Styles of Catering

Operations

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

26

Chapter 2

Styles of Catering Operations

Catering operations, as either a stand-alone facility or as part of a larger

hospitality-related business, exist in a wide variety of formats, or styles. Most
common are those that are readily identifiable as private rooms in restaurant
operations, hotel facilities, and independent catering facilities. The increased
demand by the international public for private function space outside of their
own homes and businesses has led the catering segment of the foodservice
sector of the hospitality industry to be a leader in the continued growth of
both facilities and revenue.
Forward thinking foodservice businesses from fine dining restaurants
to delicatessens are incorporating catering services into their operations in
recognition of the expanding market for preprepared foodservices. Offpremise catering and take-out services offer an excellent avenue for increasing revenue with minimal costs.
This chapter summarizes the ways in which catering services have
been incorporated into foodservice operational styles, providing operators
with techniques and methods for expanding the profit making potential of
their businesses. The categories of foodservice operations offering catering
reviewed in this chapter are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Full-service restaurants
Hotel food and beverage facilities
Catering halls
Independent caterers
Private clubs
Contract feeding
Charcuteries and delicatessens

Services in the context of a foodservice operation refer to the opportunities management makes available to the customer to purchase food, beverage, entertainment, and ancillary services. Services include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Table foodservices
Packaged take-out foodservices
Beverage services
Entertainment services
Business meeting services
Conference and convention services
Contract feeding services
Off-premise foodservices
Home-replacement foodservices

Full-Service Restaurants
Full-service restaurants have the opportunity to offer a variety of catering services to their customers. Before any decision is made to offer these services,
however, six important factors should be considered:

Full-Service Restaurants
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

27

Location
Customer profile
Restaurant style or concept
Staffing capabilities
Restaurant physical layout
Cuisine and menu offerings

Additional material on identifying and developing these factors is discussed

in Chapter Three, Catering Foodservice Development.

Location
The proximity of the restaurant to office complexes and centralized business
areas will help to establish whether its catering service will be focused on
business or social marketing efforts.
Businesses in the twenty-first century are spread from urban centers to
suburban locations in office parks. Central urban locations offer a concentrated market for both office delivery and take-out. A significant factor in
developing the market for business catering is that service is generally
required during the business week, leaving weekend periods free to service
social business. In addition, locations such as museums, concert halls, and
historical sites offer interesting venues to catered functions for both local
businesses and conventions.
Both urban and suburban restaurants can successfully develop social
catering business. Suburban locations are generally more appropriate for
social catering to private homes, clubs, churches, and other facilities. Delivery to urban locations can pose security and logistical problems, creating
additional costs for transportation and service labor.
Population density also affects the volume of anticipated catering business. Restaurants situated in rural areas with low population density cannot
expect immediate high volumes of catering business. Areas of high-density
population yield a variety of catering opportunities that steadily increase in
volume through referrals and reputation.
The location of the physical restaurant building plays a role in the type
of catering services to be offered. Storage facilities, expansion possibilities,
and access to major transportation routes are factors important to catering
service production.

Customer Profile
Restaurants have the advantage of a built-in customer pool to whom they can
market in-house and off-premise catering services. In addition, the attraction
of being associated with a restaurants reputation will help to expand the
possible market to include new business and social clients.
The market profile should classify customers as business or social
catering clients, designated by income bracket. In addition the range of activities for which each customer pool will need catering services should be
researched as thoroughly as possible. This will help in developing package
programs along with potential menu programs and accompanying pricing
concepts.

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Chapter 2

Styles of Catering Operations

Style or Concept
The style, concept, and/or theme of the restaurant should be taken into consideration when planning potential catering services. Off-premise catering
services do not necessarily have to blend with the facilities offered by the
restaurant. On-premise catering services should, however, be designed to
function within the restaurant facilities.

Facilities
Restaurants facilities are a major factor in providing on-premise catering. The
ratio of catering functions to restaurant services that can be handled at a
given time is dependent on the size and flexibility of the physical plant. Small
private parties are often incorporated into the general dining room setting.
Large parties must, however, be given facilities that are separated from the
general public. The restaurant floor plan in Figure 2-1 outlines flexible catering space for a full-service restaurant operation. This restaurant has a private
dining room and bar facility with a dance floor that can also be used for
additional restaurant seating during busy time periods and holidays. Flexible
facilities such as these allow a restaurant to maximize revenues.
Many restaurants that offer in-house catering schedule large parties,
such as weddings, anniversaries, luncheons, and dinners, on days and times
when the restaurant is not otherwise open. Often catering business must be
refused because sufficient on-premise facilities are not available. When management is continually turning away catering business, a decision will need
to be made as to how the restaurant will balance is future development of
catering versus full-service dining services.
Kitchen facilities play a major part in determining when and how catering service demands can be met. Kitchen equipment must be flexible, allowing for volume production to take place simultaneously with la carte
restaurant service. The kitchen cooking load and holding capacity of ovens
and auxiliary equipment is important to determine if a kitchen is to be used
to its full capacity during busy times.
Storage and refrigeration facilities determine the amount of food products available at any given time. The cost of waste from food spoilage due
to lack of refrigeration and freezer space could dilute the profit from additional catering business. A further discussion of equipment capability for
catering service is found in Chapter Twelve.

Cuisine and Menu

The primary cuisine and menu offerings of a restaurant constitute one of the
most important considerations for on-premise catering. As discussed earlier,
off-premise catering services do not necessarily need to be the same as those
offered at the restaurant for full-service dining.
Purchasing and production requirements are crucial to the successful
development of catering services. On-premise catering should offer menu
items that duplicate the established menu as closely as possible in order to
enhance production capabilities. Surrounding items, such as vegetables and
starches, are the most effective area of the menu to duplicate. Kitchen production is more efficient when the number of surrounding menu items is

FIGURE 2-1 Restaurant floor plan.

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Chapter 2

Styles of Catering Operations

limited. Profitable and effective purchasing for catering functions requires

that the ingredients for menu items be the same or similar to those on the
restaurant menu. This allows the purchasing agent to place orders for maximum volume pricing and quality.

Off-Premise Catering
The decision to participate in off-premise catering requires a thorough review
of a restaurants resources. A successful in-house catering program can lead
management into perceiving that taking on the challenge of off-premise
catering will not cause operational difficulties.
Several problems must be anticipated regarding the off-premise facilities
in which the final production and service for functions takes place. During
in-house catering functions, service staff can often work between private parties and the dining room, filling in where needed, while the kitchen staff
functions as usual, having planned ahead to handle the increased production
load. In order to service off-premise functions, however, a separate waitstaff
needs to be scheduled. In addition, at least one member of the kitchen production staff will be assigned to the function and therefore will be unavailable to the restaurant kitchen for the time period involved for the off-premise
function.
Equipment as well as food will need to be transported both to and
from the off-premise function location. Hot food and cold food must be
kept at specific temperatures to prevent food spoilage. A refrigerator truck
may be necessary at certain times of the year. Transportation routes and
problems involving traffic congestion need to be considered in the timing of
deliveries.
Subcontractors may be necessary for equipment such as tables, chairs,
dishes, glassware, linens, dance floors, and tents. The extent to which a
restaurant commits to a full-service catering business determines the amount
of extra effort required to handle the increased business. Planning for offpremise catering requires attention to detail. Contingency plans for bad
weather, delays in food transportation, and the failure of on-site equipment
to function properly should be established in advance so that problems can
be dealt with expediently as they arise. Additional costs are incurred when
solutions to these situations are not planned for in advance. Contract prices
must include these contingencies or management will find that overall costs
are higher than the fees charged to the customer for food and services. The
off-premise catering organizational guide in Figure 2-2 offers an outline of
the areas of operational concern.

Take-Out
Take-out service is the most profitable way for restaurants and catering services to increase revenues without increasing costs. Because take-out service
does not require extra seating, it generally will not require an operation to
expand its facilities beyond accommodating takeout customers with a pickup
and waiting area. Kitchen production can plan and schedule to handle large
increases in volume for short time periods. In addition, take-out does not
require the additional expenses incurred by table service for glassware,

Full-Service Restaurants

Client: _____________________________________________________________________
Date/Time: _________________________________________________________________
Function/Theme: ___________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
FACILITY:
Address:
Contact Name:
Phone:

Fax:

E-Mail:

Cell Phone:

Routing Directions:
Travel Time:
____________________________________________________________________________________
LOCATION:
Indoor __________________________ Outdoor___________________________________
Loading Area ________________________________________________________________
Challenges __________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Square Footage ______________________________________________________________
Energy Sources
Gas/Electric _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Water Sources: Hot ___________________________________________________________
Cold _______________________________________________________________________
Lighting Availability __________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Staging on Premise _________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

FIGURE 2-2 Off-premise catering organizational guide.

31

32

Chapter 2

Styles of Catering Operations

Equipment on Premise
Kitchen _____________________________________________________________________
Prep Area ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Sinks _______________________________________________________________________
Refrigeration ________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Freezer Space _______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Range Tops _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Ovens ______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Microwave __________________________________________________________________
Grills _______________________________________________________________________
Indoor ____________________________Outdoor__________________________________
Other ______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Dishwasher Availability _______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Dishwasher Location _________________________________________________________
Loading for Kitchen __________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Service Area
Banquet Boxes ______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Service Station Areas _________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Equipment on Property _______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

figure 2-2 (Continued)

33

Full-Service Restaurants

Equipment Needs Kitchen

Item

Source

Delivery

Cost

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

Equipment Needs Service

Item

Source

Delivery

Cost

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

Tenting
Size ________________________________________________________________________
Floor _______________________________________________________________________
Heaters/Fans ________________________________________________________________
Decor/Theme Accessories
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Floor Plans/Layout
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Audiovisual
Protection Equipment_________________________________________________________
Screens _____________________________________________________________________
Sound ______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

figure 2-2 (Continued)

34

Chapter 2

Styles of Catering Operations

Energy and Power Needs

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Entertainment
Number of Performers ________________________________________________________
Rehearsal Time ______________________________________________________________
Performance Time____________________________________________________________
Backstage Space Requirements _________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Contact Name _______________________________________________________________
Phone _____________________________ Fax_____________________________________
Food & Beverage
Menu ______________________________________________________________________
Service Setup ________________________________________________________________
Staff Requirements
Captains ____________________________________________________________________
Servers _____________________________________________________________________
Bartenders __________________________________________________________________
Permits/Licenses
Food Sanitation ______________________________________________________________
Off-Premise Beverage License__________________________________________________
Special Effect/Sound Permits___________________________________________________
Parking Permit_______________________________________________________________
Event Permit ________________________________________________________________
Occupancy Permit ___________________________________________________________
Insurance
Proof of Workmans Compensation
Proof of Liability Insurance
Proof of Liquor Liability

figure 2-2 (Continued)

Full-Service Restaurants

Parking
Guest Parking: Number of Spaces ______________________________________________
Location ________________________________________________________________
Restrictions______________________________________________________________
Valet Service Company _______________________________________________________
Phone ______________________________________________________________________
Staff & Equipment Parking: Number of Spaces____________________________________
Location ________________________________________________________________
Restrictions______________________________________________________________
Signage_____________________________________________________________________
Contracted to ________________________________________________________________
Phone _____________________________ Fax_____________________________________
Restroom Facilities
Type and Number: Male ______________________ Female _________________________
Handicapped Location ________________________________________________________
Signage_____________________________________________________________________
Emergency/Security Management
Ambulance on Site ___________________________________________________________
First Aid Location ____________________________________________________________
Security Management Contact __________________________________________________
Phone _____________________________ Fax_____________________________________
Number of Security Staff ______________________________________________________
Emergency Evacuation Plan ___________________________________________________
Fire Exit Locations ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Signage & Lighting ___________________________________________________________
Trash Removal
On Site _____________________________________________________________________
Contract Removal Contact _____________________________________________________
Phone _____________________________ Fax_____________________________________

figure 2-2 (Continued)

35

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Chapter 2

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Special Conditions__________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Weather Contingency Plans _________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

figure 2-2 (Continued)

linens, flowers, menus, and entertainment. Disposable dishes, plastic flatware, and a carrying container are the basic requirements for take-out service. Successful take-out service does, however, require planning to assure
that customers receive menu items in satisfactory condition. As with the
catering menu, the selection of take-out menu items should be drawn from
the restaurant menu in order to maximize purchasing and production efforts.

Hotel Food and Beverage Facilities

The hotel food and beverage department provides food-related guest services throughout a hotel, conference, or resort property. Outlets for food and
beverage services can include the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Full-service restaurant
Coffee shop
Catering facilities
Room service
Recreational areas
Lobby area bars
Food market or delicatessen

Food items for these combined foodservice areas are provided from a central kitchen, with the exception of large hotel facilities where satellite
kitchens provide auxiliary production and service areas. An executive chef
supervises production for all areas, consulting with the manager of each
foodservice area.
Of the seven food service areas, catering affords the possibility for the
greatest profit, in addition to providing much-needed cash flow during
periods when room sales are slow. Hotel catering services are usually classified as:

Hotel Food and Beverage Facilities

37

1. Business
2. Convention/conference
3. Social
The volume of catering service available to a hotel is based on the size and
number of facilities that can be used for private functions as well as the availability of production and service staff and related equipment.
The primary catering market for a hotel is based on three factors:
1. Location
2. Hotel facilities
3. Customer profile

Location
The location of a hotel determines the demand for in-house catering. Inhouse catering is defined as guest-related foodservice functions associated
with business meetings, conferences, conventions, and social concerns.
A hotel with a remote location focuses its catering efforts on the business
booked into the hotel. Resort locations often provide additional opportunities for catering services at sports facilities and landscape venues throughout
the property.
A hotel with a suburban or downtown location can expect to develop
a large volume of outside catering business, both business-related and social
in addition to conferences and conventions. The Chicago Hilton, for example, located in downtown Chicago, breaks down its annual catering business
into the following percentages:
65% conference/convention
35% outside social
The amount of combined catering business that can be handled at any one
time in a hotel is based primarily on the number and size of the facilities
available. The major function rooms are usually referred to as the ballroom
areas. These are complemented by a series of meeting rooms, some adjacent
to the main ballroom area and some located in other areas of the hotel.
The diagram in Figure 2-3 shows the variety of catering and meeting
room facilities available at The Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada. The
main facility is a ballroom that seats 1620 guests for banquets and 2400 for
theater style meetings. Adjacent to the ballroom is a series of connecting
function rooms. These lead to another series of rooms that begin with an
open reception foyer and lead to a second ballroom area seating 600 for dinner. An open terrace area is adjacent to these rooms, offering an outdoor
reception, dining, and entertainment area. Private meeting rooms are available in other locations throughout the hotel.

Customer Profile
The customer profile for hotel catering services is made up of both business
and social clientele. Customers who use the hotel as a location for a twoor three-day meeting consider meal functions as part of the total meeting

38

Chapter 2

Styles of Catering Operations

FIGURE 2-3 The Flamingo Hiltons floor plan.

(Courtesy of the Flamingo Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada.)

package. This arrangement not only enables customers to work within a

budget that covers the entire project, but also fits with an approach to planning catering functions that considers the success of the overall meeting
rather than each individual function. The catering manager is generally given
the responsibility of creating a menu plan for the entire program along with
theme functions and special events.
The target market for hotel catering functions is a customer who reflects
the social, business, and economic profile of the community. Hotel catering

Catering Halls

39

services attract a wide base of customers with a broad range of requests. Customers who plan business functions on a regular basis are familiar with the
catering staff and services of the hotel. Their needs are often quickly identified and provided for. Customers who plan social functions on a one-time
basis, however, need more personal guidance throughout much of the planning stage. Pricing is a primary concern of this customer group.

Off-Premise Service
Hotel food and beverage departments are often requested to handle the
arrangements for functions to be held away from the hotel property. If a
company wants to retain as much revenue as possible from business, convention, and social customers, an off-premise catering policy should be
developed.
Using the off-premise catering organizational guide in Figure 2-2, hotel
catering departments can easily develop an off-premise catering program.
Often, a hotel will have the facilities in place to offer a limited menu of takeout items. Figure 2-4 shows the take-out menu from the Baur au Lac Hotel
in Zurich, Switzerland. Items have been selected from the hotel dining room
menu to offer to the general public on a take-away basis. Hotels have the
advantage over many private catering companies of being able to use their
own equipment. In addition, kitchen and storage facilities are available to
handle large volumes of both food and beverage as well as equipment. If
the volume of on-property business requires the use of hotel equipment,
rentals can cover the additional needs, with costs being charged back to the
customer.

Catering Halls
A catering hall is a facility dedicated to private parties with an on-site production kitchen and staff. These facilities can offer a wide range of both inhouse and off-premise catering services. The major factors that influence the
market for a catering hall are:
1. Style or concept
2. Facilities
3. Customer profile
Catering halls offer customers a self-contained private function space independent of a hotel or restaurant. Many catering halls specialize in social functions such as weddings and plan the design of the landscaping and building
to accent such functions. This design is also often aimed at a particular segment of the customer market, depending on location of the hall and the density and ethnic background of the surrounding population.
Catering halls can also specialize in large functions, providing space for
groups that cannot normally be accommodated in other facilities. Such halls
are generally designed to host a wide range of social and business functions
and a variety of special event themes.

40

Chapter 2

Styles of Catering Operations

FIGURE 2-4 The Baur au Lac Hotels take-out menu.

(Courtesy of The Baur au Lac Hotel, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Independent Caterers

41

Facilities
The flexibility, and often the originality, of function spaces are important to
the success of a catering hall. Customers will travel considerable distances to
social functions held in facilities that offer a unique setting or experience.
Wedding receptions are often planned in locations over an hour away from
the site of the ceremony so that the bride and groom can have a specific setting for their reception. The Del Coronado Hotel ballroom, seen in Figure 3-2, offers not only a beautiful and historic interior but a view of the
Pacific Ocean as well. Annual social functions are constantly looking for new
or different themes to draw attendees. Catering halls can provide the setting
for special event themes ranging from futuristic to country western, offering
menu and entertainment packages to match.

Customer Profile
The customer target market for catering halls, like hotels, is based on the
social, business, and economic profile of the community. Catering halls, also
like hotels, are available in a variety of price venues, generally appealing to
customers who are looking for menu and function packages within a specific
range of prices. Identifying a customer group toward which to target marketing efforts includes surveying the competition, establishing a price range,
and determining specific geographic areas of the community in which potential customers live based on demographic information such as annual income,
family size, and age. Chapter Three suggests methods of conducting market
surveys and identifying customer profiles.

Off-Premise Catering
Catering halls have a great deal of flexibility regarding the type of business
that they can solicit. The amount of off-premise catering that can be handled
by an operation is limited only by the ability to service it. Location, transportation routes, and population density play a major role in determining this
segment of the business. The ability to transport food and equipment and
provide service and production staff are other limiting factors. Figure 2-2 outlines a checklist for organizing off-premise events.

Independent Caterers
Independent caterers are private businesses offering catering services to the
general public. These businesses operate with or without permanent facilities
of their own in which to hold functions. Those caterers who operate without a formal facility must arrange for kitchen production and storage space.
Kitchen space can be rented from schools, churches, senior citizen centers,
and other institutional facilities with commercial refrigeration and production
space. Storage space can be arranged for in self-storage warehouse rental
facilities that combine short-term leases with flexible storage space and 24hour access. Some catering companies have their own production facilities
and enough warehouse space to handle large volumes of business.

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Chairs, floor covering, tables, and the table setup necessary for large
functions are either sourced from a catering companys own warehouse or
contracted through a local rental supplier. Many independent caterers focus
on off-premise catering, maintaining only a small catering hall with limited
facilities to house their production and storage needs. Their focus is on both
business and social functions within a wide geographical area. In order to
successfully cater to as many functions as possible simultaneously, a catering company has to be extremely well organized. Although equipment needs,
staffing, and transportation are major concerns, the primary product, food, is
the most important issue.

Menu Duplication
The key to successfully providing catering services to a number of functions
simultaneously is the duplication of as many of the menu items as possible
in order to minimize kitchen production. All surrounding items, salads, and
desserts can be standardized. The main course selection should be limited to
three or four items on any given day if possible. Menu items should be chosen for their ability to be precooked for completion in another location.
Foods should have excellent holding properties and retain heat. An example
of an independent caterers menu selection for a busy Sunday is shown in
Figure 2-5.
This menu offers one appetizer, one salad and two choices of dessert.
Dessert #2 is a chocolate dessert shell filled with frozen yogurt that can be
preassembled or purchased frozen and transported to function locations
within reasonable proximity to the main function kitchen. The gateau chocolate is contracted from an outside baking source, as are the breads. Whipped
cream is served with the cake using a high-quality product from aerosol
containers.
The main course offers a choice of two meats, one poultry, and one
fish. All four of these items fulfill the requirements for preproduction and
holding properties. Two vegetables selections are offered, one appropriate
for the meat dishes and one better-suited for the poultry and fish, but acceptable for any of the main course selections. Standardization procedures such
as these minimize the problems of serving multiple parties in off-premise settings and ensure that food presentation is of the best possible quality.

Private Clubs
Private clubs offer a self-contained facility that operates both full-service dining rooms and private function space along with a variety of food and beverage outlets. Private clubs are generally dependent on their membership for
both dining room and catering business. Functioning as nonprofit organizations, clubs are, in many areas, prohibited by law from accepting or soliciting
business from nonmembers. If such is the case private clubs may, however,
cater functions that are sponsored by members and attended by nonmembers, allowing them to service both social and business activities.

Private Clubs

43

SUNDAY MARCH 9, 1999

Appetizer
Fresh Fruit Boat

Salad
Mixed Seasonal Greens

Breads
An Assortment of Fresh Baked Rolls

Main Course Items

Filet of Beef
Lamb Chops
Breast of Capon
Rolled Filet of Fish

Vegetables & Starches

1. Vichy Carrots
Roasted Red Potatoes
2. Whole Green Beans
Wild Rice Pilaf

1. Gateau Chocolate
2. Chocolate Yogurt Dessert Shell

FIGURE 2-5 Off-premise menu selection for a busy Sunday.

Factors that influence the success of restaurant and hotel catering services, such as location, facilities, and customer profile, also affect private
clubs. Off-premise catering services can also be offered to private club
members.
Private clubs may also contract out their foodservice operation to a contract foodservice operator. An example of this type of arrangement is The
Colonial Inn, Concord, Massachusetts, and the local country club. The

44

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management of The Colonial Inn turned to the local country club as a source
of both kitchen production space and private function rooms. The Inn itself,
a historic property located in the middle of a crowded town, has no available
adjacent property on which to develop additional catering facilities.
As a vehicle to increase their food and beverage revenues without
incurring capital expenditures, the catering management team had identified
a market for off-premise catering in the suburban Boston area adjacent to
Concord. Without additional kitchen production space, however, the project
could not go forward. In addition, during heavy business periods throughout
the year, the Inn could not accommodate all of the requests that they
received for private functions on property.
Through an arrangement with the local country club, management now
not only has a satellite kitchen in a nearby facility but can also lease function space from the club on an as available/as needed basis. This alliance
creates revenues and capitalizes on the needs of The Colonial Inn and the
facilities of the club. A sample of the menu from The Colonial Inn is seen in
Figure 2-6.

Location
Clubs are broken down into two general classifications: private clubs and
country clubs. Private clubs are generally situated in the downtown areas of
larger towns and cities. The club facility is used primarily as a location for
meetings, private dining, social and business functions. Country clubs require
a suburban location and usually promote a combination of golf, tennis, and/
or boating as their primary recreational facilities. Private dining and catering
facilities are located in the clubhouse.
Acceptability of location is based primarily on general location and accessibility to major transportation routes. Downtown city locations can create
problems regarding parking and security for people traveling into the city.

Facilities
Club facilities can greatly influence the volume of catering business. Clubs
offering spectacular settings, access to garden areas for outdoor functions, or
well designed interiors, such as seen in Figure 2-7, will easily attract social
business.

Off-Premise Catering
A clubs ability to accept off-premise catering function business is controlled
by the same laws and regulations as the solicitation of nonmember business.
Beyond these restrictions, the same considerations for restaurants and hotels
concerning transportation, staffing, production, and service apply. The outline in Figure 2-2 suggests the operational considerations for off-premise
catering for the majority of food and beverage operations. While the general
specifications apply to almost everyone, each business will need to create
specifications in each operational area according to its individual needs,
availability of services, and budgets.

Private Clubs

FIGURE 2-6 Sample of the Colonial Inns catering menu.

(Courtesy of The Colonial Inn, Concord, Massachusetts.)

45

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FIGURE 2-6 (Continued)

Contract Feeding

47

FIGURE 2-7 Club facilities.

(Courtesy of The Chicago Club, Chicago, Illinois.)

Contract Feeding
Contract feeding companies provide institutions such as hospitals and
schools, as well as businesses, with in-house meal programs designed to
meet specific needs. Food production and service is contracted for long-term
periods with designated budget restrictions.
The contract feeding segment of the foodservice industry has been
steadily growing since the late 1980s. Major corporations such as Marriott
International created large contract feeding companies to service a wide
range of customers. In the late 1990s a separate company, Host Marriott, was
created and now operates independently of Marriott International, serving
institutional customers internationally.
As food costs have increased and available labor decreased, institutions
and businesses have turned to outside contractors to operate their foodservice programs. In most cases, these programs function as a service to
either patients, clients, or employees; they are subsidized benefits, not profit
making operations. By using a professional contract foodservice operator to
handle this area of operations, businesses find that the quality of service
increases significantly along with client and employee satisfaction.
The major factors that can influence the success of catering services
within a contract feeding location are:
1. Facilities
2. Customer profile

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Chapter 2

Styles of Catering Operations

Facilities
Contract feeding can be offered in a wide variety of dining room and catering facilities. The type and number of facilities that can be used for function
spaces within a business or institutional setting will help to determine the
volume of in-house catering. Catering functions in these settings are usually
business related, but open area spaces can be used by private groups for
social functions.

Customer Profile
Identifying the customer profile for large and diverse groups of people in a
business situation is initially done by job classification level. Private dining
room service and business meeting menu selections should be based on the
expectations associated with the job levels of the people who attend these
functions.
The types of food products that will be popular in a cafeteria area
depend on the profile of the employee population group. The proximity of
the business to an urban center and the general education level of the customer group, along with local and regional food preferences and subsidy
budgets, determine the range of food products offered.

Off-Premise Catering
Contract feeding companies working for a business or institution are often
called upon to produce foodservice functions in off-premise locations. The
organizational principles outlined in Figure 2-2 apply as equally to contract
feeding operations as to restaurants and catering companies.

Charcuteries and Delicatessens

Charcuteries are food stores that offer take-out foodservice along with
gourmet food products. Many of these products are used as ingredients in
the preparation of the food line. In some cases a small seating area will be
offered for eat-in customers. The trend for home-replacement food is significant to this type of operation. When customers want something beyond fast
food for a take-home meal, they turn to establishments that can provide meals
that they would like to have prepared for themselves. Home-replacement
food is being provided in a number of types of foodservice facilities, including upscale supermarkets.
This type of foodservice operation usually specializes in a regional or
national cuisine. Menu items range from salads and sandwiches to fully prepared meals. The success of a charcuterie depends on two major factors:
location and customer profile.

Location
Charcuteries should be located where the customer profile supports the level
of cuisine offered. Pricing for this type of foodservice operation is generally

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higher than that of delicatessens and supermarket preprepared and packaged

food items; hence it requires a customer base willing to pay for gourmet food
products. Smaller independent caterers often operate out of this type of retail
outlet, using the facility for both production and storage in addition to a
means of advertising and promotion. Delicatessens are food stores that provide a variety of food products and offer both eat-in and take-out food service. The location should be reasonably close to the targeted customer base.
Menu item offerings range from sandwiches, salads, and pizza to preprepared meals-to-go. Take-out foodservice of preprepared foods is a major
business segment for this type of foodservice operation.

Customer Profile
The profile of customers for a charcuterie/delicatessen operation is drawn
largely from the demographics of the population in the immediate area of the
business. Primary customers can be identified as either employees of adjacent businesses or local area residents. A customer profile is determined for
each of the two primary customer groups. For example, the twice a week
business customer, with an average check of five to six dollars, could be in
the mid-20s to 40s age group and low to middle income bracket. The local
resident profile, with an average check of twelve dollars or more two times
a week, may be in the mid-30s to 50s age group, middle to upper income
bracket. Further investigation may show that the business employee is a
morning coffee and lunch customer while the local resident is an evening
customer for home-replacement meals.

Off-Premise Catering
Delivery of in-office and at-home preprepared food items can be a profitable
extension of a delicatessens business. From packaged lunches to party trays
and platters, delicatessens often provide off-premise food items on a daily
basis to a wide range of customers. The off-premise menu for Einstein Bagels
is shown in Figure 2-8. This menu capitalizes on the restaurants bagel bakery while also promoting salads, sandwiches, and desserts. Seating for these
restaurants is generally limited due to their location in high rent districts. Marketing take-out and delivery services creates revenues without significantly
increasing costs.

Summary
The opportunities for foodservice operations to offer catering services are
many and varied. Catering management in the 2000s will continue to expand
in both volume and diversity as the demand for ready-to-serve preprepared
foods increases.
The ability of a foodservice operation to successfully offer catering services will be affected by a variety of factors. Location, customer profile, facilities, and menu offerings, along with style or concept, are some of the factors
that must be considered before deciding which catering services to offer.

FIGURE 2-8 Off-premise menu for Einstein Bagels.

(Courtesy of The Einstein Bagel Corp.)

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51

Off-premise catering can be very successful for independent caterers

and problematic for full-service restaurants. Equipment and resources are the
factors that will often determine how well an operation can conduct offpremise catering.
The availability of catering services is limited only by the ability of
foodservice operations to provide them. Whether in the executive dining
room of a large corporation or at a garden wedding, it is possible for foodservice operators from five star hotels to delicatessens to provide quality food
and service.