FoodService Director’s 2007 Catering Study Highlights

Study conducted with operators in the non-commercial segments of business & industry, colleges & universities, K-12 schools and hospitals...

Study conducted with operators in the non-commercial segments of business & industry, colleges & universities, K-12 schools and hospitals:

• 46% of operators surveyed say they cater both on- and off-premise events
• 62% of operators who do provide catering charge more for off-premise events
• For most operators, catering is either a profit center (44%) or a loss leader (41%), with only 15% saying they operate catering on a break-even basis
• 40% of operators surveyed say they are the only caterer allowed in their building or campus, with college dining services most likely to have exclusive rights to on-site catering
• Operators say breakfasts (30%) and lunches (42%) make up the bulk of their business, but dinners (22%) also bring in a fair amount of revenue. Occasional special events represents about 6%.
• About 33% of operators surveyed say they offer customers the option of using environmentally friendly disposable serviceware at catered events. One reason may be lack of demand; on average, only about 26% of customers are asking for it.

Reprinted with permission of Ideal Media, LLC.