Why Should You Consider Mobile Ice Cream Catering?

Recognizing that one of a caterer's biggest headaches is how to match the product needs with the equipment required to the size of the event, there are as wide a range of solutions as challenges.
Equipment Categories
1. Simple cooler or cold box on wheels - this can encompass everything from an Igloo(TM) to a tricycle or pushcart. It's generally not refrigerated but simply an insulated box, which may possibly use dry ice.
2. Cold Plate Freezer - slightly larger than the cold box, much heavier and relies on heat transfer from large metal plates embedded in the walls of the freezer. This type of freezer needs to be plugged in overnight to cool down with the advantage that no power is needed at your catering event. You are simply relying on the thermal qualities of the plates themselves to keep product from spoilage. It can be transported on a small utility trailer or minivan.
3. Standard Freezer - requires power continuously to avoid product spoilage. Generally lighter than cold plate freezers, the disadvantage is that they must be plugged in continuously. However, based upon the insulating properties of the freezer, you should be able to transport it 2-3 hours unplugged without risk of product spoilage. It also can be transported on a small utility trailer or minivan.
4. Small trailer - these units generally comprise of a standard freezer and have all of the necessary support equipment such as sinks, awnings etc. on-board.
5. Concession Trailer - generally a much larger, towable unit, which may contain several, built in freezers. These units can be configured for a variety of other supporting products such as waffles irons, soft serve and/or dipped ice cream, or even complementary products such as hot dogs.
6. Ice Cream Truck - generally vending only novelty items and soft serve ice cream. Ice cream trucks are generally not used at specific events, but more a roaming opportunistic environment.
In general, most caterers will be interested in the middle three configurations. However, within these three configurations there is a range of scalability and overlap between the styles.
Health Department Regulations for Mobile Catering
Regulations vary widely across the country from fairly loose to very strict. The more relaxed Health Department may allow dipping from an Igloo(TM) with little more sanitation than 3 buckets of water. The strictest - some of whom are in California - almost prohibit dipping in a mobile environment altogether regardless of whether a three bowl sink and clean running water is readily available. The bottom line here is you must check with your local Health Department for guidelines before even considering a purchase.
For example, some states do not mandate a sneezeguard on your freezer; however, you may elect to use a sneezeguard for your own protection. Other states allow you to forego a three-bowl sink if you have a dipwell with running water or even forego a sink altogether if you keep the scoop in the tub inside the freezer. Your cart vendor can work with you to provide enough information that your Health Department can view all of the details about your prospective purchase BEFORE you buy it - and may even issue a conditional license based on the information presented. Then, once you receive your cart, the physical inspection and actual license issuance should be much easier.
Segment most applicable to caterers
Typical events may range in size from under 100 to over 1,000. Such events may comprise of corporate parties, children's' birthday parties, weddings, bar mitzvahs, school functions and outdoor fairs. For the best flexibility you need to have a solution that can work both indoor and outdoors, and is potentially scalable for the larger events when they come along. Depending on the size of your business and your commitment to mobile cold catering, you may ultimately need more than one cart to be able to adequately meet all of your client's needs.
For example, ice cream and gelato are served at different temperatures. While retail-store gelato display cases use forced air for refrigeration, this type of freezer is impracticable for mobile catering. The use of a freezer type that has an adjustable thermostat (i.e. NOT a cold-plate freezer) will allow you the flexibility of changing product types if your business model encompasses the ability to cater different event types. Cater an ice cream party on Saturday and a gelato party on Sunday!
Who'da thought...?
Ever considered talking to a bank about sponsoring an event for their customers? Some organizations who you wouldn't think would purchase an ice cream cart have invested in one; is that because no one in their locale would cater their event? How about Country Clubs? Golf courses? Municipal swimming pools? Hotels? Realtors? Universities? Advertising companies?
Or maybe...?
Talk to the management company of your local high-rise or building supply company; ask to allow you to put a cart on their property in return for a share of the profits. Power is readily available (use theirs!) if not, you'll have to use a generator - although there is one company that can provide a cart powered by a battery.
Why?
You'll find off-premise catering much more profitable because your overhead is much lower - when analyzed as a separate business unit. You must, of course, have some kind of store or commissary available to meet Health Dept. regulations (which will affect your margins), but overall you'll find off-premise catering an invaluable and lucrative marketing tool.

Carts and Grills Inc. is a supplier of mobile catering carts with the business model that they fit in the back of a mini-van. Recognizing that one of a caterer's biggest headaches is how to match the product needs with the equipment required to the size of the event, Carts and Grills has established a modular, scalable product line that fits every caterer's need in the frozen dessert, grilled foods and hot-dog vending business. For more information call (612) 229-2016 and on their website at http://www.cartsandgrills.com

Catering Tips - How Much Food Do I Need For My Catered Reception?

Whether it's a wedding reception, a fundraising event, or a small networking function, ordering food for your catered function is not always an easy and straightforward task. Let's face it, most of us planning those events are not exactly specialists in Food and Beverage. It can get tricky navigating through the lists of hoers d'oeuvres and appetizer platters, trying to figure out what kind of food to order and how much.
That's where a knowledgeable and trustworthy catering company can come in very handy. You caterer should be able to advise you on the menu choices and suggest the amount of food required. How often have you heard stories about receptions gone wrong? All food is finished in the first half an hour, guests are hungry, and hosts are embarrassed. It can happen to the best of us. To avoid it, answer a few simple questions about your reception before you start planning it.
1. What is the purpose of the reception?
2. What is the time of the reception?
3. How long is the reception?
4. What are the guests' expectations for food?
5. What is the budget?
If you organize a networking event at your local Chamber of Commerce, the food you might decide to provide is just a snack, something to munch on while people are mingling. Even if the event takes place after hours, no one will be expecting it to substitute their dinner. In this case 4-6 pieces of appetizers per person will be sufficient.
The time of the reception plays a significant role in calculating the amount of food for your function. If you're planning your wedding reception for 7 pm, your guests will be expecting a dinner-like meal. Even if you don't offer a plated or buffet dinner, the amount of food should be planned accordingly. Allow 15-20 pieces of hoers d'oeuvres per person.
There are also budget considerations. To plan a reception in lieu of dinner will probably cost you almost as much as a sit-down dinner. Sophisticated, creative hoers d'oeuvres come with a price. They're time and labor intense to prepare, use high quality ingredients, and require a lot of wait staff to serve them. If you don't have budget for a dinner-like reception, try to avoid hosting it during dinner hours. If that is not an option, make it very clear in your invitations what type of meal will be served (i.e. cocktail reception, wine and cheese reception, light fare reception). It's your wedding reception after all. You can have it any way you want but manage your guests' expectations to avoid misunderstanding and to guarantee that everybody is having a good time.
The length of the reception needs to be taken into account as well. If you're organizing an afternoon reception for 1-2 hours, you would base your food order on 8-10 appetizers per person. If the reception is longer (2-4 hours), you would need to increase the numbers to 10-14 pieces per person.
And lastly, how much coffee to order? This is always confusing. Usually coffee is sold by gallons. One gallon is about 20 cups - not your Starbucks "grande" size, but smaller cups that are normally offered in restaurants. For a 100 people reception, you would order 5-7 gallons of coffee depending on how caffeine-addicted your guests are. It's also recommended to offer some decaffeinated coffee and tea.
Whatever your reception is, food is an important part of your catered event and can make a huge difference. Take into consideration the time and the length of the reception, always stick to your budget. Know your guests and manage their expectations accordingly. And most importantly, find an experienced catering company that will give you solid advice and recommendations.

Elena Parshuto is a marketing agent of The Healthy Chef catering company. The full-service Vancouver BC catering company offers a broad spectrum of menu options for corporate functions and special events - weddings, anniversaries, birthday parties, barbecues. For more information this Vancouver BC catering company please visit our website at http://www.thehealthychef.ca

Tips on Starting Your Own Catering Business

Starting your own catering business can be a fun and rewarding experience, both personally as well as financially. When you are cooking at home for your family, or friends, and they love the different kinds of food that you can come up with, you may want to try your hand at catering. Before you do, there are some things that you need to think about, so that if you decide this is the right course of action, your business flourishes. Some of these are personal, and other have to be taken from a professional standpoint.
While catering can be rewarding, there are a lot of aspects that can be extremely stressful. If your business is popular, then you will have many different orders, events to plan and prepare for, and different menus. There will be deadlines that have to be met, and all of this can mean that you may be spending a lot of time away from your family, and have a lot of stress in your life. Even though your friends and family may like your cooking, this doesn't mean everyone will, and you may have to deal with customers that are rude to you or have demands that you may not be accustomed too. There may be dishes requested that you aren't familiar with, and you have to be able to deal with all of these aspects and more, so you need to be prepared.
Then there is the business aspects of starting your own catering business. There is capitol funds for buying extra equipment, a vehicle, hiring employees, and many other costs. There is licenses, insurance, and taxes. In addition to this, you are going to have to have a health inspector come in and sign off on your facilities. There is the process of setting up business plans, and this in itself is not easy task. You have to be able to come up with a plan that is attractive to people who you go to for funds, showing the whys and hows of your business. One of these is why people would come to your for catering, how you are going to make money, and show a profit.
In addition to all of this, depending on where you live, you may have a lot of competition, so you need to come up with ways to put yourself above other people who are also in the catering business. This means advertising, incentives for using your business above all the rest, and the what you are going to charge customers that will attract them to you, but still be able to show a profit.
You are also going to be in charge of hiring and firing employees, making sure your staff is motivated and doing their jobs well, making deliveries on time, and dealing with your customers in a polite manner. You have to be in charge, and be careful about who you are hiring, and not let your personal feeling interfere with this. You may have to fire someone you care about, and you have to be able to do this in order to keep your business going. That is why many people try to steer clear of hiring friends and family.
Now this isn't to put a damper on your hopes and dreams. There are millions of people who start their own businesses every day, including catering businesses. Many of these people go on to be so successful that they expand to bigger facilities, and some even have the opportunity to sell their businesses for top dollar and use the capitol to start new ones. Letting you know all of the stresses and different duties and responsibilities is only because if you want to succeed, then you have to be aware of all of this. Otherwise, you are going to jump into starting a business without a full understanding, and you may not have the success you so well deserve.
If after reading all of this you are still excited about starting your own catering business, great. In fact, there are many different resources that can actually help you succeed. There are plenty of grants and government loans that can help you get the start up capitol you are going to need. There are websites, that can help you set up the right business plans, where to look for extra money, how to write a plan that will get noticed, as well as many other helpful tips and information you will need.
Now there are also many websites that offer full step by step courses in starting your own catering business. These kits can help you in many ways, including all the other aspects that are required, including and other than what has already been mentioned here. These kits can help you determine what to charge customers, how to get them to you, and how to keep them happy. There is information on managing your cash, including accounting, record keeping and keeping track of where your money is going, and how much profit you can expect to see.
A good business kit will not only be helpful in these areas, but also provide all the forms, letters and business plans. It should also include resources for contacting the right people in order to get funds, order equipment, and where you need to go to get insurance, tax identification numbers and everything else. The most important thing on top of all of this is that it should be reasonably priced, and include free upgrades as new information comes along. A good place to start would be going to startingacateringbusiness.com. This website has all the things that have been mentioned, plus much much more.

Click Starting A Catering Business to go to Jen's Catering Business website.

Catering Truck - Small Food Service Business

Catering truck are a common sight in your neighborhood and across the industrial development areas. People working as factory workers and office employees depend on these catering trucks for their daily breakfast and lunch as the working area is far away from the city limits. Mobile food service has been in existence for more than two decades where before the catering trucks were introduced, vendors used wooden or metal carts for their mobile food service.
With stringent laws introduced by government to have a clean environment for mobile food services, vendors were asked to upgrade to these catering trucks which were equipped with latest modular kitchen equipments and modern sanitary solutions which provided a hygienic environment to prevent any diseases. With the new technology providing platform for newer designs and equipments, it has become easy for a vendor to choose the exact truck that will serve his purpose.
Catering trucks are known to increase the profits when compared with stationary restaurants. As stationary restaurants are visited by people in and around the surrounding areas, they have limited number of customer base. As they can move from one location to another, they have a huge customer base. This is one of the foremost advantages associated with mobile food service business.
If you are planning to get into the mobile food service business, the only initial investment that you will have to make is on the vehicle. You should choose from a wide variety of models that are available in the market which cater to different needs of the vendors. Once you choose the vehicle, the next investment would be the equipments that are required in the kitchen such as stainless steel sinks, ovens, refrigerator and provision for proper water source. Many of the trucks have an in-built water tank which serves the purpose of washing utensils.
Apart from the little investment you are also required to obtain the mobile food service vendor license from the government. You can approach the local government officials who would help you out understand more about obtaining the license and other important requirements that are to be fulfilled. If you are unable to invest money in acquiring a new catering truck, you can also look out for the used truck sales which have all the equipments that are necessary for you to start of your mobile food service business.
The other way where you can quickly start of your catering truck business is by approaching a franchise. All you have to do is buy the product of the franchise and in return they will provide you with the catering truck equipped with all the necessary equipments. The menu have to be carefully designed in order to meet all the requirements of the different locations. You can also increase the customer base by providing quality and variety food items along with increased and new services which will attract the customers. Catering trucks is the new dimension in mobile food service which provides good profits in short period of time.

If you are interested in starting your own catering truck business, please go to http://www.pacificcateringtruck.com for more information.