Business Hours Optimization
Business Hours Optimization Guide for Caterers
In the catering world, your hands are usually covered in flour or busy plating a $15,000 wedding dinner, making it impossible to answer the phone. This guide helps you structure your business hours so you never miss a high-value lead while maintaining your sanity in the kitchen.
Analyzing Your Call Traffic Patterns
Caterers face a dual-demand cycle. Corporate admins usually call between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM to secure lunch catering for the next day, while brides and event planners often call after 5:00 PM or on weekends when they are off work. If you only answer during 'kitchen hours,' you are missing the corporate rush and the evening wedding inquiries. Track your missed calls for one week; you will likely find that your most profitable leads, like a $5,000 gala, are calling when you are elbow-deep in prep.
Key takeaway: Align your phone availability with when clients are planning, not just when you are cooking.
Splitting Kitchen Hours from Admin Hours
Your physical business hours and your 'open for inquiries' hours should be different. While the kitchen might be active from 5:00 AM for a breakfast drop-off, your sales line doesn't need to be live until 8:00 AM. Conversely, just because the kitchen cleans up at 3:00 PM doesn't mean your business should stop taking calls. Using a service like SkipCalls allows your business to remain 'open' for booking inquiries 24/7, even when the stoves are off and the staff has gone home.
