Chefs turn to private catering for cash fixes

In the face of rising food costs, F&B professionals are having to think creatively to find other sources of revenue so as not to pass on higher costs to customers.

Talking at a Hotelier Middle East roundtable, executive chefs agreed that the price of fresh and dried produce had gone up 10-30% on average in the last year, and that it was catering for private functions and events that was the easiest way to bring in extra revenue to cover these costs.

Lloyd Cremer, executive sous chef at the JW Marriott Dubai said: “It’s your bread and butter really. Profitability is good. We offer all kinds of private catering. We do boats, planes, concerts. It’s very important for our marketing too.

David Contreras, executive chef at the Westin Abu Dhabi, agreed: “I think catering if very important for absorbing costs. At the minute planes and private jets is a very good market.

“When I was working in Dubai [one year ago] we got in touch with [people] who manage service planes. They came to us because their guests were bored of traditional in-flight food and they wanted something better, so we worked on how to package it and arrange it; we showed them how to plate it; we took photos and designed the dishes and packaged everything to make it convenient for them according to how much space they have on the plane. We make their life easy, then they look good in front of the customers. They pay a very good price for this.”

Markus Thesleff, founder of Japanese restaurant Okku, has also admitted that private catering has proved so successful, they launched OKKU@Home in late 2010.

“This sector of the market is massive for us and we see great growth for the OKKU@Home concept in 2012 and beyond, working with our regular clientele, local and regional businesses and professional event companies in the region.”