How to start a catering business?

How can I start a catering business at home in NJ?

• Has anyone ever started a catering business from their home kitchen? Does anyone know where I can rent a kitchen with a food license in NJ? How about does anyone know how I can get my food handling license for the state of NJ? Please do not direct me to SCORES or the NJ Govt website. I need someone who is in the business right now or was. Thanks.

• Answer:

  I don't think a business plan will really help you in this case, so don't waste your time doing that, UNLESS you are trying to get a loan to FUND the catering company (in which case, the business plan is required). I'm an event planner in New Jersey(!), so I don't have catering experience, per se, but I've worked with a LOT of them. My advice, DON'T waste your money on renting a kitchen just yet. If you're just starting, it's taking a big risk when you lay out all that money before knowing if you'll be a success or not (I'm just being realistic, although I'm sure you'll do great!). Keep working out of your home kitchen. It's so much cheaper that way, and you don't need HALF the licensing you'd need to work out of a rented kitchen. It's SO much cheaper to get a food license to work right out of your home, because you can consider it part-time, and there's no way for them to check if you're full-time. That alone will save you about $1500. If you put 'part-time', your revenue will be much less, and it will be cheaper to renew, too. The best caterer I've ever worked with worked out of her kitchen, but the guests never knew it. She had a professional website and a hired staff that worked per diem. She liked it better that way, because she cooked everything herself and that was the only reason it was better than the other catering companies. Too many hands in the pot makes for a dull meal, or so they say. You do actually need to go to your county's website to start the licensing process, because you need to apply for the $70 business license first (at least that's how much it is in Ocean County, where I am). After a year or two of successful business out of your home, THEN look into renting a kitchen. Kitchens are the most expensive thing to rent (much more than say, a storefront) because the OWNER of the kitchen has to keep up with the licensing and health code standards, and in turn, they charge an arm and leg to rent out their kitchen. Hope that helps!