Out of Catering Advertising Ideas? Time to Try These 4 Fresh Ideas

by

Apple Tree Picnic Area is your answer for any family gathering, it is also considered to be a quiet Sydney picnic spots. When it comes to catering advertising, it’s easy to fall into a marketing rut. After all, your business is centered around food and the best way to promote food is to post pictures on social media, right? Sure, that’s true to an extent but there are so many other things to try when it comes to your marketing efforts.

Here are four ways to improve your catering advertising and build upon marketing initiatives you already have in place.

1. B2B (Business to Business)

If you’re in the catering business in the age of social media, you’re likely already on Facebook and Instagram. Both platforms are great for catering advertising, especially when you’re wanting to connect and engage with new clients (especially when you know how to put those hashtags to use!), but what about reaching other businesses?

LinkedIn is a great way for business owners like yourself to connect and engage with potential corporate clients. These clients may be looking for someone to cater their upcoming luncheon, office event, or annual meeting. The holidays are right around the corner, so now would be the perfect time to start making those connections.

2. Cross-Promotion

Who said catering advertising via social media had to be done solo? There are so many opportunities for cross-promotion with those related to your business but aren’t your direct competitors.

For example: who do you get your organic produce from? That company could promote you simply by posting a photo of the dishes you make using their produce, while you post photos of the produce before you transform it into a dish. Where do you get that rich cream to make the alfredo sauce for your pasta From? Do you use a special wine that comes from a local winery when creating a certain dish? Think about who you already know and use that connection to promote both businesses at the same time.

3. Expand 

If your catering advertising has been centered around social events, you’ve probably noticed how much competition you have and how difficult it can be close on new leads. If your catering business hasn’t branched out to different verticals, now might be the time to try.

Why not look into catering association meetings or events or what about corporate business? If there’s an event or conference happening in town, there will surely be a need for a caterer. Or, new venues in town may be on the hunt for a preferred caterer. In finding ways to expand your business, you’ll also unlock new places to advertise your catering business. Look for ways to network (see #1!) and uncover those hidden opportunities.

4. Food Expos

Food expos are the place to be for those of us in the food industry. Not only will you give your catering advertising an opportunity to reach a bigger audience, you’ll get to meet other like-minded caterers and showcase the fantastic dishes your catering company offers. On top of that, you’ll get a chance to stay current on industry trends. As an added bonus, you’ll also get a chance to meet people from wineries, breweries, coffee brands, cheese companies and more, and each of these connections can greatly benefit your catering business down the road.

How to Start a Food Truck

by

This article is part of our Food Cart Business Startup Guide—a curated list of articles to help you plan, start, and grow your food cart business!

Wondering how to start a food truck business?

Chilternscatering.com.au offers an extensive range of finger food and canapes to suit all your catering needs. We can’t blame you—the food truck craze is sweeping the nation. From thriving cities to small downtown areas, food on wheels is a growing trend. It’s not just drawing a new crowd of eat-on-the-street customers, it’s bringing in big bucks too. The food truck business pulls in an estimated $804 million in revenue every year, according to an industry report from IBIS World.

If this knowledge has your entrepreneurial spirit in high gear and you’re interested in learning how to start a food truck, we’ve got the tips and tricks to help you start selling must-eats from the streets. We asked two food truck owners to offer some insider secrets to get your business up and running, who can tell you what starting a food truck is all about. See Also: 39 Things to Ask Yourself Before Starting a Restaurant

Starting a food truck: Learn from the experts

Leigh Ann Tona rolls through the Delaware streets in her “I Don’t Give a Fork” truck, which as the name implies, specializes in food that does not require utensils. Her menu consists mainly of sandwiches.

Anthony Fellows takes the Southern Florida streets by storm in his “HipPops” truck, which is a micro creamery on wheels that offers homemade gelato bars.

With their help, we’ll explore whether or not starting a food truck business is right for you. We’ll go over the licensing and health inspection requirements, offer tips for success, and a list of resources to get you started.

Is a starting a food truck business right for you?

Before your create a menu and design your truck, consider whether starting a food truck business really is the right fit for you. Ask yourself these four questions:

How well do I know the business?

Before taking the food truck plunge, there’s a lot of research to be done, Anthony says. He spent hours online reading guides and articles about successful businesses. He also toured “food truck cities” to watch traffic flow and speak with owners.

Figure out how many other food trucks specialize in the kind of food you plan on offering. If there are already three sandwich trucks that frequent the business district, is there room for yours too? Try to soak up as much information as you can before making a decision.

Like any other business, you’ll need to create a business plan, find startup funds, and handle all of the administrative tasks that come with owning a business.

How will I find the right vehicle?

Both Anthony and Leigh Ann say that finding the right truck for your business is crucial. You’re not going to head out to your local dealership and buy a brand new 2014 food truck fresh off the showroom floor. Most food trucks are custom made. Leigh Ann’s truck, for example, was an old Entenmann’s delivery truck. It was gutted and fitted to meet her needs.

This process will take time and money, Anthony says. Plus, you want to find the right partner to build your truck because prices and workmanship can vary. Go in with a plan. To give you a few layout options, here are a few links:

  • Food truck schematics with pictures
  • Food truck floor plans
  • Interior food truck video

Can I handle the schedule?

Your workday starts long before you pull into your lunchtime parking spot. You’ll need to buy food and prep it before you start putting everything together for your customers. While the weekday lunch crowd could be your main source of income, there are a lot of weekend events that could bring in some money too. Are you prepared to put in these hours?

Am I prepared to make money a few bucks at a time?

Anthony says his return on investment is based on nickels and dimes. In other words, if you’re selling a five dollar sandwich, your income will come in slowly. You’ll want to sit down and do the math. Figure out food costs, truck maintenance, and marketing expenses and see just how many items you need to sell to make the business profitable.

The technical side of starting a food truck

Creating a menu is the fun part, but there are plenty of not-so-glamorous aspects of the food truck business that you’ll need to tend to, like getting permits and setting up inspections.

Prepare for health inspections

Food trucks come with their own set of health inspection codes. These codes will vary depending on your business and its location, so you’ll want to check with your local department of health to get a complete list of rules.

While the codes can vary, here’s a look at an inspection checklist from Alameda County Department of Health in California to give you an idea of what an inspection consists of:

Equipment check:

  • Are refrigeration units, steam table, and warming oven turned on and working properly?
  • Is there hot and cold water inside the truck and is there adequate water pressure?
  • Is there soap and paper towels available?
  • Is there a working fire extinguisher on board?
  • Is there a first aid kit on board?
  • Does the truck have the correct signage?

Documentation requirements:

  • Approved application documents from local government
  • Food safety training certificate
  • Current DMV registration
  • Valid drivers license
  • Seller’s permit

Other possible requirements:

  • You may also need to provide a business plan, menu, standard operating procedures, sampling plan, example of labels, and proof of current liability insurance.

Scheduled and random inspections:

  • When you’re first starting a food truck business, you’ll have a scheduled inspection to make sure everything is up to code before you start feeding the lunch crowd. After that, most health departments require an annual inspection. In addition, you should expect random inspections from time to time.

Birthday Party Favors – Personalized Shot Glasses

by

Birthday function rooms Melbourne offer a number of customisable menus to suit you and your guests’ individual tastes, and can easily accommodate special dietary requirements. If you want your birthday party to be an occasion to remember, you should consider using personalized shot glasses as your birthday party favors. Personalized shot glasses are quite a very wonderful idea for a birthday party favor and they can be engraved with the name of the person having the birthday and the dates of the birthday or even just a number that is symbolically the age of the person celebrating the birthday. Guests are always very appreciative of any party favor and personalized shot glasses would certainly be a welcome gift.

A personalized shooter glass is a wonderful keepsake for guests at the birthday event and will serve to remind them of the wonderful occasion where they had fun. While it is never easy to choose the right birthday party favor, many birthday party favors are available in the market and also reasonably priced and also quite suitable for such occasions. Personalized shot glasses are one such item. Buying the glasses in bulk will ensure that there is a reduced cost in the budget.

In keeping with how most birthday party favors are done, the shot glasses can be themed along the same lines with the party including the colors that are used for the party. It would be good to match everything up and personalize the event along one running theme. If you are going to serve alcohol at the party, personalized shot glasses can be used to make it even much more fun. The glasses can then be served so that they are ready to be used at the occasion. You can also include a special message for the event particularly a message of appreciation that is directed to your special guests at the event.

While party favors make special occasions such as birthdays even more exciting, it is important to make choices that will ensure that you get your personalized shooter glasses for the birthday party favors correctly. Your guiding factor should first be the theme of the party and everything must be in fusion with that theme. Another important factor is the character of the party. There must be a semblance of the occasion on the personalized shot glasses. When you are selecting your party favors, you must ensure that your focus remains on the reflection of the party.

The reason why personalized shooter glasses are the perfect idea for birthday party favors is because they are items that can be used both during the event and also after the event. Personalized shot glasses are practical and can be used not only as mementos but also as functional gifts that your guests would love to use even later. Shot glasses are always a big hit at birthday parties but they can also look wonderful on your cabinet after the event. They are an item that your guests will gladly want to take home with them and will be glad to remember the special birthday event with.

It is not difficult to place an order for personalized shot glasses especially if you make your order online. There are many vendors who sell the shooter glasses and will be willing to personalize them for you. The advantage of shopping online is that the glasses are much cheaper compared to other outlets and there is a very wide selection from which you can choose from.

There are some occasions in life that you want to make memories of last forever, birthdays being one of them. Discount Mugs offers a variety of Personalized Birthday Party Favors to make these occasions memorable ones. With a variety of pens, sports bottles, glassware, Tote Bags and more, you can find a favor to fit any theme or party style. Shop DiscountMugs.com to custom design your birthday party favors today.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Amin_Ramjee/328063

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6671434