By Sara Perez Webber No matter the size, the kitchen is the heart of every catering business and restaurant. Each has its own personality and flow. To get a sense of how various caterers make their spaces work, we asked a handful across the country: What do you love most about your kitchen? Hill’s Kitchen hills-kitchen.com The kitchenIn March, three years after … [Read more...] about Kitchen Talk: Chefs and caterers tell us what they love most about the room where it happens
Business Tips
Why Design Matters
It may seem secondary, but how you design your brand can significantly affect business By Megan Prevost When opening a new business, design often falls by the wayside. Distracted by seemingly more important things, owners may neglect to consider how their brand looks and the cohesion of their marketing materials. Without good design, however, you may be losing out to … [Read more...] about Why Design Matters
Smart Tech Tools
With labor hard to come by and costs rising, tech solutions that save you time and money become even more valuable By Sara Perez Webber What does your technology do for you? If the answer’s not “a lot,” it may be time to invest in new solutions. Employing smart tech products is more important than ever, as operators search for ways to stay profitable while battling rising … [Read more...] about Smart Tech Tools
A Greener Plate
Five ways to make your business operations more sustainable By Tara Milburn, founder and CEO of Ethical Swag Social and corporate gatherings are re-emerging, out of the virtual sphere and back to in-person activity. With them, the need for catering and foodservice professionals is on a steady incline. But the return to those catering engagements comes with changed … [Read more...] about A Greener Plate
Fresh Ideas
Talented event planners share 10 ways they’re adding memorable touches to an already beautiful canvas—the great outdoors By Sara Perez Webber Starry skies, dappled sunlight, fragrant flowers, gentle breezes—outdoor events come with an innate ambience. Yet even natural beauty can be enhanced. We asked event planners from across the country to share the ways they’re making … [Read more...] about Fresh Ideas
Create a Buzz on a Budget
Three best practices for DIY public relations By Darryl Brisebois, media relations manager of Mackasey Howard Communications More than one proverbial door closed during the pandemic. Conferences were put indefinitely on hold, weddings delayed, hotel events canceled altogether. But as in-person activity hazards a return across all those silos, many more doors are … [Read more...] about Create a Buzz on a Budget
Dynamic Stations
Caterers are designing food stations with two goals in mind: safety and eye-catching presentation By Sara Perez Webber Savvy caterers thoughtfully compose dishes to look good and taste good. When guests walk through an event and pick up their food from stations—rather than wait for their food to come to them—presentation is especially important. Attractive set-ups lure … [Read more...] about Dynamic Stations
Five Reasons You May Need Financing in 2022
Small business funding may be the key for catering and event companies to thrive in the coming years By Matthew Gillman, business finance expert and founder of SMB Compass Small business financing has become increasingly vital to small businesses operating in the hospitality industry over the last few years. In 2020 alone, more than 110,000 U.S. restaurants and drinking … [Read more...] about Five Reasons You May Need Financing in 2022
How to Survive a Surge
With Omicron cases spiking nationwide, it’s more important than ever for restaurants to communicate with their customers By Rhett Doolittle, CEO of Business Warrior COVID-19 Omicron cases are spiking nationwide. On Jan. 18, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said “the next few weeks will be tough,” as the surge hadn’t yet peaked. For restaurants and other … [Read more...] about How to Survive a Surge
Sound Advice
With his award-winning “Behind The Veil” podcast and YouTube show, event planner Keith Willard encourages others in the industry to forge ahead By Sara Perez Webber If you were looking for advice about what to do after the catering-and-events industry came crashing down in 2019, perhaps you tuned into “Behind The Veil.” Event planner Keith Willard launched the weekly … [Read more...] about Sound Advice
