Contract catering means work that a caterer is contracted to carry out on a regular basis. It’s a service that is used by many different people, from schools to corporations, and it is a popular way to ensure that high quality food is always available when needed.

Often within educational establishments and workplaces, employers will subsidise catering. This means that they will pay money towards it and the people eating the food (staff, visitors, students etc.) will pay the rest. Good food in places like this is very important, ensuring that people are well fed and well motivated. Sometimes, contract caterers will be employed to run a café or restaurant on a daily basis, which is known as a concession.

Contract caterers are experience in providing different types of food depending on their client. For example, food in schools might be required to meet with certain regulations regarding nutrition. They will be able to provide options for different diets, as well as plenty of choices for clients to choose from.

Organisations choose contract caterers through a tender process. They will usually advertise that they require catering services, and from there, caterers will submit their proposals.

Catering is about providing all-round solutions for your customers. If you don’t provide a thorough and well-rounded service, people are going to go elsewhere. It’s worth offering a number of additional services to make them feel as though they are getting good value for money. One way of doing this is to offer mobile bar hire for events.

Investing in a mobile bar might be costly, but if you market it well, it can be a profitable decision. Let people know that this is something you offer and make sure it is on your website. You will be able to hire out your bar for a variety of events, and if you’re also able to provide staff and stock, you could be able to make yourself some very good money from it.

If you don’t have the money to invest in a bar yourself, form relationships with companies who do. You will be able to point your customers in the right direction, or you might even choose to organise bar hire on their behalf. If you’re able to provide solutions for everything they want, even if it isn’t coming directly from you, customers a far more likely to choose you as their caterer.

Every job will be different in the catering industry and it can be difficult to know what equipment you’re going to need for each one. However, there are some particularly important pieces of equipment that you will almost definitely need every single time. It’s worth investing in some of the staples so that you have your favourites to hand. Here is some of the equipment we’d suggest investing in:

• A good quality set of knives. This will ensure that you have plenty of options, with knives of different sizes and serrated and non-serrated blades. You may even want to invest in other knives to bulk this out if there are other kinds you use regularly.
• Storage containers. You will need plenty of storage solutions for the food you make. It will need to be sturdy and high quality, as you will most likely be transporting food in it. You can never have enough food storage as a caterer.
• A large refrigerator. Similar to food storage containers, you can never have too much space in your fridge when catering. You will need to be able to store ingredients, as well as the finished products, so bear this in mind when choosing the right fridge for the job.
• Pans for all occasions. A good quality pan that doesn’t stick and doesn’t get worn out quickly is invaluable. Make sure you have plenty of choice.You will be able to build up your collection of equipment over time, but these essentials should be plenty to get you started.