Ramadan is an opportunity for food service businesses to win customers as it often marks a boom in traffic for dining out. While some prefer to dine in, others would love to have a Buka Puasa session in the office, at home, or at an event space to enjoy extra comfort and privacy. If you think your food service business is ready to add on catering services this Ramadan, here’s some tips and preparation that you need to know:
Check if your kitchen and event space can handle the additional load. Ensure you have ample space for both cooking large quantities and storing ingredients. Other than your back-of-house space, don’t forget to consider for your service area too! Determine if you can offer catering at your restaurant or extend services to customers’ chosen locations for a personalized Ramadan feast.
Cooking for large groups isn’t quite the same as plating up individual dishes. Curate a menu that showcases your culinary strengths while embracing Ramadan favorites. Do also try to surprise and delight your customers with a fusion of beloved Malaysian flavors and the vibrant world of Korean cuisine such as Ayam Masak Kimchi, Chicken Kimchi Murtabak and Chicken Rice Bibimbap. While doing so, be sure to also consider if these menu items can travel well and maintain their quality during delivery if you are offering them off your premise.
Decide on the services you provide. Are you focusing on only food delivery, or are you taking the extra steps like providing servers and renting out tableware? As a start, you can go with a simple drop-and-go catering service like Kx Makan. Their budget-friendly catering involves exclusively delivering the food to the location with no additional services on table setup and food serving, but allowing you to choose from a range of Malaysian crowd-favorite. It also allows you to limit the maximum number of guests that your food can serve. As your business grows, consider partnering with others to offer a wider range of catering solutions.
Prepare your team for the added stress of catering. With Ramadan potentially leading to quieter mornings and afternoons, allocate these times for catering preparations. Efficient time management will be crucial, so you do need to pay more attention in scheduling your cooking, packing, and delivery so your food can arrive at the event space at least an hour before Iftar. Consider a streamlined early-bird package to encourage clients to order so you can plan way ahead.
If you’ve decided to take the plunge into catering for the month of Ramadan, then it’s time to advertise your business and ensure you cater to the needs of your customers! Early-bird packages with attractive prices are a common strategy, but you can also reach out to corporate clients and regulars by sending them emails, flyers, or messages about your upcoming Ramadan catering service. Good ol’ word-of-mouth works as well, as you never know who might get in touch with you for your great food and services!
Catering can be huge in terms of revenue and name for any food service business, but it’s not easy to set up and expand without the right timing and people. Testing it out for limited periods before the peak season may be wise if you’re seeking to dip your feet into the catering pool, as it helps you identify issues and potential challenges before you’ve devoted to growing your business towards that aspect.
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