Catering Course

Home based catering course contents syllabus

Catering Course Syllabus

1. Welcome

  • How the course is structured
  • How to do the course

2. Setting up your business

  • The tools your'll need
  • The office at home
  • Your company name
  • Getting prepared

3. Services

  • Party catering - kids
  • Parties - adults
  • Boardroom lunches
  • Sandwich delivery
  • Weddings
  • Funerals
  • Accessory services
  • Conference catering
  • Other opportunities: TV and radio

4. Products

  • Jams
  • Chutneys
  • Sandwiches - retail
  • Baked products (bread, cakes etc)
  • Sweets or chocolates
  • Drinks, wine
  • Food for photo shoots
  • Meals for the freezer

5. Operations

  • Tools
  • Baking
  • Frying
  • Refrigeration and storage
  • Sourcing your raw materials
  • Administration. The PC. Software for caterers.
  • Waste management. Waste disposal. Regulations.

6. Event planning and organisation

  • The brief
  • Costings
  • Preparation
  • On the day
  • Transport
  • Alcohol
  • Linen. Tables. Cutlery. Hire.

7. Marketing

  • Market research
  • Observation. Desk, internet, library research. Competitors' literature.
  • Postal surveys
  • Street surveys
  • Telephone surveys
  • Focus group
  • Test marketing. The Hall Test.
  • Positioning
  • Branding
  • Promotion
  • Direct mail
  • Advertising
  • PR
  • Website
  • Selling
  • To whom?
  • You, or someone else?
  • If someone else, remuneration
  • Marketing and selling a service
  • Finding clients
  • Advertising
  • Meeting the prospect.
  • Understanding their needs
  • Writing a proposal
  • Follow-up calls
  • Marketing a product
  • Branding
  • Labelling
  • Packaging
  • Finding customers (retailers etc)
  • Advertising
  • Direct sales (mail order/internet). Advantages and pitfalls.

8. Product distribution

  • Own vehicle
  • Carrier

9. People

  • Hiring, training and managing staff
  • Production (cooks, assistants)
  • Drivers
  • Marketing (PR. Retainer?)
  • Ad agency
  • Design consultancy
  • Contracts
  • Book keeper, accountant
  • Employment legislation
  • Insurance. Liability insurance

10. Finance

  • Costing: direct costs, overheads
  • Revenue forecasting
  • Pricing
  • Profit
  • Tax: personal, corporation, VAT
  • Book keeping
  • Accountant
  • Product costs
  • Direct costs: Ingredients. Retailer margin. Packaging. Delivery.
  • Overheads (marketing, heating, lighting, cooking, staffing.
  • Product revenue: invoice retailers or direct customers in advance. Settingup accounts. Credit management.
  • Service costs
  • Direct costs: Ingredients, hire of staff, equipment hire.
  • Overheads:
  • Service revenue
  • Profit: Cost plus %.
  • Setting up a bank account
  • Borrowing money (own money, family, bank, capital venture). Bank may require business plan, and 50% own capital.

11. Legal

  • Company type: Sole trader, limited company, or partnership.
  • Kitchen - complying with health and safety regulations.
  • Contracts - staff and customers

Handbooks

  • Catering Manual
  • Workbook

As you can see, it's a comprehensive course. It covers everything you need to know.

And it'll be an invaluable reference work after you complete the course.