1st year with other BBQ cateres in the area

[HBMTN]

Man they are killing me. This is my 3rd year of catering and all has been going great. There have been no other BBQ caterers in the area until this year. One small BBQ restaurant opened that will cater and another catering company opened with a BBQ as a part of it, and then another BBQ caterer from the county above me have all moved into the area. I have been concentrating on great service, high quality and would like to keep it that way but they are kicking my but by doing simple run of the mill low end barbecue.

I charge $12.50 for pulled pork and two sides (add $3 for a 2nd meat) on site catering. These other guys are coming in at $9-$10 for two meats and two sides with a dessert, One even does all you can eat pork, brisket, chicken and 3 sides for $11pp

Do I stand my ground and concentrate on the higher end client along with advertising the difference in what we do vs the others? Or cut my costs and quality and join the low ballers? Which I don't want to do, I am very frustrated. I am getting probably way more wedding gigs from high end clients than they are but I am not getting any average joe reunion/parties this year. Advice?

 

[PorkQPine]

If you get known for cheap BBQ you will be stuck. There are always cheap guys coming in town but they will be gone is a year or two.

 

[landarc]

I don't know about straight catering, but, in a restaurant, once you go low, people will expect you to stay there. It makes it hard to change your prices. If you can get tied into a higher level market and the clientele can discern the difference (all easier if you tell them the differences) then you will be in a better position for long term success.

I would not try and compete and go lower, try and compete by educating the clientele and bringing them up.

 

[JS-TX]

Just curious, but how do you know they are doing low end bbq? How do you define low end bbq vs higher end bbq? Thanks.

 

[HBMTN]

Just curious, but how do you know they are doing low end bbq? How do you define low end bbq vs higher end bbq? Thanks.

I know a couple of the other barbecuer's and have tasted or know people who have tasted all but one of the others. They cook simple out of the can sides or store bought sides with barbecue cooked to death that must be drown in the so called vinegar sauce they make to have any taste, and they come cater looking unprofessional and just plop the food on a table with a cheap table cloth without chaffers let the people go at it. I try to bring a clean professional crew set up a nice buffet under a nice canopy with several choices for sauce, all sides are hand made and we use nice chaffers. Clean set up with high quality ingredience and bring plenty of food so that the last person in line gets the same choices as the first person in line. This is what one competitor I have will do below I just copied it and pasted it from his site, now how can you cook enough meat for the last person in line has the same choices as the first person for this meal for this price? I would be working for nothing if I did it, if you all see a profit here please explain because I must be doing something wrong.


MENU #5 - $11.00 per person
Pork BBQ
Beef Brisket
Leg 1/4 Chicken Barbequed
Roll
Baked Beans
Coleslaw/Macaroni Salad
Cucumber/Onion/vinaigrette salad
Plates, Cups, Napkins and silverware included in above prices.
CHILDREN UNDER 3 - FREE
CHILDREN AGES 3-10 - 1/2 PRICE
Please Note: This price is for all you can eat meals. Any extra carry out will be charged the per person meal price.

 

[deguerre]

Sounds like you've got a really class act, and people have noticed (Presentation is very important IMO, almost as important as the quality of the food), which is why you're still getting the high end jobs. I wouldn't risk that established reputation.

 

[JS-TX]

HBMTN, I see what you are saying. Typical bad BBQ. It's too bad the general public doesn't know they difference. All too often people will eat BBQ and call it good, although it's really not at all. I've been to parties where people are eating and loving tough as leather BBQ that has been drowned in sauce.

I dont' think you should stoop down to their level, but perhaps start marketing yourself as "better BBQ". I think restaurants may be able to get away with such low prices as they care deal and care about volume, but others such as yourself can't do that for long and expect to make a decent living.

 

[gooose53]

I agree with what the others have said. My wife will tell me to give the bbq away before charging people for what she thinks is sub-par bbq from me. I don't know if I totally agree with her....but, I have to come home every night so it's the way it is. That's one reason I don't want to start doing a ton of catering....someone complains about the price but yet will eat sub-par bbq cheap and be happy about it. I'll stick to doing contests and a few catering jobs here and there.