OFF PREMISES CATERING

Off premises catering has always very specialized business. It is service to the office,
home, club or wherever meals are served off the premises from where they are planned and
prepared. Its growth has been tremendous and there has been a vast improvement in this
from of business. The business of outdoor catering firm should as far as possible continue
throughout the year to ensure that the equipments provided for a particular functions& staff
are used to the maximum ability. In this form of catering the organization must be planned
the last detail and an initial survey should be exact and through. The following points
should be included while planning the out door event.
1. Type of function.
2. Date of function.
3. Location of site &distance from the kitchen.
4. Local transport available.
5. Staff requirement.
6. Layout of the site.
7. No. of people expected to attend.
8 Available of water, gas, electricity, drainage &refrigerator.
9. Budget available
10. Time allowance for setting up on catering unit.
11. Type of business if required.
12. Mode of communication to ensure the control and moment of staff & supplies.
13. First aid.
14. Additional cost of overheads on a particular site.
15. Type of service.
16. Washing up facilities.
17. Disposables of garbage.
Each outdoor catering operation is different & varies to some extent or from the other.
The person in charge of the operations needs to be decision, power, able to command,
adaptable to various situations & circumstances, should have quick thinking and above all
needs to have respects of staff working under him. The majority of the staff employed at
outdoor catering function are taken on casual basis which may involve a lot of
administration for the organizers and the security of the staff must be vary through to
ensure the quality of the personnel.
The arrangement of an outdoor catering function must be very efficient. As once on side it
is often possible to rectify errors. Any items forgotten or not packed on the transport have
to be gone without which might recent is the loss of repeat business on a later date.
OFFPREMISES CATERING
Introduction--Meaning of the word off premises catering--- It is the service to the office, club, home or
wherever meals are served off the premises where they are planned and prepared.
It covers everything from the take home meals to the most elaborate parties or weddings.
Qualities of good party caterers--- The success of any catering service depends upon the
man behind the venture.

1. He must have had proper contracts with the people who are able to make use of the
service.
2. He must posses ability to perform this service satisfactory and to engage courteous,
efficient and capable staff.
3. He must be able to serve tasty, eye appealing food and deliver at its destination on
time.
Complexity of good party catering
1. Highly specialized operation
2. Profit is the interesting part.
3. Careful consideration is to be given to small details and active participation by the
people concern.
4. There are no set standards or formula for a party catering to be successful.
5. Procedure and techniques vary from job to job, place to place, according to the
requirements of the occasion.
Planning of menu
1. Arrangement of an acceptable menu is very important.
2. Caterer should have novel ideas and be able to implement it.
3. Dishes chosen should be faultless in quality, tasty and attractive in appearance.
4. Cost should also be taken consideration.
5. Customer should not be served, smaller portion than he was told.
6. Every party should be specific and different from anything what has gone before.
7. Clients require suggestions to make the party different.
Points to be considered while menu planning for party catering--1. Planning well in advance will ensure minimum amount of repetition of food.
2. Planning menu for a definite cycle of time has been found as an efficient means.
3. Variation must be produced by serving different vegetables or meat a color contrast.
4. Seasonal availability of foods is very important as parties are booked much in
advance.
5. Nutritionally adequate and balanced.
6. It must fit within the budget of the customer and to his satisfaction.
7. Are personnel and equipment adequate for the party?
8. Do the menu for the period-show adherence to established standards of service as to
quality and variety of food.
9. It helps to procure stores in advance.
10. The occasion for which the catering is done an important factor and so the pattern
of food will charge accordingly.
To be successful, the menu must reflect the eating habits and expectations of the
restaurant market. The tastes of customers are complex and varying from day to day
and from season to season.
Equipments
These may include an assortment of good china, for special occasion such as weddings
and anniversary good hallow wares, flat wares, attractive glass ware and silver ware,
serving dishes of all kinds and sizes, good quality linen and all kinds of and types of
buffet service equipments. These are the items that guest see and by which judge a
catering establishment.

For storage and transportating of these equipments it is important to have special boxes,
where the equipments are fit. There are many kinds and types of necessary equipments
such as insulated carriers for soups, coffee and other beverages. There are containers to
carry ice cubes, portable hot cases to keep food warm and also portable fryers, baking
and roasting chambers etc.
Caterers also could hire out tables chairs and accessories on a contract basis.
Check list
Various checks lists help the caterers in smooth and systematic functioning of the party.
Given below are the two check list formats.
A) Equipments
Sr.no.

Name of the caterer-------------

Date -----Sr no.

ITEM

Qty

Prepared by: ------

Address--------------------------------------------------FUNCTION No.-----------------PLACE
----------------Sr.no.
ITEM
Qty

Checked by: -------

B) FOOD CHECK LIST

Sr.no.

Name of the caterer-------------

Date -----Sr no.

ITEM

Qty

Address--------------------------------------------------FUNCTION No.-----------------PLACE
----------------Sr.no.
ITEM
Qty

Prepared by:----

Checked by: ---------