Читать книгу Start & Run a Catering Business - George Erdosh - Страница 18

Efficiency is important in most professions, but in some fields, it is an essential skill to ensure success; food service is one of those fields. The food the guests are waiting for must arrive at their table as quickly as possible. Preparation time must be kept to a minimum; only a high degree of efficiency can achieve this.

You quickly discover what you can prepare far in advance of the event and what must be done at the last minute so that staff time is used efficiently. With careful planning, organization, and good efficiency, you’ll pull it off with the minimum staff possible to protect your profit margin. Fine-tuning allows a small safety factor of time for unexpected problems that notoriously crop up at the last minute. If you’re not a very efficient person, or are unwilling or incapable of learning how to be one, hire a good catering or kitchen manager who is. Then you can concentrate on other aspects of the business, such as selling and marketing, food styling and presentation, or financial management.

Efficiency is necessary for several reasons. First, you must be able to shape masses of raw material into gorgeous food in the shortest possible time or you’ll never get to the culminating step: feeding people. Second, many items can be prepared only at the last minute. Some foods hold well hot but every extra half hour of standing will lower the peak serving quality. Many foods don’t keep well if they are chilled too long either. Salads and fruits lose their crispness. An extra hour does make a noticeable difference. One more hour, and even the host or hostess will notice. Such foods must be prepared at the last minute, so the end of preparation signals the beginning of serving with no time lag. That requires meticulous preplanning so nothing goes wrong. Some catering tricks you’ll learn along the way will help alleviate the last-minute rush and tension. Maybe what you’ll learn is how to deal with the pressure.