So, you’re starting a new catering business, or you’ve already set one up but aren’t sure where to go from here. Don’t panic, have some tips to help you on your way. We’re diving into starting a new catering business and how refrigerated vehicles can become an influential part of it. Interested? Carry on scrolling for more information.
Marketing your business
Firstly, a great starting point when setting up a new catering business is marketing it correctly and efficiently. It’s essential you market properly so you can make your customers aware of the products you’re offering. You need to engage with your audience so they’re attracted to your products; push them to make a purchase. However, in order to do this properly and gain maximum potential from it, there are three areas you must consider investing plenty of time in.
Find your niche
A great way to start marketing your business is to figure out what your niche is. If you’re not sure what ‘niche’ means, it means what is unique about the product or service you’re trying to sell. So if your niche is catering, what kind of catering do you want to offer? Event? Corporate? Figure out what it is you’d like to offer to your audience, and that is the first important step completed. Now you’ve decided on your niche, next you must weigh up the size of orders you can realistically take. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself with numerous orders if you can’t meet your customer’s requirements! Establishing this straightaway will help you in the long-run.
Also, you need to decide what qualities are most important to you with your products. The audience wants to understand what makes your service different compared to other more trusted catering businesses. Things for you to consider could involve, taste, value, appearance, innovation and sophistication. Each of these factors can become a key component when selling your product to customers – so make sure you take them all under serious consideration.
Research your market
The next area you need to investigate thoroughly is your chosen market. Researching your competitors in the area is a good starting point as you can see the type of food and prices they charge, and what demographic they bring in too. From here, evaluate whether there’s demand in your area for another catering business. If not, then it’s wise to set up shop elsewhere as there is no point running yourself into the ground before you’ve even got going. However, if after researching the community there is an empty void you can fill to sufficiently make an impact – it’s full steam ahead.
Create a business plan
Once you’ve found your niche and understand the market you’re about to enter, the next and final step is to create a business plan. A great place to start is to create a unique menu which is different to your competitors and offers something new your target audience hasn’t tried before. Including the small details such as the ingredients and if it’s locally sourced will appeal greatly to potential customers as they will know you have good intentions as a catering business. Projecting to your audience you’re a local business with deep roots in the community, hence why you source local produce is a great USP (unique selling point).
In addition, you’ll need to think about how you will acquire and transport your goods to the customer. As a van rental company and the previous work we’ve completed with caterers, we can’t recommend a refrigerated van enough as the perfect solution to this problem. The popularity of refrigerated vehicles has increased dramatically in the catering supply industry as the demands have increased. The ability to transport perishable goods over longer and longer distances has helped catering businesses expand to a wider audience, allowing them to provide a nationwide service and has in turn made them reliant on temperature-controlled vehicles.
Using a refrigerated van is an essential tool you can maximise due to the ability to transport goods and keep them at optimum temperatures. But where can you find out more information on refrigerated vehicles? Scroll to our next section to learn more.
Acquire a refrigerated van from Cool Running Rental
If the idea of a refrigerated van is in line with your business model, then we can assure you that you will not be disappointed in our vehicles here at Cool Running Rental. Our wide-range fleet can meet your most demanding requirements, and they’re in top mechanical condition too so rest assured the vehicle has been fully serviced. Each refrigerated van has the ability to transport your produce from A to B with zero hassle; whilst maintaining an optimum temperature during transportation.
All of our larger vans can also be set up with separate internal storage compartments that can be set to either cold or warm temperature regulations. This makes our vans ideal for transporting a wide range of foods to support a catering business. Due to popular demand, we don’t have any vans for sale, however, we have plenty you can lease from which are all in the best possible shape. We can offer flexible short-term and long-term leasing, renting & hiring of all of our vehicles.
We hope you enjoyed reading our latest article on the beginnings of a new catering business and how refrigerated vans can be most useful for you. If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to get in touch with us today.