Posted by Carl Jones on May 20, 19101 at 02:44:01 :
In Reply to: Re: keeping food hot posted by sam sears, cec on May 19, 19101 at 17:25:26 :
: : I am in the process of starting my catering business, We are in the process of "Getting Legal" My question is what is the best way to transport the hot food to keep it warm? I am afraid I do not know much about this, and wondering if someone out there could help give me some info.
: : Thanks!
: Dear Vickie, this is an issue that you must become intimately familiar with, most all professional caterers, use what is called an insulated transport carrier, sold under many brands such as Cambro (this is what most call these carriers - Cambros) and Continental Carlisle, they cost somewhere between 100 - 150 each, and they hold 4-5 2" hotel pans each, will keep foods hot for hours, OR cold for that matter, if you properly prepare the carrier first.....some of us also use heated holding carts, under the brands of Cres-Cor or Carter Hoffman, these 1/2 size (about 40" tall) or Full size (about 6' tall) carts will hold hotel pans or Sheetpans, depending on the model, and run on electricty &/or w/ sterno food warmers; but these are expensive little pieces of equipment (1,000 & up) per unit, NEW, then there is lots of specialized equipment out there that can be utilized to either heat/re-heat foods on site, so that you don't need to carry hot/warm...this is especially helpful if the product you are transporting does not lend itself to long term heat (such as custards, or delicate sauces that will break or fish/chix that will dry out) - these items might be table top burners, portable stoves/ranges, portable deep fryers/stock pot ranges, portable ovens, portable grills.....remember that NO food items will hold indefinately without some loss of quality....hope this helps./...if you have further specific questions, pls feel free to email me.......sam sears, cec
Great advice Sam. I agree fully. Since he has adequately answered your question, now I will walk the thin line bordering on challenging you and possibly offending you. Offending you is not my desire. Challenging you to think is .
I will also preface this by saying I do not know you or your experience, just the paragraph I read had red flags.
I appreciate you are doing this legally. But, you don't have to convince us, just the plaintiff's legal counsel....
Now for the meat of the matter...
I strongly question a person going into catering without the knowledge of how to transport or hold hot food.... This makes me assume that you have no catering experience.
I am sure you have read the many responses I have made to those wanting to go into the catering business. If you have, you know the statistics of failure! 95% will be OUT OF BUSINESS before the end of 5 years. This is a staggering statistic. I can assure you that of those 5% who do make it, all are very qualified and experienced and have the accounting education to understand cost accounting and financial management.... I can guarantee you that most of the 95% who fail do not have the background. Of the 95%, there are those who are qualified, but just couldn't wait 5 years to make money, which is the other overwhelming statistic.
The best advice I can ever give someone who is looking at starting a catering business, is DON'T.
Sure, I am successful, and so is Sam!. Sam bought an existing business 13 years ago and had several years in the restaurant and hotel business prior to that. I have been in the foodservice business for 21 years. I owned two restaurants when I started my catering business, so I had NO additional overhead. I can assure you when I did open my separate Event and Catering Facility, I was sweating it!
So what advice do I give those who still want to do it?? Go to work with a great caterer for at least five years and when you don't have to ask questions on the internet on "how" to start a catering business or how do hold food, then you may be ready...
Ok, that wasn't painful, was it?
Remember, no offense.
Carl