It’s important to not underestimate the challenge of running a business. On average, nearly 20% of new businesses don’t even make it to their second year.

However, if you have decided to start your own business, you could at least tip those odds of survival more in your favour by choosing a line of work you love — and how many of us don’t love food? For this reason, setting up a catering kitchen can be a particularly enticing prospect.

You would, though, have to juggle a lot of plates (no, not literally — you obviously want to save them for the dinner table!) as a caterer — whether you prepare food for private events or corporate functions. Here are several steps for you to take on your way to achieving culinary excellence.

Start small

If you are considering going into catering in the first place, it’s probably because you have a lot of fun putting together gastronomic delights in your home’s kitchen — and your catering business could start there, too. You could even use ingredients that are already in your kitchen cupboards.

As for exactly what type of catering you ought to start offering first, it could help if you consider your personal connections. For example, if you know quite a few people who are set to get married soon, you could have plenty of opportunities to learn the ropes as a wedding caterer.

Further down the line, as your business takes on more and more orders, you might need to move into a professional kitchen. A catering kitchen for rent can give you cost-effective access to better amenities, such as larger ovens, while helping you to keep on top of the hygiene side of things.

Find a USP (unique selling point)

Of course, there are many different places where you could potentially provide catering. When someone is celebrating a special milestone, such as a birthday, anniversary or wedding, the quality of the food can be a big part of the experience.

You could also target business events along the lines of product launches and award ceremonies. Still, no matter how far you endeavour to extend your catering remit, you should also seek to give your business a distinctive ‘hook’; something that can help it to carve out a niche in the market.

Perhaps you could specialise in offering vegan-only food, or pledge to source all your ingredients locally? Whatever slant you go for, it will ideally be one that few if any catering companies in the area are already chasing, but which enables you to tap into pent-up demand.

Keep on eye on your corporate finances

How should you price your business’s catering services? It will be a tricky balance to price highly enough to cover your overheads, but also low enough to attract customers. Here, it would be wise for you to look at what competing caterers are charging for services similar to yours.

In any case, you should also seek clever ways to streamline your financial outgoings. For example, by accurately forecasting what ingredients you will need and when, you can reduce food wastage.

In fact, preventing many forms of waste would bode well for both the financial health and green credentials of your company. As the world-renowned naturalist David Attenborough has urged: “Don’t waste electricity; don’t waste paper; don’t waste food.”

Engage heavily in marketing

You can help to spread the word about your catering business through various marketing channels — including a dedicated business website, as well as a string of social media profiles. In all of these online places, you can post high-definition photographs of food items from your menu.

Not all of your catering kitchen business’s marketing activities have to take place online, however. You could look into running print ads, distributing leaflets and flyers, and sponsoring events.

Continue to maintain and enhance your services

Perhaps the most powerful form of marketing is word of mouth. You therefore have a strong incentive to make sure you are keeping pace with — and if possible, surpassing — the competition across a wide range of measures, including:

• The quality and variety of the cuisine
• Value for money
• Punctuality
• Your handling of customer queries or complaints

Nonetheless, in your drive to acquire new customers, you should be careful not to overlook those you have already served. You could strive to stay in touch with them and offer them special money-off deals.

A catering kitchen can be a great place for you to experiment with different ingredients in an attempt to find the ‘next big thing’ on the dining scene — and hopefully build a reputation for innovation.

Leading North West brewery and pub retailer Hydes is ensuring that the future of the business is in good hands after Hydes family member and brewery employee Tom Allkins, passed his Level 4 brewing apprenticeship with distinction.

Established in 1863, Hydes is commemorating its 160th anniversary this year.

Tom, who is the nephew of Adam Hyde, the longest serving employee and family member in the business as company secretary, has now been promoted from brewing apprentice to laboratory manager at Hydes brewery premises in Salford.

To celebrate Tom’s promotion and exciting journey within the family business, both he and Adam Hyde were invited to the newly opened Hydes premium dining pub, The Harry Beswick, in Heswall, on the Wirral. Tom had the honour of pulling the first official Hydes pint from the newly installed pumps, serving it to his uncle Adam.

The £3.6M Harry Beswick is the first new Hydes establishment to open in five years. Hydes acquired the landmark building, formerly Heswall’s community police station, in 2022 costing £1.3million. The acquisition of the building was Hydes’ first property acquisition since 2018.

In addition to Tom’s apprenticeship achievements, fellow brewery worker Tom Rostron has also passed his apprenticeship and has been appointed Hydes’ brewery manager.

Hydes originated when brothers Alfred and Ralf Hyde acquired a small brewing concern in Manchester from their grandfather Thomas Shaw in 1863, beginning a brewing dynasty that would go on to mark its 160th anniversary this year.

As Hydes’ business developed it was managed by a variety of family members from different generations, increasing success led to it outgrowing its premises several times.

In 1899, with William and Annie Hyde in control, the business moved to its long-term home at the Queens Brewery site in Brooks Bar, Manchester. It was under their leadership that the company began acquiring an estate of public houses through which to distribute more of Hydes’ products.   In 2012, after over 100 years, the company ended its tenure at the Queens Brewery and relocated to its existing site in Salford’s Media City, the Beer Studio.

160 years later and Hydes operates nearly 50 pubs ranging from Lancaster in the North to Stoke-on Trent in the Midlands and across to North Wales including a wide selection of premium dining destination outlets and traditional community pubs.

New laboratory manager Tom, commented: “It feels great to be making my own way within the family business and to continue the brewing traditions started 160 years ago. It was an honour to attend the opening of our latest establishment and officially welcome the Harry Beswick into the Hydes pub family.”

Adam Hyde, company secretary and board member, who has spent over 40 years working for the family business, commented: “What better way to commemorate our 160th year of brewing excellence than launching a new addition to our extensive estate and officially welcoming the next generation of the family into the fold, preserving the rich history of the brewery and further strengthening our heritage for another generation.

“The family is very proud of Hydes’ distinguished heritage and reputation as a first rate employer which respects and values its employees. A strong focus on running the business with the traditional values that have guaranteed its survival since 1863 is still very much in play, along with the ability to evolve and adapt to a dynamic and ever-changing landscape.”

Hydes, with its brewery in Media City, Salford, was formed in 1863 and supplies beers to wholesalers, pub companies and other brewers throughout the UK and a pub retailing estate of nearly 50 pubs across the North West of England and North Wales.

Pictured: Tom Allkins (left) and Adam Hyde toast Hydes’ newly launched Harry Beswick premium dining pub in Heswall