Whether you’re running a catering business out of your home or a restaurant, it’s not secret that the competition in this industry has increased with the rise of home-cooks and many different catering offerings. Here we outline some tips that any caterer will find helpful to grow their business.

  1. Create an online presence

In this day and age, it is essential that a business has an online presence. Regardless of whether you’re starting you are just starting your catering business or are well established, having a social media profile is necessary. To take it up to the next level, you can also build a website which showcases your offerings, information about the chef and the team as well as a gallery of photos to inspire future customers. Once you have a website, you can then work on ranking your website as the first result on search engines, also known as search engine optimisation. You can even run ads on google to be the first name to pop up when someone searches for catering in Singapore or run ads on social media to tap into a new audience segment. The avenues for growth are endless using your online presence!

  1. Engage your customers

Often, businesses, regardless of the industry, tend to ignore sleepy clients, and this is especially true in the catering industry. These are clients that might only order occasionally, but it’s important to keep your brand in their mind for the next event. You can start a monthly email newsletter highlighting your newest offerings and offering any promotions you might be running. For your loyal clients, who frequently order from you, offer a loyalty programme. This can especially be helpful when catering for businesses as they frequently need caterers for events. To add the ‘wow’ factor to your business, and truly leave a lasting impression in your customers’ minds, send them a thank you note and a simple gift after an event. Sending a hand-written thank you note with a bouquet of flowers or a piece of cake, shows your customers how much you value. Personal touches such as this is not something many businesses do, allowing you to stand out and have a lasting memory in the customer’s mind.

  1. Ensure you have the right commercial vehicle

As a catering business, it’s important to have a commercial vehicle to transport your goods and your service team if your business provides the service of having servers at the event. Whether you’re catering for 20 people or 200 people, a commercial vehicle is non-negotiable for a catering business. You need to safely transport different types of food in a controlled temperature. When looking for a commercial vehicle for your catering business, here a few points to consider:

  • Consider the type of food you cater and what your vehicle needs to safely transport it.
  • Consider the door configuration that you would like a vehicle to have, for ease-of-use purposes. For example, if you do huge scale catering, it would be better to have a vehicle with a door that opens widely.
  • Customisation of the vehicle should also be a factor to consider. As a catering business, there are certain needs of your business that other businesses simply don’t have. Customising the inside of the vehicle can provide you more space to transport your goods.
  • Towing capability for additional materials if you will be catering large events in the future.
  • A vehicle wrap that promotes your business and leaves a good first-impression.

At Pan Pac, our team of experts will be able to recommend a commercial vehicle in Singapore that fits all the needs of your catering business. We also offer customised vehicles that can be fitted with stainless steel sheets on the inside as well as a freezer to transport the food. Our team will help ensure that your vehicle complies with Singapore Food Agency standards and will even assist in the process of applying for the NEA or SFA permits for you if your business needs it.

Our hassle-free process and low-upfront fee as compared to buying a vehicle makes leasing a commercial vehicle a better choice for you to grow your business. Contact us today to find out more about the types of catering vans you could have for your business.