The COVID-19 pandemic, the economic fallout, the chaotic U.S. presidential elections—you don’t need us to tell you that 2020 was not the best of times for most of those who, up until March, had been cooking on all burners. But catering professionals are nothing if not forward-looking, quick-learning survivors who, as Bill Hansen, CEO of Bill Hansen Catering & Event Production says, are finding ways to make lemon cake out of the lemons 2020 has tossed their way.
Tired of all the gloom and doom of 2020? So are we! Here are 22 ways your peers have learned from the hardships of this year and plan to make next year their best one yet. Hansen, our Catering Ambassador for Catersource’s July 2021 annual conference and tradeshow in Miami Beach, is just one of the 22 top industry thought leaders sharing their perspectives about what they have learned through these extraordinarily trying times, and what they are looking forward to as we round the corner into what hopefully will be a much better 2021.
Every other week we will be brining you just a few of the ways our industry peers have coped, and the ideas, trends, and positive perspectives they have for the future. Take a look at part 1 and part 2. Check back on February 11th for part 4.
Meryl Snow, Senior Consultant, Certified Catering Consultants; Feastivities Events Philadelphia
The pandemic has amplified challenges, exposing weaknesses in existing sales models. We need to refocus, retool, retrench, and rebound. The future of selling events during and post-COVID will not be about touting your awards and company accomplishments, it will be about how you will keep your clients and their guests safe. The event industry will be scrutinized to determine how to usher in these new changes. So many companies, organizations, and social events will be counting on us to create the ‘new normal’ as we prepare for recovery. Every company has no choice but to focus on sales and the sales team structure and strategy. The magic may be the brand, but the reality is the sales force. Your brand can’t fly without it. Your brand can get them to the door, but your sales team needs to close the sale.
Alan Berg, CSP, Global Speaking Fellow, Author, Business Consultant, Professional Speaker, Sales Trainer
One of the big positives I see coming out of the crisis are that those who have learned how to sell remotely, without meeting the client in person, have picked up a valuable skill. While it’s nice to sit across the table from a prospect or client, it hasn’t always been necessary. Some businesses did it out of habit, and some people had convinced themselves that it had to be done that way. Those that have mastered this can continue to sell this way, even when it’s safe to meet in person. Think of the time you’ll save by not having all of those in-person meetings! Another positive I see with my clients is packaging your services differently and positioning yourself as more than just a caterer. Selling on a per-person cost for catering will limit your profits when guest counts are down. Clients are going to be reluctant to agree to higher minimum headcounts for a while. Those companies that provide more than just catering (rentals, décor, planning, full-service packages, etc.) can hold onto more profit. If you can maximize your profit per event now, that will translate into exponentially more profit as things pick up and headcounts increase.
You all need to think about selling the results of choosing specifically for your business. If you’re selling catering, someone else sells it cheaper. You need to make yourself more valuable in the eyes of the client. Have them see you as a resource, not an expense. Hopefully, this crisis has made you all think about what really differentiates you from other caterers. If you’ve learned how to articulate that now, it will pay dividends for you in the future!
Keith A. Lord, Founder & Principal, Stratəjē Fourteen, Culinary Operations & Logistics Consulting
It has a year of tension, hardship, loss, the unknown, and, well, let’s face it, simply waiting around. Hurdles aside, we are the most adaptable group of human-driven business leaders in the country. We thrive on the challenge of the next. So, what is next, how is it going to work, what will come from the lessons learned from this year?
I am most excited about the new virtual world we have all become immersed in. Pajama-wearing business Zoom meetings aside, this may be our biggest takeaway win from 2020.
Although many companies have had to make culinary adjustments such as keeping production chefs and leaving the dreams of research and development chefs behind, this may be the best business decision we all did not necessarily make for ourselves.
Going forward, through this new virtual world, we can now bring ideas like new spring/summer menus to sales, Instagramable wedding food packages, and all those new pretty appetizers to our kitchens without infringing on production time, and at far less cost.
In 2021, I am most looking forward to working with clients across the country, helping their teams to design menus, dishes, and to bring those items to production life. Virtual assisted, this can all be achieved in a new way we never though it could be before. This is the new R&D component of our businesses—without the staffing overhead, or the expense of travel and accommodation—that may have prevented us from having these types of discussions in years past.
We will all adapt, grow in ways we never thought about before, and expose our teams to new ideas—and continue to do this together.
Robin Selden, Managing Partner & Executive Chef, Marcia Selden Catering & Events
We have been strategizing, reinventing, and reimagining our business since Friday the 13th of March when we returned from Catersource (fitting, right?!). While there is breath in my body, we will do every creative thing possible to come through this pandemic stronger, wiser, and better than we were before. You cannot take hospitality and the love of entertaining out of someone when that’s what they love. We bring hope to humanity and evoke joy through our food. People are longing to be together, so we are paving the way, setting safe social standards, and establishing entertaining routines so that our clients feel safe at our catered events.
My mother, Marcia Selden, has big dreams and plans for Marcia Selden Catering and despite a pandemic will continue to trailblaze through, make those plans, and create incredible memories for our clients! Our food brings so much happiness to people as its made and designed with love and they can feel it. We’ve embraced the socially distanced party and definitely changed the way we present our food—even if it’s arriving as a party in a box or as a pre-packaged meal, I guarantee that you will feel that love in every bite!
Our fall and winter seasons are filled with small at-home gatherings with family and friends. Over the last several months, our clients have enjoyed entertaining safely outdoors, with carefully planned parties, intimate weddings, mitzvahs, birthdays, and milestone celebrations. In addition to the custom-catered experiences we are known for, we are most excited about our newest concept called “Dinner-Party.” Specifically, we will provide a turnkey “Dinner-Party” complete with unique and curated menus, custom-printed menu cards, tabletop rentals that are designed based on the menu theme, florals to complement the tabletop, awesome wines, and specialty crafted cocktails. Our thought was to take the stress and the work out of entertaining and to provide our clients with everything that they need to host just the perfect dinner party at home.
