Welcome to CateringPedia™ -- The Catering Encyclopedia

Our Mission:
To create the most complete and definitive source of information about the past and present of Catering.

Our Goal:
To be your source for Catering related information. We will supply our visitors with up to date news, stories, and information in the Catering News Links section.

Catering News Links:
Troy-based caterer Forte Belanger enjoys 'controlled growth'
3 Jul 2008 at 6:04am
John Forte and Nick Forte of Forte Belanger Catering. Despite the economic slump, an area caterer...
Are you going semi-vegetarian?
3 Jul 2008 at 4:21am
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Smoking Popes back with new album, 'Stay Down'
3 Jul 2008 at 3:20am
The Smoking Popes are touring on the East Coast this holiday weekend, but there is great news for...

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Carerer/Catering:
Catering is the business of providing food service at a remote site.

Mobile catering is the business of selling prepared food from some sort of vehicle. It is a feature of urban culture in many countries.

Types of Vehicles:
1. Street Cart - A food cart is a motorless trailer that can be hauled (by automobile, bicycle, or hand) to the point of sale, often a public sidewalk or park. Carts typically have an onboard heating or refrigeration system to keep the food ready for consumption. Foods and beverages often served from carts include
a. Hot dogs and other sausages in the United States - Halal food such as lamb or chicken over rice, or in a gyro Ice cream and other frozen treats.
b. Coffee, bagels, donuts, Egg sandwichs (ie. bacon, egg, and cheese) and other breakfast items
2. Food Truck - A catering truck enables a vendor to sell a larger volume than a cart and to reach a larger market. The service is similar; the truck carries a stock of prepared foods that customers can buy. Ice cream vans are a familiar example of a catering truck in the United States and United Kingdom.
3. Mobile Kitchen - A mobile kitchen is a modified van with a built-in grill, deep fryer, or other cooking equipment. It offers more flexibility in the menu since the vendor can prepare food to order as well as fresh foods in advance. A vendor can choose to park the van in one place, as with a cart, or to broaden the business's reach by driving the van to several customer locations. Examples of mobile kitchens include taco trucks on the west coast of the United States, especially Southern California, and fish and chips vans in the United Kingdom.
4. Concession Trailer - A concession trailer has preparation equipment like a mobile kitchen, but it cannot move on its own. As such it is suited for events lasting several days, such as funfairs.
5. Non-Commercial Uses - In addition to being operated as private businesses, mobile catering vehicles are also used after natural disasters to feed people in areas with damaged infrastructure. The Salvation Army has several mobile kitchens that it uses for this purpose.

Event Catering:
Event ranges from box-lunch drop-off to full-service catering. Caterers and their staff are part of the food service industry. When most people refer to a "caterer", they are referring to an event caterer who serves food with waiting staff at dining tables or sets up a self-serve buffet. The food may be prepared on site, i.e., made completely at the event, or the caterer may choose to bring prepared food and put the finishing touches on once it arrives. The event caterer staff are not responsible for preparing the food but often help set up the dining area. This service is typically provided at banquets, conventions, and weddings. Any event where all who attend are provided with food and drinks or sometimes only hors d'oeuvres is often called a catered event.

Many events require working with an entire theme or color scheme. A catering company or specialist is expected to know how to prepare food and to make it attractive. As such, certain catering companies have moved toward a full-service business model commonly associated with event planners. They take charge of not only food preparation but also decorations, such as table settings and lighting. The trend is towards satisfying all the clients senses with food as a focal point. With the correct atmosphere, professional event caterers with experience can make an event special and memorable. Beautifully prepared food alone can appeal to the senses of taste, smell, and sight - perhaps even touch, but the decorations and ambiance can play a significant part in a successfully catered event.

Catering is often sold on a per-person basis, meaning that there is a flat price for each additional person. However, things like lighting and fire permits are not scaled with the guest count, so per-person pricing is not always appropriate. It is necessary to keep the cost of the food and supplies below a price margin in order to make a profit on the catering. As many others in the food service industry, caterers and their staff work long hours. It is not uncommon for them to work on holidays or 7 days a week during holiday event seasons.

A comprehensive, formal full-service catering proposal is likely to include the following elements:
1. Timeline matters: rental arrival time, staff arrival time, bar open time, meal serve time, bar close time, rental pickup, out-of-venue time. Each of these factors affects the catering price. For example, a rental quote for an "anytime" weekday delivery is usually much more economical than an "exact-time" delivery.
2. General menu considerations: Cients may have specific dietary or religious needs to consider. these include Halal, Kosher, Vegetarian, Vegan and food allergy requests. Increasingly clients are interested in food sustainability and food safety.
3. Hors d'Oeuvres: it should be clear if these are passed or stationary. Most caterers agree that three or four passed items are appropriate for the one-hour period prior to a meal.
4. Rentals: May include tables, chairs, dance floor, plants, tabletop (china, flatware, glassware, linens, chargers), bar glassware, serving equipment, salt/peppers, etc. It should be clear whether table and chair setup and takedown is included. Most rental companies to not automatically include setup and takedown in the rental charges.
5. Labor: Verbiage varies from caterer to caterer, but generally speaking, an event will have a Lead/Captain/Event Manager, a Chef, perhaps a Sous Chef or Kitchen Assistant, Waitstaff and Bartenders. The labor on a plated dinner is generally much higher than the labor on a buffet, because a plated dinner involves double the china, and usually a minimum of three served courses, plus served coffee. Simply put, there's a lot more to do. To do it properly requires roughly 10 to 20% more staff. On a large event, this can be substantial, especially if overtime or doubletime applies.
6. Service Charge - Sales Tax - Some quotes will include lighting, fire permits, draping, florals, valet and coat check.

Many venues discreetly get a "cut" of the catering bill. Caterers are contractually committed to not disclose this fee specifically in their contracts with the clients. Therefore, catering will sometimes cost substantially more at one venue versus another.

Also, caterers must compete with illegal operators. A legitimate caterer will have a business license and a health permit both showing the address of the place from which they do business.

Airline Catering:
An airline meal or In-flight meal is a meal served to passengers onboard a commercial airliner. These meals are prepared specifically for this purpose by special airline catering services. The first kitchens for serving meals in flight were established by United Airlines in 1936.

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