In today’s world that is enduring a pandemic, there have been changes across nearly every industry. The service industry has been everything but gutted due to physical locations being shut down. In states like that of Florida or New York, the catering aspect of restaurants and other food producers are all that is bringing in revenue. The Coronavirus has ravaged the catering industry in various ways. The majority of people will not comprehend the true damage that has been done. Below are just a few of the many challenges that are facing the catering industry during these uncertain times.

Events are Postponed or Cancelled

There have been a large number of events that have been cancelled which include professional sporting events and even weddings. Catering companies can make money off of weekly events or larger events like that of a wedding. For those that purchased food in advance, this has led to quite a few conflicts. Caterers do not want to lose money but in this unprecedented time, refunds could cripple an individual or entire catering company. The last thing a caterer wants is a poor reputation after business can resume due to not putting the customer first. Finding the balance between taking care of employees and clients seems nearly impossible.

Uncertainty of the Date that Regular Operations will Resume

The toughest part of the Coronavirus pandemic is the unsure nature of when events and operations of businesses can resume again. Scheduled events that are months away have been postponed or completely cancelled. Scheduling any type of event to cater is legitimately impossible at this point. There could be months before social distancing policies are abolished with some states being far more at risk than others due to their elderly population. The inability to forecast any type of revenue has led to plenty of larger companies having to fire their catering directors.

Organization of Much Smaller Catering Orders

The need for catering management software has increased due to this crisis. There are far smaller orders than in the past where a caterer only had to manage a few events per month. Companies and restaurants that have never really offered takeout or catering are having to fill the needs of the public. There is a chance that a large family wants food catered for the week so they can completely avoid going to the grocery store. This is an uncertain time with some people taking all of the precautions while others risk going out into public due to boredom. Keep all customers happy by using software to help organize all orders so customers receive what they have ordered. People will remember who took care of them during this tough time and can help earn customers for life.

Catering Teams have been Terminated

Some loyal employees work some of the best events that caterers are hired to manage. Lack of events has led to a large number of these professionals being terminated. Finding a job during these times is a complete nightmare which will lead caterers to rehire a new staff once business resumes as usual. Finding the best servers or bartenders can take years to build a team that can be trusted. The wrong server or a bartender that over serves guests at an event can be a complete liability. The last thing anyone wants is someone to ruin a wedding as a bartender didn’t cut them off in a responsible manner. The rebuilding process could be lengthy as many members of the staff might have taken another job to keep themselves afloat financially.

The catering industry has been crippled to a point but it is important to generate revenue in the safest ways possible. Take the time to assess your catering situation to see if you are missing out on earning in a certain niche.