As a catering director, you need to oversee the day-to-day aspects of the catering business. It is also your responsibility to ensure that clients are satisfied, jobs are completed, and the food is exceptional. With this, it is important to know the qualities that are important for a catering director so that you can live to be a successful, efficient and stress-free boss. 

Operationally Savvy

A catering director should plan the overall logistical blueprint of the program and lead the team through all stages of the event. There is much more than just planning and executing a successful event. A catering director should be able to know that their well-laid plans will eventually change a lot of times before the completion of the event.

The most challenging part of being a catering director is the timing and logistics. There will be tricky situations initiated by your clients that you should face. One thing to remember is to always strengthen your logistics and improve communication within the team.

On Your Feet Logistics Developer

Even with a very detailed plan before the event, there will always be something that does not push through. Most of the time, you need to rework your timeline. A good catering director should be able to plan out a new timeline despite time constraints. You should be able to avert the perceived disaster by creating a new plan, twisting appropriately to ensure that the service will still be of best quality, and communicating effectively all changes to the key players.

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Stay Calm

This may seem a cliché line, but this is considered as one of the most important traits of a catering director. Being the face of your company at events, it is important that your client, team,and guests cannot feel that you are panicking. Before you act, remember to observe the changes that are needed to be made and to prioritize those changes that need to be changed immediately. Remember that you are the boos, the pillar, the backbone. Learn how to delegate where needed and breathe.

Master Multi-Tasker

A catering director should be able to juggle client management, site visits, vendor meetings, and administrative duties. You need to be hands-on when it comes to your clients to ensure that all oftheir requests and suggestions are properly noted. Clients always expect to receive the same high level of service, and that you should ensure to give and exceed if you must.

Detail Expert

Being overwhelmed is an understatement. From juggling multiple events, personalities, and deadlines, you might be frustrated. However, as a catering director, it is needed to fulfill all of these responsibilities. You have to know that each decision you make will have a great impact on your clients. Being a “detail expert” also means being financially expert. You need to be able to work with your client to stay in line with their budget. You need to be able to guide clients from the menu selection to necessary rentals to transportation. Transparency is also key to earn your client’s trust. 

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