Catering in FL?

Does anybody own/work with a catering business in Florida?  What have been your experiences?  Did you find the business to be successful?

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeteMcCracken 

I'm not from Florida, but if I were, the question is FAR to vague for me to even approximate an intelligent answer.

 

For starters:

• What type of "catering business", i.e. on-site, off-site, full service, drop-off service, lunch only, ???
• What types of experiences are you looking for?
• How do you measure success, $ in the bank, satisfaction, # employees, ???
   

 

Please forgive my lack of detail as I am very new to this.  The type of catering will begin as drop-off service for corporate lunches and will hopefully expand to more extensive services such as small events, on-site for private in-home catering, etc.  I expect this to be very gradual.  One of the current challenges I am facing is locating a certified commercial kitchen for rental usage.  In Florida, it would be extremely difficult to have an in-home kitchen certified for commerical use.  The option most feasible is to rent out a commercial kitchen during their off-hours.

I am looking for anybody's experiences that they would be willing to share.  The experience I have had in catering was as a server at a full-service banquet hall.  I am certain that it will be very different to be running the show.  If anyone has experience in catering corporate lunches or small groups, then I would like to know the logistics of this practice, (e.g., transporting the food and supplies, assurance of quality, maintaining food temperatures, incorporating delivery or clean-up charges, etc.).

By "successful" I mean overall customer satisfaction, continued use of services, and profitability.

Thank you for your patience with my newbie-ness.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shroomgirl 

I'm going to let this question stay.....if you pros in FLA want to respond.

More specific questions may give you better answers.

 

Thanks for the tip.  I will ensure to be more mindful of this in the future.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeteMcCracken 

I'm not from Florida, but if I were, the question is FAR to vague for me to even approximate an intelligent answer.

 

For starters:

• What type of "catering business", i.e. on-site, off-site, full service, drop-off service, lunch only, ???
• What types of experiences are you looking for?
• How do you measure success, $ in the bank, satisfaction, # employees, ???
   

 

Not sure what happened to my first response to this...it said because I am new it had to be moderated but it hasn't yet posted.

Foremostly, I apologize for my lack of detail in my inquiry.  I am very new to approaching the food service industry from this perspective.  The catering business would initially begin as drop-off/off-site corporate lunches and hopefully expand to more extensive events.  The challenge in Florida is finding a location to cook in.  The facility must be a certified commercial kitchen, and it has been difficult to find someone willing to rent out their space for use during their off-hours.  This is one of my inquiries for how people might have managed this challenge and where they were able to find a commercial kitchen willing to rent to them.

Experience-wise, I am looking for anybody's feedback in this area.  I have only been involved in the capacity of being a server in a full-service banquet hall, but I am certain that things will be different from a management/culinary side.  I am mostly interested in anyone's feedback about the logistics of catering, (e.g., transportation of food, quality assurance, maintaining food temperatures, set-up/break-down, etc.).

By "successful" I mean overall customer satisfaction, continued clientele/usage of services, and profitability.  I appreciate feedback in any areas.

Thank you for your patience with my newbie-ness.