The Christmas holiday season can be challenging for all caterers, but for those of us who specialize in corporate drop-off, this time of year can be especially demanding. Our December usually started like many other months, but by the 10th of the month we were seriously occupied.
Pinpoint it
I could always easily mark the dates that would be the holiday season’s busiest. If Christmas Eve fell on a Tuesday for example, the Friday before would be the most intense day. If Christmas Eve landed on a Saturday—like it does this year, the entire week leading up to that day could be crazy.
The problem with December for me was that while week one might bring us normal business, and weeks two and three could be great, the last 10 days of the month would usually be very slow. Basically, we ended up with the sales of a normal month crammed into the first 21 or 22 days. It might feel nicely profitable while we were in the middle of it, but analysis always showed that December sales ended up no better than an average month.
A query
One year, just after we had worked very hard to just gain a normal month’s sales, I called Catersource founder Mike Roman and asked, “What percentage of our yearly sales should occur in December?” Mike seemed a little perplexed by this question, but quickly answered, “20 percent.”
We were grossing $1,000,000 per year at that time and 20 percent meant $200,000. Honestly, we never had a $200,000 month at any time during the year and we certainly weren’t going to have one in December. As great as Mike was, this was one area where his answer was not exactly correct.
Drop-off is specialized
This is why you need to attend Catersource and attend my half-day seminar intensive on QSR/Drop off. I also have a website, The Corporate Caterer. And along with Catersource; there are no other resources, which understand the nuances of drop-off catering at the highest level. Do you have questions such as:
1) How do I keep my regular customers happy while doing big holiday events at the same time?
2) Is it bad to turn down a small box lunch order from a regular customer because we have four big events on the same day?
3) What do I do about last minute holiday orders?
4) Where do I find extra staff to handle everything?
5) What do I do if it snows 12 inches on our scheduled busiest day?
I can accurately answer all of the above questions is because I have been there. I won’t give you vague stock replies; instead, you will get 100 plus years of accumulated drop-off catering expertise that you won’t find this anywhere except at The Corporate Caterer. You can email or call us anytime during this busy season and we’ll be happy to help you through it.
Mike Rosman will be teaching a half day session on QSR/Drop Off Catering. Click here for more information.
