Above and Beyond Catering is a comprehensive event planning firm that offers fresh food made from scratch, experienced servers in uniform, and creative presentation. Located in Kansas City, Missouri, Above and Beyond Catering has an A rating from the Better Business Bureau and has been named among the best local caterers by The Knot magazine and Kansas City's A-List.
Founded in 2006, Kansas City's Blue Pot Catering provides both classic and contemporary menus with fresh, inspired ingredients. Their meals are all made from scratch and options can be customized for everything from a casual work meeting lunch to a black-tie wedding. Blue Pot Catering is an approved vendor for many of the city's most sought-after event venues.
Serving the Kansas City, Missouri area since 1968, Brancato's Catering offers high-quality service for a range of events from backyard barbecues to weddings. Brancato's works with more than 130 of the area's most popular catering venues. In 2016, this business was named among the Leading Caterers of America. They are also a 2015 Best of Weddings pick from The Knot magazine and have a 4.5 out of 5 stars customer rating on Wedding Wire.
Cosentino's Catering is a catering business servicing Kansas City. It offers a wide selection of menus for different life events like weddings, corporate, and special occasions. Fine foods and meals are prepared fresh with utmost attention to the details preferred by clients. Consultations are conducted to evaluate the style and theme decor needed to design the events. Rental needs are also accommodated for extra convenience. Online services that feature a wide range of menus are also available for delivery catering.
Founded in 2003 in Kansas City, Cupini's Italia is a traditional Italian deli that has been featured on the Food Network. They offer corporate catering for up to 5,000 guests and elegant wedding menus, hors d’oeuvres, buffet style dining, or full service plated dinners. In addition to catering at the client's location, they also have a private dining room that can accommodate up to 50 guests.
Founded in 2006, Eggtc Breakfast, Lunch, and Events has two convenient locations for breakfast, brunch, and lunch in Kansas City. For casual lunch and breakfast buffets at the client's location, clients can choose Eggtc Main Street catering. Eggtc Shawnee offers an event space for more formal events, including showers, wedding rehearsals, birthday parties, and other celebrations.
Garozzo's Italian Restaurant is a Zagat's-rated Kansas City Institution, named the Best Italian Restaurant by KC Magazine and Ingram's. They offer catering services at all three of their locations, including private in-house lunch and dinner menus. In addition, off-site catering is available, including both buffets and plated meals.
Located in Kansas City, Grandma's Catering provides fast, delicious meals for meetings, parties, and other special events. Customers can choose from a range of options including a breakfast buffet, boxed lunches, hot sandwiches, full entrees, and decadent desserts. Special menus for those who are vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free are also available.
Margarita's Amigos provides delicious, authentic Mexican catering from its five convenient Kansas City locations. In fact, they are the preferred provider of player's dinners for the Kansas City Royals. Options include appetizers, chips and dip, enchiladas, taco bar, sides like rice and beans, and even dessert. Customers can purchase by the tray or develop a customized per-person menu.
McGonigle's Market has provided high-quality catering to the Kansas City area since 1951. Their experienced catering staff offers customized menus for all events. Options include appetizer buffet, lunch boxes, cold buffet, barbecue, American, Mexican, and Italian selections, and a full complement of beverages and desserts.
Located in a historic Kansas City locale, Pierpont's Union Station is known for fine steaks and seafood, making them an elegant catering option for any upscale event. They offer a range of menus as well as customized dining at the client's location. Options include a breakfast buffet, plated lunch, lunch buffet, cold and hot appetizers, plated dinners, and luxurious dessert tables.
Kansas City, Missouri's Q39 features chef-driven barbecue catering created by the award-winning Munchin’ Hogs barbecue team, with proprietary barbecue sauces, rubs and cooking techniques. They offer delivery for groups of 15 or larger as well as off-site full-service events, or in-house semi-private or private events for a minimum of 20 guests. Customers can choose from a buffet menu or sit-down meal.
Founded in 2004, Room 39 has two convenient locations focusing on simple, elegant meals featuring sustainably harvested cuisine. Catering menus are customized with the freshest seasonal ingredients, available for everything from small, casual lunches to formal galas and weddings. Room 39's focus on local produce and meat is made possible with partnerships with several local farms in the Kansas City, Missouri area.
Scrape the Plate, a catering company located in Kansas City, Missouri, offers creative artisanal menus that go above and beyond the usual wedding and event fare. Their upscale versions of traditional cuisine have earned corporate clients such as American Idol, Williams-Sonoma, and U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill. All menus are fully customized, with options from romantic in-home dinners for two to several-course banquet meals for a crowd.
Sushi Karma is the only restaurant in Kansas City serving authentic Laotian dishes. The sushi chefs of this restaurant offer catering packages that consist of an assortment of sushi and other Asian delicacies that can feed small or large groups. Some of their catering packages include Tuna Lovers Platter, Salmon Lovers Platter, and Sashimi Plate. This caterer's well-loved Speciality Platter comprises different kinds of spicy sushi rolls, enough to share between five people.
Established in 1996, The Culinary Center of Kansas City offers customized private events and creative catering at their historical, restored 6,500-square-foot turn-of-the-century barn in Overland Park. They offer unique boxed lunches and barbecue meals for anywhere from two to 1,000 guests. And because they double as a cooking school, they can provide fun demonstrations or even hands-on guest participation.
Located in Kansas City and founded in 2004, The Mixx focuses on healthy, in-season ingredients when creating its innovative sandwiches and wraps, gourmet salads, sautéed pasta dishes, and warming soups. Both full scale corporate and private catering options are available from three convenient locations, including boxed lunches as well as traditional platter service.
With stores in Lenexa and Blue Springs, Zarda BBQ offers catering services for both intimate and large gatherings in Kansas City. This caterer not only provides food menu choices, but also builds complete event set-ups. Event catering can be done via buffet or individual food boxes, and orders can be placed online. The company's catering crew may serve on-site and prepare the area by bringing and setting tables and chairs. Private banquet rooms can also be booked in Zarda's store locations.
Just like brick-and-mortar restaurants, catering companies need a liquor license to serve alcohol to patrons. If a caterer is serving alcoholic beverages, guests under the age of 21 are allowed on the premises, but they may not buy or consume alcohol.
If you're having a large event catered and expecting to spend a lot of money, having a tasting beforehand is often a good idea. Tastings are handled differently by catering companies; some may charge while others won't. In general, most caterers charge a fee, usually around the cost of a meal at a restaurant.
Caterers usually help their clients calculate food by offering a recommended portion size per guest. Taking this into consideration, all you need to do is multiply this portion by the number of expected guests to determine the total amount of food needed.
The amount of time in advance needed to schedule catering services depends on the number of people and type of event. For weddings with 50 people or more, six to 12 months in advance is recommended. For smaller gatherings, a month or two should suffice.
Some catering services include tips in the bill, so you don't have to worry about handling this aspect on the day of your event. If the tip is not included, a minimum of 15% of the total bill is recommended, while tipping 20% is not uncommon.
In addition to the food you order, catering services can include delivery, linens, silverware or plasticware, plates and cups, a small heat source to keep hot dishes warm, and staff. When planning your event, it's always a good idea to confirm which of these items are included and necessary.
The three main styles of catering are buffet, plated, and family-style.
Most catering companies provide the necessary equipment to serve food, such as serving utensils and chafing dishes, though not all have furniture, such as chairs and tables, to seat large groups of people. If you also want to rent dining equipment, a larger catering company is likely a good option.
If your event date has changed or needs to be canceled, let the caterers know as soon as possible so they can make the necessary arrangements. A phone call is usually the best option so you can speak with someone directly to ensure that your cancellation is confirmed. If sending an email, be sure to get a written confirmation.
After putting together a business plan and getting licensed, you need some basic equipment, such as plates, bowls, silverware, and garbage bins, to get started with your catering business. This should be enough for a simple operation, though if you want to serve more people, acquiring staff and a kitchen is a must.
Renting a kitchen is an important step for caterers looking to expand their business. Look for a space in your area that is at least 70 square feet, and contact the owner for details on rent. Once you've signed the lease, the next step is outfitting it with the right equipment.
There are many ways to promote a catering business, though the most cost-effective for small businesses is social media. Here you can target specific demographics based on age, interests, and location to reach out to the ideal audience for your services. A press release can be another good way to inform local media outlets of your new business, while a blog can allow new and establish customers to follow you over the long term.
There are several licenses required to run a catering business. In addition to a basic business license (BBL), you may also need a county or city license for food handling and a safety certification. A liquor license is not a necessity but common for caterers who plan on serving weddings and other large parties.
The amount your catering business makes per event depends entirely on how much you charge for your food minus the cost of expenses, such as staffing and materials. These are all details to be worked out in your business plan, but a good rule of thumb is to walk away with at least enough profit to cover the time you spent earning it. The average salary for a caterer is between $18,000 and $42,000 per year.
Getting leads for any business can be tough, but there's no better asset than word of mouth. The best way to get new customers is to make sure you always offer top-level service to the ones you already have, so they recommend you to friends and family in the future.
