the ingredients and then allow a % mark-up to cover the work hours involved to complete the job… and to allow you to make a profit.

  2. The other way is to pay yourself a set amount per hour, and when you cost all the ingredients up, you then work out how long it will take you to complete the job (i.e. 50 hours), and you add that onto the ingredients cost.

  3. A third option is to do both... Do option 2, and then add a margin on as well, i.e and additional 10% to cover unexpected changes or mistakes.

 

According to some google research, the average salary for a catering chef is £23k per year, with an estimated total pay of £30-40k. Additional pay can include tips, commission, profit sharing, and cash bonuses. 

 

The average hourly rate for a caterer varies by location, with the highest paying cities being:

 

  • Southampton: £17 per hour

  • London: £15.94 per hour

  • Exeter: £15.22 per hour

  • Manchester: £13.87 per hour

  • Bristol: £13.03 per hour

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How to get started

To establish yourself as a successful caterer, consider gaining as much practical experience as you can, even before embarking on any qualifications. Cook at home, cook for friends/family etc… Just cook!

 

This hands-on approach will allow you to hone your skills, which you can then take forward to any job application, and can take forward into any qualification you undertake.

 

If you can also get a job working in a kitchen, we would highly recommend it. Doing this, alongside your own learning, and any qualification, will mean you’ll quickly learn about industry best practices and generally how things work. 

 

Additionally, creating a visually appealing portfolio showcasing your signature ‘work’ is crucial for attracting potential clients. Utilising social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok to share mouth-watering images and engaging videos of your creations is a MUST. 

 

A well-designed website will also serve as a digital storefront, providing information about your services, pricing, and contact details. 

 

Consider participating in local food markets or fairs to connect with potential clients and generate buzz about your business. 

 

Finally, ensure you comply with all legal requirements by registering your catering business with the appropriate local councils and HMRC. This will allow you to operate legally and professionally, inspiring confidence in your clients. Information on this is above.

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Job site links

The Caterer is the industry place to find job openings within the catering industry: https://www.caterer.com

 

Obviously, the usual job sites, such as Indeed, usually carry opportunities too:

https://uk.indeed.com/jobs?q=caterer

https://www.totaljobs.com/jobs/caterer-com

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Associations or official bodies to register with

 

There are two main hospitality ‘trade bodies’ you can join to gather and share information, so this really depends on how important (and helpful) joining these bigger bodies feels to you as a business…

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Progression pathway​

If your plan is to go more down the ‘chef’ route with this job, then please do check out our ‘chef’ career write-up, including info on progression options.

 

However, if you’re keen to keep working in/with events and potentially grow your business that way, then we would always recommend a cautious approach. Katie talks about progression in her chat and about ‘carefully’ employing people that can help, not hinder her.

 

With this kind of role, standards and expectations are always high, so finding the right people to work for you - and alongside you - is tough, so do make those decisions carefully. However, if you can find good, hard-working (high standard) people to work for you… And if your marketing is ‘on point’, as we’ve described above… Then you can expand at your will. 

 

‘Events’ are year-round and even though people’s/company budgets might flex up and down, there is usually always work out there.

 

… So it really comes down to where you want to take things.

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