If are a trained chef or a passionate cook who likes to experiment with various cuisines and serve others, you can take it up as a business. Here in this article, we list down a list of lucrative catering business ideas with little money.
Remember that apart from good cooking, you need to have good communication skills to become successful in any of the catering business ideas. Good communication will help in expanding your business.
Prompt delivery and good presentations are very important for any kind of food business. Therefore you have to maintain these two aspects for the successful implementation of catering business ideas.
You must be innovative and have a good idea of different types of cuisines to excel in your catering business. Fusion is also an important element of catering business ideas.
25 Catering Business Ideas
1. Diet-Friendly Catering
More and more people are turning into health freaks and prefer to have diet-friendly food. Hence serving diet-friendly food is a profitable catering business idea. You must have a good idea of diet-friendly food like low-carb, and low-fat food, and their recipes before starting the business. Create your niche of diet-friendly food and serve it at parties, restaurants, or as daily food. Personal contacts, good publicity through leaflets, flyers, etc, and social media publicity are very effective for this business.
2. Vegan Catering
Vegan food habit is gradually gaining popularity among common people, especially the younger generation. These kinds of food have a good demand and that is why you can start the catering business idea of vegan food. You must be familiar with vegan food and know what food vegans eat and what food is prohibited. Make tasty varieties of vegan food and deliver them at different functions etc. This business is greatly dependent on referrals, word-of-mouth publicity, and online campaigns.
3. Gluten-Free Food Stall
Gluten-free food is also a sought-after food variety for health-conscious people. You can start a gluten-free food stall and earn good profits. The location of the stall is very important for this catering business idea. Serve different varieties of gluten-free food like snacks, sandwiches, wraps, tortillas, etc. The website of your stall is an effective medium of marketing and publicity. Printed and digital ads and social media publicity will boost your sales.
4. Social Event Catering
Different types of social events take place all year round and these events need catering services. You can start a social event catering business and start earning good profit. Personal network, public relations, and good contact with event management companies are very important for this catering business idea. Apart from that, you will need marketing support and digital publicity for the growth of this business.
Learn More: How to Start a Catering Business
5. Corporate Event Catering
Corporate events are quite frequent and these events also need food of different kinds based on the time and duration of the events. If you have good contacts in the corporate sector you can start this catering business idea. Good cooking along with excellent presentation is necessary for this business. Serving food of different cuisines, juices and drinks will be your plus point. Online and offline marketing and publicity are necessary for the corporate event catering business.
6. Food Truck
The food truck is a common and profitable catering business idea. Start your food truck serving delicious food in different areas and earn high profits. Try to build your niche by serving specific categories or cuisines. Drive the truck to various locations at different times of the day for greater sales. Well-planned marketing and publicity are important for your food truck business.
7. Office Canteen
Office canteens have a fixed clientele and an almost fixed menu. This catering business idea is a steady and prospective one because as you can increase the number of canteens, your income will also increase. Good culinary skills and a high standard of food will give you more orders. Personal networking, marketing, and publicity are very important for the growth of your business.
8. School Catering
School catering is also a profitable and sustainable catering business idea. In this business, you will serve food for the school canteen or food court, etc. Since your majority of customers are children you have to focus on making healthy and tasty food cooked hygienically. Cakes, sandwiches, juices, and sweets are the most common items for school catering. Elaborate marketing and publicity will get you more clients.
9. Hostel Catering
Serving food regularly at the hostels can be a lucrative business for you. Hostel catering demands simple and tasty food served in time with some variations and innovations sometimes. Good publicity through ads and social media are keywords for getting more orders for this catering business idea.
10. Sandwich Bar
Sandwiches are almost everyone’s favorite. With so many varieties of sandwiches, opening a sandwich bar is a profitable catering business idea that can give you good profit within a short span. Find a busy location and a catchy name for your sandwich bar. Apart from the common varieties use your innovation and cuisines of various kinds in making the sandwiches. Local ads and publicity along with social media publicity will help you in getting more customers.
11. Smoothies Bar
Smoothies are liked by many people for their taste and health benefits. Hence you can start a smoothie bar and get good profits. Making smoothies with fresh fruits and other ingredients is one of the most important conditions for success in this catering business idea. Strategic marketing and elaborate publicity will make your business more popular.
12. Ice Cream Cart
Ice cream cart is a profitable catering business idea as it is a preferred food for people of all ages. As your cart is a mobile business you will be able to reach many customers in a day. You can take a franchise of any reputed ice cream brand as it is the safest and easiest business model where you need not work for marketing and publicity.
13. Coffee Shop
Open your coffee shop in a good location, serve common varieties of coffee along with a few snacks and start earning money from the beginning. The concept of a coffee shop as a place for hangout, discussion, or casual time spending has become immensely popular. That is why this catering business idea is very profitable. You have to invest in marketing and promotion for the growth of your coffee shop.
14. Bakery
Bakery is also a popular and profitable catering business idea. You can start your signature bakery store serving innovative bakery items, or a home-based bakery delivering as per order. Both have high-profit prospects. To be successful in the bakery business you have to be an efficient baker with a lot of innovative ideas. Website, marketing along with online and offline publicity are essential for the growth of your bakery business.
15. Make & Sell Wedding Cakes
Wedding cakes are an important and integral part of wedding ceremonies. You can create a niche in the wedding cake business and earn a high income as these cakes are quite expensive and people don’t bargain if they like the cake. Several themes and types of wedding cakes are baked and sold. You can make a variety of wedding cakes according to your choice or briefings from your clients. This catering business idea is all about your efficiency, innovation, and aesthetic sense. Personal contacts and social media publicity will help you in growing your business.
16. Gourmet Catering
If you have good culinary as well as beautiful presentation skills, you can start a gourmet catering business. This is a high-end and aesthetic catering business idea the beauty of presentation plays the most important role. You have to follow a well-planned marketing strategy along with a widely-covered publicity program to be successful in this business.
17. Airlines Catering
Airline catering is a lucrative and prospective business that will give you good returns. You have to pay very good attention to the quality and packaging of the food you are serving. Good contacts, marketing skills, and referrals will help you in growing your business. Airline catering is a large-scale business you have to maintain good standards of catering service.
18. Homemade Chocolate
Making chocolates at home and selling them directly to customers online or supplying them to restaurants or shops has become a popular and profit-making catering business idea. Home-made chocolates have great demand due to their great taste, variety, and quality. You can start this business and put sincere efforts into making good chocolates along with marketing and publicity strategies. Digital ads and social media publicity play a very important role in this business.
19. Interactive Restaurant
Open interactive restaurant with an open kitchen where your customers will see their food being made and can also suggest some additions or alterations. This new concept of dining has become quite popular now and is a profitable catering business idea. You have to find a good location for your interactive restaurant and plan a very good interior decoration. Good marketing, ads, and promotion will boost your business.
20. Food Blogging
If you are a good chef as well as an efficient writer, you can start your food blog. These blogs are very popular around the globe and with the right SEO usage and engaging content you will get many readers, making your catering-related business idea successful and profitable. Digital ads and social media publicity are effective in making your blog more popular.
Suggested Read: How to Start a Food Blog and Make Money
21. Personal Chef
Working as a personal chef is a good catering business idea as there is a high demand for them. As a personal chef, you can cook food according to your client’s preference or physical/health conditions in their kitchen or from your home-based kitchen. Widespread publicity and a personal network will help you to grow your business as a personal chef.
22. Food and Nutrition Advisor
Food and nutrition advisors work in a wide variety of areas like community welfare, sports, factories, celebrities, senior adults, etc. If you have a degree or certificate in nutrition, you can start your business as a food and nutrition advisor and provide suggestions and charts about the quantity and types of food suitable for a person or groups of persons for their fitness and well-being. Planned marketing and widespread publicity will fetch more clients for this catering business idea.
23. Catering Training
You can start a catering training center and train aspiring candidates so that they become successful entrepreneurs in the future. Knowledge along with good communication skills is necessary for this catering business idea. Local ads, publicity, and marketing are essential for getting more students to your training center.
24. Barbeque Catering
Barbeque catering is a specialized catering where you will serve different varieties of barbeque items. You can start this business and provide service at different parties, functions, and other events. Online and offline marketing, publicity, and referrals will get you more business.
25. YouTube Channel on Cooking
Start your YouTube channel on cooking and start earning money through ads and other sources. Find an interesting niche for your channel and make a good audio-visual presentation for getting a maximum number of viewers. Digital marketing social media ads and publicity are very important for this catering business idea.
Catering is not limited to delivering cooked food to your clients. There are many other avenues of catering as discussed in catering business ideas. Find out your chosen idea and start earning money.
Editorial Team at 99BusinessIdeas is a team of experts led by Rupak Chakrabarty with over 25 years of experience in starting and running small businesses. Started in 2010, 99BusinessIdeas is now one of the largest free small business resources in the industry.