If you`ve decided to take the plunge and start up your own home catering business, then congratulations; you are joining thousands of other people who have decided to enjoy the benefits of business ownership and follow their dreams!
There are a great number of things that you`ll need to consider as you create your new home catering business. Above all, you must remember that running a business from your home is not the same as living in it. As soon as a commercial remit is involved, a whole host of legislation and business regulations come into play, which determine how and according to which processes, you need to manage your business. For example, commercial kitchens must be laid out in a professional way, have fire extinguishers, health and safety notices and space requirements between certain functional areas. Those using the kitchen must also wear the requisite safety and hygiene kit. Training is well worth investing in, to ensure that you will run your new kitchen as efficiently and productively as possible, whilst adhering to the requisite regulations and following good practices. Join special interest and catering groups to get access to advice, special offers and membership discount schemes within your industry.
Health and safety
Your kitchen will need to be assessed by a council inspector from Trading Standards and approved for business usage. This will mean ensuring that you follow the guidance given by the Food Standards Agency and commercial catering advisory and membership bodies, as well as the Health & Safety executive. This will govern how you run your kitchen, how you can use it for business - and personal use where appropriate, which processes you must follow and what sort of kit is recommended.
Picking the right oven
For many new catering business people, their oven will be the primary purchase and depending on the nature of their new business, they might invest in more than one. Assess the space that you have available and the products that you are producing. Pizzas for example do benefit from a specific pizza oven, particularly if you are promoting a classic woodburning angle. Range ovens are ideal for traditional cooking and baking and offer flexibility. The choice of fuel will depend on what your kitchen is equipped for and the size of your oven will depend on the space you have available and the throughput that you need to achieve.
Investing in quality
With a catering business particularly, it is important to invest in quality. For domestic kitchens, appliances can be more disposable, as their usage is likely to be variable and tending towards lighter use. Commercial catering involves intensive usage, for highly defined, repetitive and specific purposes; and appliance downtime will rapidly affect your bottom line if you find yourself experiencing a fault.
Ensure that you invest in the best kit that you can afford and use access to business finance if necessary to buy the right equipment. Check for an extended warranty and seek out high quality and commercially oriented products such as the Rangemaster Classic Deluxe. Look for reviews given by other caterers and ask your network for advice and guidance if necessary. It can also be worthwhile to attend a showroom and see some of the top models in action, to ensure that you feel comfortable that your new investment is right for you and will provide the benefits that you need. Once purchased, remember too to invest in an annual service for kit such as your range oven, to maximise its useful working life.
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