Catering Business Plan in Nigeria

Catering Business Plan in Nigeria – Do you have a desire to begin a catering service business right from the confines of your house? Have you been searching for a sample catering business plan in Nigeria? Are you interested in learning what it will take to start up a growing catering service business with little or no funds?

Are you overwhelmed with a passion for cooking and you willing to gain necessary knowledge on how to make continual profit from your cooking or baking skills? Are you the type that loves trying out and making new recipes? Then this guide on how to start a catering business is just for you, below are a few things you need to know that will lead you almost by the hand to succeeding in this venture.

To place order for this catering business plan in Nigeria or a feasibility study on catering in Nigeria, Pay N10,000 to:

BANK NAME: GUARANTY TRUST BANK (GTB)

ACCOUNT NAME: CHIBUZOR TOCHI ONYEMENAM

ACCOUNT NUMBER: 0044056891

After payment, send the following details via text to 07033378184.

Depositors Name

Your email address

The title of the business plan you paid for (i.e. business plan for catering services pdf)

The first question that begs to be answered is, what is catering?

Catering is simply everything that has to do with providing cooking or feeding services at strategic places which could include hotels, public houses, events, weddings and parties, or other locations and this is usually based on a previously agreed contract. It also involves making food and beverages available for events. However, it is imperative get proper understanding that running a catering business is much different from running an event planning and management business. Running a catering service is one of the most lucrative businesses presently in Nigeria. A caterer should be prestigious, and in doing this ensure that he/she acquires all the necessary facilities and expertise to give quality services to all prospective customers. The caterer should be versatile enough to provide both indoor and outdoor catering services to satisfy all clients’ needs such as birthday parties, corporate get-togethers, business seminars and several other functions.

Event planning and management is a humongous and all-encompassing industry, catering can be seen as just a branch of this humongous industry. As a matter of fact, catering is one of the businesses highly recommended for people who have an innate passion for cooking and preparing delicacies. The blatant truth is that the demand for the services of caterers is continually on the rise especially those who have put themselves to gaining all the knowledge necessary to provide excellent customer service delivery. This business can be seen as very lucrative because Nigerians are notable for indulging in several large functions virtually every week, some Nigerians are so busy that they do not even have time to cook, so they need their food delivered to their homes or offices. The importance of this business sector cannot be over emphasized and the profits also are boundless, as long as you have a passion for it and you know your onions, there is definitely a market for you.

Read More: Restaurant Business Plan in Nigeria.

No matter the form you want the business to take, whether a small daily catering business or organizing huge extravaganzas for large gatherings periodically during the year, you can be sure that you will still be raking in some good money after every day of business because the potential for profit in the catering business is known to be very high. Several caterers are known to effortlessly make up to 66% of pre-tax profits. To those not involved in the business, this figure possibly seems like a fairy tale but when one properly takes into consideration the several measures caterers take to keep their overhead costs very low, this figure becomes more realistic to achieve.

Reasons why you should start your own catering business

Catering falls into the service industry and thus it provides you the platform to showcase your talent and creativity in in line with cooking and service delivery.
Little capital is required for startup. In fact, it is very possible to start a catering business from home without any money. Truth be told, you do not even need an office, all you need to do is pitch for a contract and make use of your client’s payment to rent all you need to run your first delivery.
The business does not require you to be full time. You do not need to devote the whole of your time to the business, you can do it in your spare time while you delve into other sectors of the economy.
Unlike several other businesses, there is no entry requirement to start the business. Anyone can indulge in the business, even students.
There is a wide range of clients to satisfy. You do not need to worry about a lack of customers or a down time in the business, as long as you have the food, people will definitely eat. You can decide to provide services to specific organizations such as restaurants, fast foods, etc. On the other hand, you can ply your trade independently and offer services at events, weddings, parties, business meetings, private clubs, etc.
As a caterer, you have the luxury of making decisions about your business like how much you are planning to invest and when you have made enough income.
As a catering business owner, you gain for yourself a status which allows you add value to you immediate environment and the country at large. This is because you will definitely need the help of others to do one or two things especially if you handle large events, therefore you provide jobs inadvertently making you an employer of labor.
With catering, you really do not need to spend excessively on publicity campaigns. This is because at every point in time, as long as you know your onions and you have something for someone to eat, you will always have people to patronize you. In this part of the world, there are events on almost a daily basis, whether big or small events, we do not joke with filling our stomachs, so there is no need to stress yourself, you will definitely get called.

Steps to take in starting your own catering business

To start up your own catering business in Nigeria, you firstly need to decide if you really want to venture into the business. As expected with any business, providing catering services is one business that requires undying passion, to weather the storms that come with the job and gain the underlying profits, you must truly love every aspect of the job. Another factor that should be thoroughly thought through is the model of startup. The business owner can decide to either start a fresh work or run a franchise of an already established business, both have their pros and cons but the decision ultimately lies in the hands of the business, and it should be made depending on the vision and ultimate desire of the business owner.

Acquire the necessary skills and certification. Before taking the initial step of starting a catering business, it is expedient gain both technical skill as well as culinary and business skills. A good way to build up such knowledge is by attending a catering/culinary school. Which comes with the advantage of a certificate that distinguishes you from other who did not take such step. You should also endeavor to gain entrepreneurial and business management skills, it is not enough to be a good caterer without these. Some business skills you should imbibe in this industry include:

Sales skill
Persuasion and negotiation skill
Accounting skill
Marketing skill
People management skill
Self confidence
Customer service and neatness,

Decide on what type of catering services you will offer. You need to decide if you want to be an indoor or outdoor caterer, if you want to offer specialized services to specific companies, hotels, restaurants, fast foods, or you would rather stay independent. You need to also decide if you want to remain as a caterer alone or you will want to grow into an event management company in the nearest future. The decisions you make at this point can be the making or breaking of your business, so you should take some time to search deeply.
Choose and register a business name. You should ensure you are duly registered as a business with the country’s company register, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). This step makes you a corporate entity giving you access to several offers a roadside caterer may never have. You definitely cannot take this for granted. If you need the help of a lawyer to register your business, call us at 07033378184.
Make a decision on the kinds of food you will specialize in. This is one very important factor any caterer must decide even before writing a business plan. The decision goes further to determine what courses the caterer will engage in at the catering/culinary school, the kind of clients the caterer will provide services and what occasions the caterer will be able to cater for.
Create your Menu. One of the most important parts of any caterer’s business is the menu. Creating a food menu is dependent on the step before this one which is deciding what kinds of food to specialize in. In fact, the food menu is most likely the first thing to be requested by a prospective customer before starting up any negotiations with the caterer. The menu contains the different foods available or that the caterer makes available along with the prices charged for each meal. It is important to ensure that your menu is customer friendly and accommodating as well. Try as much as possible not to focus on just one area, except you are sure you are creating a niche in that area. Ensure that almost everyone is catered for in your menu, even the vegetarians. You should also note that high prices can be a real turn off for customers, make sure your pricing is moderate while keeping up the quality of your services.
Write an efficient business plan. To successfully launch business, it is important to have a business plan, one that will serve as a blueprint and future guide for the business, its owner and the working team. Starting the catering business with a well written and efficient business plan could lead to a downfall of the business even though at the onset, things might be going well. It helps with directing the affairs of the business, clearly stating the mission and vision as well as the values the organization and her staff should abide by. Other major advantages of having a business plan is that it carries the goals and objectives of the business, and the projected income thus acting as a measure of financial growth of the business. It provides a template which investors can look upon to see how profitable the business is and if it is worth investing in.
Locating the business. If you are going to be running the business on a full time basis, then you should consider renting a place that will house the business and the equipment used. Seek out a place that can house your equipment, cooking area and a place for your clients to eat or meet with you conveniently. You should also check with the local zoning office to be sure you can install proper equipment such as ventilation hoods and grease traps. If you are looking at starting small at home, then you might not need to go through the stress of renting any place, just make do with the space in your yard to handle your activities.
Get the necessary business permits and operating licenses. There are quite a number of legal requirements needed to indulge in the catering business. A new catering service owner needs more than just certification to run the business, you should endeavor to find out what licenses are required and strive to acquire them. The license for this business is issued by the Food and Health Authority. The business is required you pay a certain amount before acquiring the operating license. The Food and Health Authority will take assessment of all your catering facilities and equipment to ensure they are in good shape, failure to meet up with laid down standards and good practice will mean the license is not approved.
Purchase your equipment and set up your kitchen. Setting up your home kitchen is quite different from setting up a kitchen for business purposes. Here is a list of things you need to buy and install in your kitchen.

Equipment needed for catering business in Nigeria

Knives
Utensils
Blender
Chopping boards
Food storage containers
Mixers
Pans spoons
Refrigerators
Freezer
Coolers
Cooling van
Dispensers
Oven
Micro waves
Table top
rolling carts
Van
Uniforms
Gloves
Garbage bags for dirty linen
Extra bus tubs for dirty dishes
Tin foil

Employ staff. It is clear that you cannot run the catering business by yourself. Ensure that you recruit tested and efficient hands to assist you because this sector is quite sensitive. You do not want to employ shady people or those with shady characters.

To get the full business plan on the catering business plan in Nigeria + feasibility study, pay N10,000 to:

BANK NAME: GUARANTY TRUST BANK (GTB)
ACCOUNT NAME: CHIBUZOR TOCHI ONYEMENAM
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 0044056891
OR
BANK NAME: FIRST BANK PLC
ACCOUNT NAME: CHIBUZOR TOCHI ONYEMENAM
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 3066880122

After payment, send your name, email address and title of business plan (i.e. catering business plan pdf) via text to 07033378184. Your business plan will be sent to your email within 10 minutes after payment. Thank you.

I am sure at this point you can definitely see some future in running a catering business, I hope this article has been quite helpful for you.