5 Reasons to Begin A Career in Catering
A career in catering can be full of excitement, challenges and growth prospects.
Whether you are working for yourself in your own business, as part of a large kitchen staff, at the front of house, or in some other part of the catering profession, you are involved in a crucial industry.
How, where, and what we eat remains a huge part of life — and of business. That is arguably why the catering sector is one of the most robust industries and sees a lot of investment, growth, and opportunity, year after year.
If you’re thinking of starting a career in catering, the five reasons below might help to motivate you even more.
1) The Variety
Catering is a hugely varied industry. Depending on your role, every day might be completely different. You might be serving customers in a sit-down setting, attracting investors through a pop-up dining experience, overhauling your online presence, or budgeting, for example.
But the variety doesn’t end in just day to day tasks. You also have variety in the wealth of roles and positions to choose from. Perhaps you are passionate about great service and interaction, and would love a career in catering PR, or front of house?
Perhaps it’s the cooking itself that is your passion, and you want to work your way up to be a head chef or else launch your very own business.
You may instead be involved in logistics, maintenance, or some other aspect of the catering industry. But one thing is certain, this is an industry characterised by variety, challenges, and the chance to learn something new every day.
2) The Opportunities
As catering is an industry that always has a strong interest and demand, there is constant innovation and investment. This can make it an especially exciting industry to be a part of, as it offers lots of room for growth and progression.
And as it is a global industry too, you may even be able to travel the world! If this is your desire, try looking for training opportunities and short-term positions in particular.
3) The Chance to Make a Difference
A key component of job satisfaction can be whether or not you feel you are making a genuine difference. In the catering industry, there are lots of ways to widen your impact.
A pressing contemporary concern in business — and society as a whole — is currently climate change, waste management, and protecting the planet. Food production has been identified as one of the main areas that needs to be addressed.
If you work in catering, you may have the opportunity to adopt a greener approach, such as by minimising waste, giving leftovers to charity initiatives, provide local ‘greener’ alternatives and more.
If you are fortunate enough to be running your own catering business, you can adopt policies and plans that ensure you are operating in an environmentally friendly way. Even if you are an employee, you can still help to encourage positive change.
The catering industry can spearhead positive changes in the community — whether raising money for charity, helping the environment, redistributing food waste or more.
4) It’s Becoming More Affordable
While it’s true that some costs in the catering industry are always steadily climbing, there are more creative solutions to them than ever before.
Rental prices may be soaring, for example, but mobile solutions and pop-up opportunities are rapidly developing as an alternative.
The cost of equipment may also be rising, but there are now some excellent refurbished equipment options (like ours for example!), restored to a professional standard, trusted by the industry, and available at a price which helps you save hundreds of pounds or more!
5) Helping People
Surveys and studies have shown that a desire to help people can often top the list in people’s search for meaningful work. In the catering industry, you will have the opportunity to help and serve people in a variety of ways every day.
Whether you are catering for a current need that isn’t being met — such as for a specific diet, taste, or restriction, or just providing the best possible service that you can, your business can help people every day.
Eating is an emotional experience. Food can be a celebration, a chance to connect with family or friends, try something new or enjoy an old favourite. In catering, whether your role is hands-on or behind the scenes, you can be a part of making these memories and providing a service that your customers truly love!
