A catering manager is a food and hospitality professional who manages a company’s catering department. Catering managers may develop and supervise catering programs for restaurants, event venues, hotels, and even grocery stores. To become a catering manager, you’ll need a lot of experience in management as well as the food and beverage service industry.
As part of its day-to-day operations, a catering company must handle all catering needs. Catering managers, on the other hand, are more likely to work in establishments where catering is just one part of a larger operation. Hiring a talented manager for the catering wing can allow the rest of the company to focus on other services, such as full-scale wedding planning or restaurant service, while the catering wing remains efficient and profitable.
A catering manager’s job varies from day to day and from company to company. They frequently collaborate with chefs and food vendors to create a variety of catering menus for a variety of events, ranging from business brunches to lavish wedding dinners. They may design a large portion of the catering wing’s business plan, including financial goals, company image and mission, and specific service areas. He or she may be in charge of hiring everyone from on-site chefs to transportation managers as a manager. The catering manager’s responsibilities may include training staff in proper conduct and procedures, enforcing safety regulations, and keeping track of daily events.
Clients and the company are frequently communicated with catering managers. They must have excellent interpersonal skills as well as creative abilities in this position. Managers contribute to the company’s good reputation being willing to work with clients to meet their budgets and needs. A catering manager may work with clients to create sample menus, set up tastings, provide vendor lists, and handle billing and payment issues.
Catering is rarely a stand-alone service; events that require catering frequently require additional services such as table rentals, decor, flowers, and musicians. A catering manager’s responsibilities may include developing or improving a network of related contacts in order to provide clients with a comprehensive menu of services. A catering manager might try to compile a list of references or negotiate special discounts with other businesses in the industry. Managers must be extremely cautious and selective when adding a business to their network; even if flowers have nothing to do with food, a bad florist can reflect poorly on the caterer who recommended him or her.