Scheduling Tips
Appointment Scheduling Tips for Caterers
In the catering world, your hands are usually covered in flour or holding a knife, making it impossible to answer the phone. This guide shows you how to manage your schedule so you never miss a $10,000 wedding booking while you're busy plating a $500 corporate lunch.
Strategic Buffer Zones for Logistics
A catering job isn't just the two hours of service; it includes packing the van, travel, setup, and the dreaded post-event cleanup. You must schedule 'Logistics Buffers' of at least 90 minutes before and after every event. If a corporate lunch is scheduled for 12:00 PM, your calendar should be blocked starting at 10:30 AM for load-in and travel to ensure you aren't rushing and forgetting the sternos or serving utensils.
Key takeaway: Always block out 90 minutes for travel and setup to prevent overlapping events from ruining your reputation.
Managing High-Value Tasting Appointments
Tastings are where you close $5,000 to $20,000 wedding contracts, but they are time-consuming to prep. Limit these to specific 'Tasting Tuesdays' or 'Wednesday Windows.' By grouping these appointments, you save on food costs by prepping similar proteins and sides all at once. This prevents a $100 tasting from interrupting the workflow of a $2,000 recurring meal-prep contract.
