CHAPTER 6: FOOD SERVICE BUSINESS IDEAS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN

Food Service Busiess

Food Service or catering industry defnes those businesses, institutions, and
companies responsible for any meal prepared outside the home. This industry
includes restaurants, school and hospital cafeterias, catering operations, and
many other formats. The companies that supply foodservice operators are called
foodservice distributors. Foodservice distributors sell goods like small wares
(kitchen utensils) and foods. Some companies manufacture products in both
consumer and foodservice versions. The consumer version usually comes in
individualsi!ed packages with elaborate label design for retail sale. The
foodservice version is packaged in a much larger industrial si!e and often lacks
the colourful label designs of the consumer version.
Food processing is the methods and techni"ues used to transform raw
ingredients into food for human consumption. Food processing takes clean,
harvested or slaughtered and butchered components and uses them to produce
marketable food products. There are several di#erent ways in which food can be
produced.

$. Oe O! Produc"io % this method is used when customers make an
order for something to be made to their own specifcations, for e&ample a
wedding cake. 't could take days depending on how intricate the design is
and also the ability of the chef making the product.
(. B#"c$ Produc"io % this method is used when the si!e of the market for a
product is not clear, and where there is a range within a product line. )
certain number of the same goods will be produced to make up a batch or
run, for e&ample at *regg+s ,akery they will bake a certain number of
chicken bakes. This method involves estimating the amount of customers
that will want to buy that product.
-. %#ss Produc"io % this method is used when there is a mass market for
large number of identical products, for e&ample, chocolate bars, ready
meals and canned food. The product passes from one stage of production
to another along a production line.
.. &us" I Ti'e % this method of production is mainly used in sandwich bars
such as Subway. )ll the components of the product are there and the
customer chooses what they want in their product and it is made for them
fresh in front of them.
) vast global transportation network is re"uired by the food service business in
order to connect its numerous parts. These include suppliers, manufacturers,
warehousing, retailers and the end consumers. There are also companies that
add vitamins, minerals, and other necessary re"uirements during processing to
make up for those lost during preparation. /holesale markets for fresh food
products have tended to decline in importance in 0123 countries as well as in
4atin )merica and some )sian countries as a result of the growth of
supermarkets, which procure directly from farmers or through preferred
suppliers, rather than going through markets. The constant and uninterrupted
5ow of product from distribution centres to store locations is a critical link in food
industry operations. 3istribution centres run more e6ciently, throughput can be
increased, costs can be lowered, and manpower better utili!ed if the proper
steps are taken when setting up a material handling system in a warehouse.
You( C$i)dre Food Busiess Ide#
These food business ideas involve a diverse variety of ways to provide services
and solve problems for families with young children. )re you an especially
nurturing person and love being with young children7 There a lot of creative and
alternative twists on the typical child care services, along with many other
services that would be especially helpful to parents of newborns. 0r how about
helping parents keep their kids happy while travelling or providing services to
help parents keep their kids safe and increase their peace of mind7 These are
8ust some of the many money making ideas to e&plore here, so go ahead and
check out the ideas below and see what inspires you to get your own business
started.
1&ample9 2atering :ids; <arties
2hildren;s parties have become huge productions nowadays. 4ong gone are the
days of pin the tail on the donkey and a barrel of fried chicken. 3ecorations have
evolved, so have themes following every new kids; movie, T= show, pop star. The
bar is set high for parents to not disappoint their child. They have so much to do>
organi!ing their child;s home party becomes a feat in itself.
) good niche to e&plore is catering kids parties. )s parents, we know how di6cult
it is to organi!e a party, making up activities to keep the kids busy, preparing
plunder bags, buying pri!es, making sure not to run out of games and food. )nd
on top of it, parents break their backs preparing nice little goodies for the kids,
healthy raw vegetables and dip, getting a cake, buying chips, 8uices and cookies
and everything else that comes along with a party. There is a market for catering
kids parties catering. <arents will be more than happy having someone prepare
and bake homemade treats and snacks and make the cake for their child;s party
so they can concentrate on all the other things that need to be done.
?ou can propose di#erent menus, cater to special themes parties with matching
snacks and cake (,atman, 4ittle @ermaid, Football etc), o#er pick up or delivery
and setting up of the bu#et and provide piAatas. See what you are comfortable
doing and start your list of services with that. )nd why not propose teens;
birthday parties, with trendy snacks, popular drinks and 8uices and themes that
teens like at that moment (gothic, pop star, rock ;n; roll, theme costume party
etc).?ou can always o#er to do it for free or a minimal charge the frst time for a
friend or a family member so they can recommend you to other parents. @ake
sure you take pictures of every setup before the kids dig in so you can have
e&amples of the services you can o#er.
Spread the word at the neighbourhood schools and daycares. <ut up 5yers to
advertise your business on local bulletin boards in di#erent stores and kids;
specialty shops and toy stores. Send emails to everyone you know advising them
of your occupation> put up a new status on your Facebook page. ?ou can be as
creative as you want, dress up little cupcakes to match a theme, go wild shaping
pieces of cheese with cookie cutters, make your own party mi& without nuts,
making wacky fruit and candy sticks, anything that tickles your imagination. 't is
a fun way of making e&tra money and having fun doing something you like. ?our
small home business can turn into a growing enterprise if you wish. ?ou now
have pretty much everything you need to start. @ake a plan, write menus, list
your services and price them right.