Entering the end of the year is a time of celebration. Something that goes hand in hand is organizing a party to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year. Even though this year it is expected that organizing various celebrations may not seem as lively as every year due to the epidemic situation and the economy, but it is certain that in any case, parties at various agencies and organizations will still exist. This is another opportunity for restaurants to make more money during the festival.
What kind of restaurant is a golden opportunity for catering?
The catering market is another market that is believed to have fierce competition towards the end of the year and beyond because it is not just restaurants competing with each other. There are also groups of hotels and groups that do catering as a profession that have to compete. But if looking at it from the restaurant's perspective, they will have an advantage because the main business of the restaurant is the front-of-house service. As for catering, it is an additional service, but it is considered an additional service that can generate a large sum of money. Therefore, if any restaurant is ready, it should not miss out on attracting the catering customer group.
Which type of restaurant is suitable for catering? Actually, all types of restaurants can cater for catering, depending on the package design and format. However, the most important thing to consider is the readiness of the venue, which is one of the first things that customers will consider when choosing. Restaurants with a venue ready to provide catering services will have more advantages, such as having a large area, a reception room, a karaoke room, and a good atmosphere, which will make it easier to sell themselves. However, this does not mean that small restaurants will miss this opportunity. Small restaurants can offer a small group catering format that emphasizes privacy. Readiness in terms of service because catering requires more manpower than regular services . If the restaurant is not well-prepared, it will affect other customers of the restaurant, and that may cause the restaurant to be flooded with complaints until it collapses.
Which market segments should you approach?
The main market for catering during the end of the year and into the beginning of the year is still the corporate and company market. Therefore, if you want to capture this market group, you have to quickly do aggressive marketing to present yourself to attract attention. It is necessary to create awareness for the target customers to know what types of catering services our shop provides, such as making a public relations sign in front of the shop, through the shop's various online channels, and preparing food packages with prices and items on the menu.
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Another interesting option is to bring our restaurant to join a catering service platform such as “hungryhub”, which is a restaurant booking platform with a group booking section for catering events. The advantage of joining this type of platform is that the platform has expertise in marketing in this area in particular. It has a management system for customers who come to book banquet tables. It already has a customer base and a team to provide advice on arranging menu packages at various prices. It’s like having someone to help find customers and manage customers for you.
Catering business type
When it comes to catering services, many people may think only of Chinese tables. However, there are many types of catering services to choose from. Each type has different arrangement styles and menus, such as:
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Chinese table service format is preparing food as a set menu, serving food gradually according to the table. Suitable for large groups of customers, such as weddings, ordinations.
Example price for a Chinese table set: 2,500 baht, minimum order of 10 tables, from New Phochana restaurant.
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Cocktails: The service format is similar to buffets. Food is prepared and placed at designated points for attendees to serve themselves. However, the types of food do not focus on main dishes, but rather on light food and snacks. Suitable for parties that require a relaxed atmosphere and do not focus on eating, but rather on the activities of the event.
Examples of set prices and food items at D Catering. You can click here for more details.
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Food stalls : This type of service is a type of catering that is set up at various events. Within the event, there may be many food stalls for attendees to choose from. This is becoming a more popular type these days. It is suitable for events that emphasize entertainment, such as music festivals, birthday parties, or housewarming parties. It depends on how we present the ideas to the customers.
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Buffet service format is food preparation at designated points for attendees to serve themselves. Suitable for groups of customers for corporate parties and seminars.
Example of buffet food menu with package prices from New Phochana restaurant
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Coffee break and snacks. The service format is a set menu of snacks and drinks. It is popular for meetings and seminars.
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Snack Box is a service format similar to coffee break and snacks. The difference is that Snack Box snacks and drinks are put in a box. Suitable for events that do not take long and require convenience and speed, such as press conferences, seminars, and various ceremonies such as merit-making ceremonies, funerals, etc.
Snack Box sample from S&P
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Boxed food is a service format that involves cooking food to order and putting it in a box. You can set a menu for customers to choose from. It is suitable for seminars, activities that require convenience and budget savings.
Example of boxed lunch prices from New Phochana restaurant Download the menu, click
You can see that the catering business market is not ordinary. There are many customer groups to choose from to market to. It depends on whether the entrepreneur sees an opportunity or not.
Catering formats that may need to focus on flexible options according to the customer's budget
But if the restaurant focuses on self-management, in a situation where the budget for catering of each organization and agency this year is expected to decrease, designing price packages and menus that are flexible according to the customer's budget will be a major factor in the customer's decision, including creating other options such as off-site catering services, accepting catering booths at various locations, or even bringing our restaurant's cooking skills and strengths to provide services at home in the Chef's Table style, which is another idea that increases the opportunity to make money in an extraordinary way.
Example price of buffet catering package for party at Novotel Silom Hotel
The Gathering: 899 baht net per person (minimum 40 guests)
Enjoy a delicious international buffet, snacks, unlimited soft drinks and mocktails for 4 hours.
The Ultimate: 1,150 baht net per person (minimum 40 guests)
Enjoy a delicious international buffet, snacks, soft drinks and 20 liters of draft beer for 4 hours. We also have a photo booth for everyone to join in the fun during the party.
The Big Blast: 1,399 baht net per person (minimum 40 guests)
Enjoy a seafood buffet, snacks, soft drinks and 20-liter draft beer for 4 hours. Special! We'll also provide a photo booth for attendees to pose and post cool photos on social media.
Credit source: Novotell
Precautions that could ruin your entire store
But no matter which format you choose to capture the catering market, the most important thing to consider is the readiness of all parts of the restaurant, especially the readiness of the service because catering requires more manpower than normal service. If the restaurant is not ready to manage well enough, it will affect other customers of the restaurant. And that may cause the restaurant to be bombarded with complaints until it collapses.
The catering market is still a market that can grow a lot, and it is not limited to important festivals because restaurants can sell catering services all year round in many formats such as seminars, weddings, birthdays, graduation ceremonies. The advantage of this business is that if customers are impressed at first, it is very difficult to switch to another service provider.
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