Is Private Home Catering Easy for chefs? the answer is, NO.
Private home catering is becoming more popular nowadays. Especially in this situation, some people still don’t wanna go out to eat in restaurant. However they are already tired of cooking 3 meals every single day.
So sometimes it’s good to spend some money for special occasion, even if it’s not special, still good that somebody plans for your meal, cook and clean. All you have to do is to choose your meal and pay.
But how about chefs? Cooking just for a couple of people. It’s like cooking meal for family. Is it easy to do?
Of course not.
Private home catering is not so easy
Here, what I am talking is home catering for small group like 4~8 people not hotel banquet size.
Recently I had an opportunity to go home catering. The host invited friends to his newly renovated beautiful house for his birthday. (The hosts and guests all had negative Covid-19 test results)
His request was Japanese kaiseki style course menu include sushi and sashimi. He requested particular dish like fresh scallops with caviar or langoustines etc.
I was helping as a sushi chef. It was a very good experience. involving from menu planning to the end of cleaning.
As I am working full time, I didn’t have a much time to think what should be on the menu. ( yeah I know that’s excuse!) eventually it was all last minutes and wasn’t really happy what I have done. However the clients were all very happy…
Yes, this is the difficult moment that even though I wasn’t satisfied what I have done, customers are happy… but I still doubt their happiness…( because I’m not happy what I have done…)
It’s not so easy especially you have customer having meal just next to you, not like cooking in kitchen making dishes for random people who come to dine restaurant not for particular chef.
What's privete home catering?
Basically, you go somebody’s house and cook something for them. (Wow, sounds so easy)
Sometimes you can use their kitchen equipment like frying pan or pot and plates. but I think normally you should be ready for everything because that gives customer unusual experience without leaving their house, isn’t it.
Why not easy doing home catering?
There are different types of catering service like;
- Mobile/delivery catering(food truck, food court or delivery service)
- Hotel/restaurant caterer(much bigger scale)
- Private full-service catering(a house event to wedding party etc)
And I would like to focus on Private full-service catering.
1, You need a proper knowledge and experience
Firstly, It’s not like you are a chef so you can do whatever. you need to understand what you are doing especially during service. also sometimes you have to explain client’s questions like where the ingredients coming from etc.
Secondly, if you are doing Kaiseki course, for instance, you have to be ready different plates and cutleries for all the courses. it has to be well planned, organised and think ahead what to do next in client’s small kitchen. otherwise your food will delay and customer need to wait for your food.
Finally, working in somebody’s kitchen is very challenging. If you can pre-check the kitchen is OK but I think you can’t normally do that in advance. Just on consultation. So you have to imagine how you work.
Is it gas hob or IH panel? is my frying pan IH compatible?
Do they have an oven?
Can we use their pot?
Where we can keep fresh ingredients? Do we need some icepacks?
Do we have a space to put on boxes?
Can I change my uniform?
and so on….
You need to solve all those questions before you go. And even if you sort out, there is always another problem waiting for you.
You need to be very flexible, to make quick decision, need to have skills to cover all the matters.
2. Are you good at numbers?
This is not just catering. When you work in restaurant as well, you should know cost control.
Even if you are working alone, You still have to calculate your food cost.
If your clients don’t matter the expensive ingredients and can charge them unlimited, congratulations. But normally there is no such dream. It should be low budget yet high quality. That depends on how you perform.
3. You need a kitchen obviously.
You need a kitchen. Yes.
If you are doing for only a small sized private home catering, I think it might be able to use your home kitchen to prepare food.
I found an article of How to start a home catering business in UK
I think normally you have your own proper kitchen (I meant, restaurant sized) or you belong to a catering company and they help you do preparations.
So, you do preparation in the kitchen and need to carry all the stuffs to the place where you work at.
You have to be careful moving foods and plates, you can’t forget anything so you have to be very very organize and make a list.
What's the benefit of private home catering?
Private home catering is not easy but I think there are lots of benefit, too.
Benefit 1, Direct response from customers
Benefit 2, You can always learn something
Benefit 3, have a direct client
Benefit 1, Direct response from customers
When you were working in restaurant, dining floor and kitchen are normally separated, unless you are working at a counter.
Even if you work in a counter, sometimes you are too busy for other orders and not really have a time to have a decent conversation with your customer just in front of you.
However, if you are doing home catering, whether you like it or not, you have to face on your client and have to talk. Also you can get your food’s feedback directly from your client. That’s quite amazing I think.
Basically, it’s closer to customers than serving at restaurant. Because the are all YOUR customers. not one of them.
Benefit 2, You can always learn something
Don’t get me wrong. You can learn many things from normal kitchen. working with colleagues are always competitive and encourage each other. It is very important too.
What I mean here is, if you went to private home catering, there is always new kitchen, new clients.(unless you go to the same place every time)
It might be only an old electric hobs (oh my God I hate those)…, a kitchen might be a mess already…, your client would be very rude…., maybe the house smells stink… etc etc…
It’s always a new, challenging experience. and you have to deal all by yourself mostly because you are the boss!
But that’s all gonna be your experience.
In Japan, we say 「場数を踏む」(Ba kazu wo Fumu)
Meaning, to have a lot of experience.
And you would become a veteran.
Benefit 3, you will get direct client
I think it is quite difficult to make direct client if you just work in a restaurant, serving food everyday from your kitchen without seeing the ones. Because they come for the restaurant not specially for you. (yeah maybe if you are famous chef in the restaurant)
However the private home catering, if customer satisfied your food, they would appoint you next time again. And if you are lucky, that customer would introduce you to their friends then you would have another client directly from your client…
Isn’t this amazing?
But it depends how you perform. You would have to work hard and show them your creativity all the time.
Conclusion..
Today, lots of restaurants are doing catering service. Demands are more and more increasing because of the pandemic. I think people want more cozy and safer way to have a fun with their friends and families.
If you work in a restaurant and the restaurant has a catering service, I think you should try putting yourself in it. First you can try it with restaurant back-up, then when you get used to it, you can try private home catering by yourself.
In my opinion, if you are a chef, everybody should have this experience.
It’s not easy. It’s difficult. You need to be experienced and flexible. However this experience would change your mind and broaden your horizons.