BOOK REVIEW: ‘Catering can be the only saviour to next-gen restaurants’

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Industry Watch | August 10, 2020 | News

Knight Gourmet Manvir Singh Anand

Catering your way to financial independence; Step by step guide for starting a successful outdoor catering business without any background in the hospitality industry.

Author

Manvir Singh Anand

Review

Manvir Singh Anand’s book’s title is a mouthful but is precise in what it sets out to do and who it is for.  It is for outsiders, entrepreneurs eager to make a mark. His book is structured as a step by step guide to running a catering business and being your own boss in the process.

The author, who holds dual qualifications of Diploma of Culinary Arts from UK and PGD in Business Administration, comes to the conclusion that with the right entrepreneurial skills, anyone can run a Food and Beverages (F&B) business. From a cloud kitchen in Delhi catering to students, Anand has catered to international events like the Indian Premier League, IIFA Awards, etc. within a span of seven years.

The book focuses equally on setting up, sales and marketing, operations and profit and loss in a catering business. This is not a guide expounding on the author’s experience alone but provides practical plans, formats, tables, lists, and sample sheets to bolster processes. Insightful tidbits are scattered throughout. There is a section that deals with clients who refuse to pay up and how a document without token advance is not legally binding. The author pays particular attention to the bottom line right through the book and suggests his readers do the same.

Anand makes the book relevant to our times by addressing post-Covid19 sanitization. An entire chapter is devoted to FSSAI norms, HACCP (Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points) to minimize food-borne illness and other protocols to be undertaken.

The final chapter in the form of FAQ addresses any last-minute concerns or barriers that may be inhibiting would-be caterers from taking the plunge. It is not, however, the final word from Manvir Singh Anand. He also offers an ultimate catering business startup checklist free. This can be accessed online and his team can help run one through a simpler 28-point list to build a catering business.

It must be noted this book focuses on outdoor catering. While discussing the significant cost advantages of serving both indoor and outdoor, it reminds restaurateurs of not only the benefits but also the need for catering. The author states: “Catering can be the only savior to the next-gen restaurants.” He places this argument in the context of a minimum-barrier, competitive industry now populated with food-aggregator platforms like Zomato and Swiggy.

The book is an addition to the plethora of management books on the hospitality industry but carves itself a niche by not focusing on the students and members of the industry. It is an easy and welcome read for hospitality professionals, event professionals and entrepreneurs alike.