catering = cooking on site?

[trekmstr]

when you guys cater an event, do you cook on site or cook somplace else and just deliver cooked product? if you do cook onsite do you charge extra for that? thanks

[ThomEmery]

In my county cooking onsite can be done with no permits
Off site requires a commissary kitchen
I always cook onsite ;)

[CivilWarBBQ]

We do both.
Typically we cook at the restaurant for small or low budget jobs. If you want us to pull a smoker to your location, that's going to cost you whether you get any food or not. You have to protect yourself from the people who are happy to watch you lose money on fuel and labor for a hatful of five dollar sandwiches.

[armor]

If I go on site I may precook some of food depending on what they want. I really don't like spending 10 plus hours cooking on site. Anyway I do charge more to put on the dog and pony show.

[Jeroen]

I always cook on site, no extra charge.
I lug my Eggs around 3 days a week.

You show your skills, get people interested, maybe get some follow-up business.

I trie to do as much prepwork as possible in advance, to relieve myself of stress on the day.

[southernsmoker]

We cook both ways, depends on what the client prefers, they usually like the Lang and the Kitchen onsite for the wow factor for their guests..

[HandsomeSwede]

Depends on what the client wants, on-site definitely is more of a show: the smoke, the cookers, the break down of the meat. But it will also cost the customer more because then I have the hauling of equipment, the clean up and any insurance required by government or venue.

[chuckswagonbbq]

I always cater on-site. I NJ if you prepare everything at the clients' site, your considered a personal chef and do not need health inspection. Still I play if safe and use a freinds restaurant for prep after he is closed so I am actually working under his license.

[grillfella]

Both off site a little cheaper

[Badfrog]

Both, but even when onsite a lot of the work is done before getting onsite. As Handsomeswede said, a lot of the onsite is show...

[Jerk Pit Master]

I offer both services.

For onsite cooking, I add an onsite cooking fee of $100 plus $2 per R/T mile transportation fee. For drop off, my delivery would have been $1 per R/T mile.

My discretionary gratuity is typically higher for onsite cooking too vs. delivery.

Basically, I'm charging a $100 fee to cover the extra hassle and lost time required to hook up and tow my mobile kitchen. Everything else remains the same.

[trekmstr]

thanks everyone

[timmy7649]

Originally Posted by ThomEmery

In my county cooking onsite can be done with no permits
Off site requires a commissary kitchen
I always cook onsite ;)

this is what i am looking in to in my county. so far all i have been told by the hd is that if all the food is bought at a store and taken right to the sight and cooked on site no permit or licence is required. but my question is do you have to have a buisness license and insurance and then do you advertise as a caterer or personal chef?

[txschutte]

Originally Posted by timmy7649

this is what i am looking in to in my county. so far all i have been told by the hd is that if all the food is bought at a store and taken right to the sight and cooked on site no permit or licence is required. but my question is do you have to have a buisness license and insurance and then do you advertise as a caterer or personal chef?

This is precisely how I started, and after the first gig, Icame to my senses. I provide a service based on my expertise, and anything that goes wrong is on my hands. That fact opens me up as being a target for lawsuits, whether it is my fault or not. Insurance is a start, but an LLC can protect your personal assets as well. Smokers, trailers and other cooking equipment is owned by my catering company, but my truck, the wifeys car, and my house are owned by me. This sets up limits as to how much a person can get you for.

By no means take my words for legal advice, a consultation with an attorney can help you make sound actions t protect yourself, and your patrons.

[Captain]

I'm getting ready for my first BBQ catering job. I plan to set pulled pork up in those disposable aluminum foil trays with the sterno under them. The real question is... what do you serve the sauce in? Since I will be setting the food up on the customer's tables and leaving I'm not sure what to leave the sauce in. I make my own sauce and store it in gallon jugs. Not real handy for them to serve themselves out of.

Captain Jim