Posted November 8th, 2019
By Kris Powers
A caterer is often responsible for cooking and organizing food service for a variety of events. Caterers often provide food for weddings, fundraisers, parties and conferences. They are responsible for meeting with the client and establishing a plan and a menu. They may also be responsible for cooking, presenting and even serving food and drinks at the event. Caterers can work with restaurants, private companies, event centers or may be self employed.
There are three main types of catering to consider when contemplating a catering career. Career Explorer lists the three most common types of catering including mobile catering, hotel/restaurant catering and private catering.
- Mobile Catering- this type of catering will usually be found at a fair, on a street corner, in a shopping mall kiosk, etc. This would be more of a food truck type of catering that would offer pre-packaged items or fresh items on the go. They may even deliver meals to business offices that are unable to leave their office for lunch
- Hotel/Restaurant Caterers- Hotel caterers and restaurant caterers are responsible for menu preparation, banquet arrangement, delivery, table set-up and tear down and arranging for extra staff help as needed. They are often liaisons between the kitchen staff and the client when planning for the event.
- Private Caterers- these caterers own their own business. They are often hired for weddings, anniversaries, holiday events, retirement parties and birthday parties. They are responsible for every aspect as they own the whole business. They plan menus, rental of dinnerware, arranging of wait staff and set up and tear down of the event. They are also responsible for the billing and collecting of money for the event.
It takes someone who isn’t worried to work quickly and under pressure to be a caterer. The San Jose Catering Company lists their five most endearing qualities in a caterer.
- Ability to pay attention to detail- a caterer must listen to the client so they are able to provide exactly what they want. They will listen and take advice and constructive criticism as needed.
- Ability to organize- a caterer needs to organize everything to ensure it runs smoothly from start to finish.
- Ability to communicate with others- caterers must be able to communicate with the people they are working with and also the staff that is working for them.
- Love for people and food- someone who is passionate for food will create the best food. They must also love working for people as these will be their clients.
- Ability to handle pressure- there can be a lot of pressure in the kitchen and preparing food for a large amount of people. A caterer must work well under pressure and still be able to provide a great product.
If you love to cook, work with large groups of people and provide food for large events, check out our cooking and catering career bundle today!
Ed4Career offers Complete Career Training Programs including the Cooking and Catering Professional Program. This course bundle includes Professional Cooking Part I, Professional Cooking Part II, Professional Catering, Principles of Marketing, Start Your Own Catering Business, Microsoft Excel® 2016, and Better Interpersonal Communication. Upon successful completion of our Professional Catering course, students will be prepared for an entry-level position in the field and to sit for the NCCB national certification exam to become a Certified Catering Associate (CCA).
