Caterer Bev Goldberg double-checked her master list for a cocktail party in a client's home. Linens, check. Plates, check. Glassware, check. Wine, check. Soft drinks, check. Garnishes, check. Hors d'oeuvres, check. Ice, check. Satisfied that everything needed for the party was ready and loaded into the van, she and two of her staff left for the event location. But upon arrival, she discovered no host and no guests. "The person who had contracted for the party had apparently forgotten and was not at home," she says with a laugh. A veteran caterer with more than 30 years' experience, Goldberg — who co-owns Artistry Catering in Chantilly, Virginia, with her son, Randy — has become used to the frenetic pace and unexpected occurrences of this growing profession. "I love catering," she says. "People still think this is a glamorous job, but it's just plain hard work."

Catering has carved a new and innovative niche for itself among consumers and industry professionals. "People used to go to restaurants to eat great food — now they call a caterer for that same great food," says Diane Welland, executive director of the National Caterers Association (NCA), headquartered in Washington DC. Founded in 1981, the NCA serves as the educational arm of the catering industry and currently has nearly 1,000 members.

According to the National Restaurant Association's 2000 Restaurant Industry Forecast, social caterers are one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry, with sales expected to reach $3.6 billion in 2000 — a 5.7 percent increase over its 1999 level. Driven by the rising number of higher-income households and a strong economy, the NCA expects catering sales to continue to soar as more companies, corporations, charities, civic groups, event organizers and individuals call on caterers to host on- and off-premises events, predicts the NCA.

"Business has definitely grown and become more competitive. We estimate there are 80,000 caterers in North America," says Welland.

"The demand for catering services in all areas has increased tremendously," agrees Nancy Loman Scanlon, assistant professor in the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Travel Administration at New York University in New York City, and author of several food and beverage books.

Here's an update on the trends impacting this growing segment, as well as tips for restaurateurs who want to boost their business by adding a catering operation.

Getting off the rubber-chicken circuit

Catering has come a long way from the simple chicken dinners of the past. "Customers today are looking for the catered experience to be more restaurant-like," says National Restaurant Association Chairman Denise Marie Fugo, who is also president and chief executive officer of Sammy's in Cleveland. Fugo and her husband, Ralph DiOrio, started doing small private banquets and off-premises catering in 1981. Sammy's catering eventually became so successful that Fugo closed the restaurant earlier this year to concentrate solely on catering.

Fugo caters more than 4,000 events annually — including weddings, conferences, private parties and class reunions — both on site at Sammy's, Sammy's Metropolitan Ballroom, Sammy's Manakiki Ballroom and the George S. Dively Conference Center at Case Western Reserve University and at off-premises locations. Guests dine on signature items, such as a seafood raw bar with Gulf shrimp, smoked salmon, Alaskan king crab legs, smoked and pepper trout, and homemade soups such as "Wild Mushroom" and "Seafood Chowder."

"People are getting more explorative in their foods, and, in general, broadening their food horizons," says Tari Hampe-Deneen, owner of Tari's A Premiere Cafe in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. She averages 100 events annually. Guests attending theme dinners, retirement galas, showers, Rotary Club and Shriner meetings catered by Hampe-Deneen partake of house specialties including steak kabobs and tandoori chicken.

Larry Levy, president of Biddle Street Catering and Events in Baltimore, also thinks that customers hunger for diverse food choices. For example, Biddle Street Catering offers an American station with tenderloin, crispy onion rings and garlic mashed potatoes and an Asian station including Peking Duck, pancakes, sake and soba (buckwheat pasta) served with pancakes. "On a typical day, we have a full book of breakfast, lunches and dinners in addition to larger events, such as cocktail parties, office openings, training seminars and conferences," he says, adding that Biddle Street Catering also does weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, anniversary events and birthday parties.

"Another trend in catering is offering a family-style menu. This works wonderfully for corporate meetings or large social functions that are informal," says Scanlon. A family-style menu can be themed with a series of dishes assigned to three separate courses. "The platters or bowls are passed around the table and this presents the appearance of tremendous amounts of food in smaller portions — a very user-active dinner format that has a fun atmosphere and an entertainment value."

Serving up the "wow" factor

Consumers' growing culinary sophistication and desire to be entertained when dining out has had a great impact on the catering industry. Today's clients don't want just their taste buds to be dazzled at a catered event; they want their socks knocked off by the food presentation as well. "People truly do eat first with their eyes," says Frank Puleo, owner of Framboise Catering in New York City, vice president of Culinary Expressions International and NCA president. Framboise caters about 350 events per year, ranging from weddings, anniversary parties and dinners to ballet openings and ship christenings. To enhance its presentations, Framboise often caters at exotic venues, such as the New York Botanical Gardens and the New York Aquarium. For example, Puleo catered one recent event at the Air France terminal in the Newark, New Jersey, airport. "The husband was taking his wife to Paris for her 40th birthday and wanted a surprise party with a couple dozen of their friends and family as a send-off," says Puleo.

Scanlan says that special effects, such as indoor pyrotechnics, confetti guns and laser-light shows, are gaining in popularity. "In order to draw guests — especially at charity fund raisers — clients want something really dynamic and special effects fit that bill," she says.

"Caterers now look at the entire event, from the food to the site to the smells — all the customers' senses," says Welland. "For example, a caterer might heat suntan lotion to provide the smells of the seashore for beach-party theme."

To dazzle her guests, Fugo employs an in-house artist to customize each catered event from passing platters to plate presentations. For a recent event at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum, the artist arranged the food around 45s and small guitars on the serving and passing trays. "We use a lot of different vegetables to try to get a mix of color, texture and height on a plate and garnish with fresh herbs," says Fugo.

"I grew up in a family of artists, although my venue for expressing that turned out to be food," says Rebecca Sparks, executive chef and co-owner of Legend's and Legend's Times Two in Norman, Oklahoma, with her husband, Joe. "We work with color and color contrasts, [and] do our own floral arrangements for special events. . . . We often decorate a buffet table with vegetables and won't use trays, but instead serve food nestled within bunches of kale, for example." Legend's — which specializes in hors d'oeuvres parties — caters about 1,500 on-site events per year at its Legend's Times Two banquet facility in addition to 260 off-site events.

Biddle Street Catering uses a full line of props, linens and accent pieces to create their dynamic presentations, says Levy. Biddle Street Catering also offers a host of special-event themes, such as Whodunit Mystery, Mexican Fiesta, Orioles Fan Club Party and Western Hoedown.

The hard work behind the magic

The details of preparing food off-premises and on-site for hundreds of people can be mind-boggling, and today caterers have to concern themselves with much more than just preparing the food. "Caterers are diversifying their businesses by expanding their operations," says Welland. "For example, a caterer I know just created a decor-and-design department to offer centerpieces for events."

However, for caterers who don't want to "do it all," plenty of vendors exist to help them pull together the perfect event — decorators, designers, event planners, bridal consultants, florists, bakers, entertainment and talent agencies, and rental companies for portable toilets, cooking equipment, tents, chairs, linens, tableware, glassware, silverware and even limousines. "We outsource everything but the food, so being able to recommend vendors is good," says Puleo. "We're a rental company's dream client, because we own nothing and rent every single thing to stay fresh with linens, china, etc."

Nikki Kayser, catering coordinator for The Robinhood Free Meetinghouse in Georgetown, Maine, has developed relationships with the 20-plus bed and breakfasts in her area. "That's my favorite place to cater," she says, "because they are so unique and charming." Kayser, who organizes an average of 15 events both on- and off-site each month, often caters birthday parties, baby showers and business luncheons at these bed and breakfasts or the meeting house. The Robinhood Free Meetinghouse specializes in fancy finger foods, grill stations and passed hors d' oeuvres such as a "Grilled Sausage Sampler With Garlic and Sicilian Sausages, Baguettes and Whole-Grain Mustard."

Many of the caterers interviewed stress the importance of on-site cooking and/or finishing to maintain quality and monitor food safety. The trend toward offering food stations has boosted both the quality and freshness of the dishes as well as increased food safety. Like restaurants, caterers should follow basic food-safety steps and train staff to be food-safety conscious to ensure they serve safe food.

"The most important food-safety issue for caterers is storing and holding food because the food must be kept either below 41 degrees Fahrenheit or above 140 degrees Fahrenheit," says Steven Grover, vice president of Health and Safety Regulatory Affairs at the National Restaurant Association. "With constant transportation of food from one place to another, caterers need to be especially careful about not letting food stay in the temperature danger zone — between 41 degrees Fahrenheit and 140 degrees Fahrenheit — for longer than four hours." Grover also recommends that restaurateurs check with their local health department to make sure they have the proper permits before adding catering to their operation.

Waiting to serve

With its seasonal nature, catering usually doesn't require a large number of year-round employees. In fact, most catering operators in this article have a relatively small number — three to seven — of full-time employees. In addition a the core group of workers, caterers also employ part-time waitstaff and kitchen help. But, like restaurateurs, caterers often struggle with finding qualified and motivated workers. "The competition for service staff is stiff," says Scanlon. "Caterers can't be limited by [the] traditional concept of service staff and should look in non-traditional markets, like the senior segment, for people who are looking for part-time jobs." She also recommends cross-training office and sales staff with waitstaff to expand the available server pool.

For caterers who prefer to have someone else maintain a qualified labor pool, Yipeee, Inc., in New York City, runs a database of more than 500 free-lance service professionals — from waiters and waitresses to maitre d's and bartenders. "We're a full-resource company that provides event management, event staffing and consulting in the catering and restaurant industry," says Karen DiPeri, Yipeee executive vice president. "We screen, qualify and select seasoned service professionals. Having well-trained professionals can really make a difference at a catered event."

Catering to the market

Although a good party goes a long way toward garnering new customers, developing a marketing plan and identifying your target market can increase your business, says Scanlon. "Reach each target market with press releases, media placement, mail campaigns, telephone solicitation and a Web site, which is a must for any catering business today," she says.

"Online is definitely a market that's brand-new but growing," says Welland. "The Internet opens up opportunities to be national or international caterers and broadens your market."

"By moving through our Web site, you can find out a lot about the company and what its capabilities are. I think the Web site will be a major factor and we get an increasing amount of inquiries from our Web site, which has been up for four years," says Levy. Puleo adds, "But the Internet is just for the introduction, because catering is still a personal thing."

However, traditional methods — such as brochures, business cards and direct-mail campaigns — still bring in customers. The Mimosa Grill in Charlotte, North Carolina, mails fliers to nearby corporate offices and periodically checks with the local chamber of commerce for updated business listings. "We also call up businesses and invite key people [like executive assistants] to lunch to give them samples of our selections," says Jessica Vasher, director of catering and sales.

The Mimosa Grill caters 200 plus events a year both on-site and off-premises, including being the preferred caterer for an outdoor atrium and plaza located adjacent to the restaurant. "We do events in private homes, fund-raisers, holiday black-tie affairs, backyard barbecues, and corporate lunches and dinners," says Vasher. In addition to customizing menus, the Mimosa Grill also offers several theme menus, including the Virginia Reel with "Jumbo Crab & Artichoke Dip With Bread Display" and the Carolina Shag with "Roasted Jumbo Mushrooms With Housemade Sweet Sausage & Herbs."

The party continues

From all accounts, the catering industry is growing by leaps and bounds — and has plenty of room for newcomers. "The catering industry will continue to grow and become more upscale, elaborate and extensive," says Welland. "The market and opportunities continue to grow. People are cooking less and would rather be at the party than serving the food."

"Given our society today, the value of time on the part of our customers," says Scanlon, "and an increasing demand for something new and different, catering has a very exciting and unlimited future."

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