Virtually all large corporations use consultants for a variety of purposes – but many caterers are unsure of what consultants do, and the value they bring.  In essence, most caterers and other businesses that use consultants are seeking a competitive advantage. A catering industry specialist such as Certified Catering Consultants is most likely to provide this outcome.

The CCC team has provided consulting services for hundreds of caterers over the years. Among the most common questions we are asked about consulting:

What do consultants provide – what is the deliverable?

Specific Expertise – CCC’s consultants are experts in one or more particular aspects of the catering trade – sales, strategic planning, IT, profitability analysis, staff training, venue development, contract bidding, buy/sell transaction advisory services, and culinary development are just a few of the areas that CCC covers.

Objectivity – all of CCC’s consultants are industry professionals, with a history of success as caterers.  We have experienced the challenges that all caterers face, and will provide an unbiased analysis of the challenge at hand.

Change Implementation – often CCC’s consultants are brought in to act as change agents, and are able to facilitate transitions and transformations that even the most senior managers would find difficult to implement.

Connections – CCC’s consultants are widely known and highly regarded throughout the industry, and help make connections that benefit our clients.

Teaching/Training Skills – CCC’s outside experts can be highly useful in bringing new ideas, providing a boost of enthusiasm to a team that may be looking for a competitive edge.

Data Access– because of CCC’s years of history working with caterers, we have access to information that is not available anywhere else.

Problem Solving – even the best managed catering company will see challenges that are beyond the scope of its internal expertise. CCC’s team has dealt with practically every issue a caterer will face, and has the knowledge to help the client to a successful resolution.

What is the return on investment?

Every project is different, so there is no single answer to this question. But CCC’s financial team has successfully improved the profitability of a number of clients to the point where the return on investment has been many hundreds of percent annually.

Also, we have helped substantially increase sales through training, resolved thorny IT issues, helped clients secure competitive event and venue contracts, implemented marketing strategies, provided mystery shopping services, and developed targeted strategic advice to help clients through company life cycle challenges. All of these represent real dollar savings or additional revenues to our clients well in excess of the cost of a consulting project.

How do we determine if the challenges we are facing are well suited for a consultant to solve?

Every potential consulting client is entitled to a no cost, no obligation half hour phone session with one of the CCC consultants. Please reach out directly to your consultant of choice (phone numbers and emails are listed on the CCC website), or call the CCC office at 973-256-7900 for consultant referrals.

 *Certified Catering Consultants is the successor organization to the Catersource Consulting Unit.