Catering

Catering

Catering brings your food into some of our most memorable moments: weddings, baby showers, celebrations of life, birthdays, and anniversaries. Catering can elevate a professional event that will brighten everyone's experience and possibly expand your network of new and returning clients. When you deliver the goods, you can grow into a creative thriving business that brings great jobs to talented people dedicated to great food and service.

Catering businesses come with unique considerations. Before we go into greater detail, make sure to download Boston's OPENING GUIDE FOR FOOD SERVICE ESTABLISHMENTS.

Important steps to keep in mind (with resources!)

• Food preparation and service licenses. 
• Permitted and licensed kitchen: when starting out you might look into renting commercial kitchen space before purchasing or building out your own. A great place to start is CommonWealth Kitchen.
• Vehicles to deliver food and a secure location to store them when not in use.
• Staff to prepare food, deliver, set up, serve and clean up at events. Or, it might be you in the beginning! 
• Alcoholic Beverage License: If you are planning to serve alcoholic beverages as part of your catering service, you will need to apply for an alcoholic beverage license. You can also read the law that governs this requirement. 
• Defining What Kind of Catering You Will Do: Find your niche and define what sets your catering business apart from others. This may be determined by the food you serve--farm to table, culturally specific cuisine, Food is Medicine dietary needs (check out Community Servings to learn more)--and what types of service you provide (cocktail receptions, buffet style catering) and the types of events you cater (weddings, corporate).
• Service: You’ll need to find the necessary items to ensure a professional service experience. This includes having professional cookware, linens, tableware, flatware, and tables and chairs. Staff uniforms may also be needed. Some of these items can be rented.