The catering industry is a giant in American business. According to the National Association of Catering Executives, the industry is worth over $7.1 billion per year. That’s an astronomical sum. How the food industry expands gives us a glimpse into a society, what the desires are and how wealth has shaped how we view food.

The restaurant industry itself expanded enormously in the United States after World War II. Companies needed a new avenue to market their products after supplying the war effort. They certainly found that. Switching over from war material to every day material fueled a boon in the manufacturing industry and as the economy grew, the need for restaurants and support grew as more and more could afford a night out.

According to the website for the National Association of Catering and Events, or NACE, catering pre-WWII was “a status symbol for the rich.” With the revolution of the 50’s in manufacturing, catering became something the average American household could afford.

By nature, the catering industry is multifaceted and encompasses a large umbrella of various businesses, ranging from catering from a home for a pot luck or catering for the White House Correspondents Dinner. These events can range from the simple to the extraordinary. A caterer’s main job is to provide a service and exceed expectations a customer may have of them. Communication between the caterer and the consumer is extremely important and can’t be overlooked. Expectations need to be placed so the caterer has the potential of meeting and exceeding these said expectations.  While a simple meal may suffice, certain events call for creativity on the part of a caterer. This is business model a win-win for both sides– The reputation and expectations of the patron are met, and the reputation of the caterer grows. In order to make this happen, though, caterer and consumer needs to be focused on achieving their ends and this doesn’t happen without proper communication.

The catering industry is a giant in American business sales. If you need an event catered for you, there are options to make the best decision that’s reflective of the needs of the event. Here at Breeze In, we offer catering and we’ll go further into what services we provide in a subsequent blog post.