Over the last few years African Caterers have really come a long way - With increasing patronization from the African community in the UK as well as non Africans. However how do they really compare with Indian caterer? In the 1960s and 1970s Indian catering was more of a novelty and apart from London it was rare to find an Indian Restaurant . Today it hard to believe that this was ever the case. The curry has become the nation's most favorite and enjoyed food. Fish and Chips once the most popular food is now relegated to 2nd place after Curry. Given all of this - on interesting question is why is it that Indian cuisine has not translated its success into the wedding arena of non Asians. Potentially this may be a area of opportunity for African caterers to start to gain some ground on Indian caterers by actively targeting English Weddings with a menu that conjures up a once in a life time experience.
Given where African Caterers are today - there is much work to be done - a total overhaul of every aspect of their business will be needed if they are to start to compete in the very lucrative sector of English weddings. The elements are there though - when you consider the possibilities - from West Africa to East Africa to Southern Africa and North Africa- it presents a amazing range of dishes that if properly put together can create a culinary safari and a once in a life time experience for guests. When you look at most African Caterers in the UK today they tend to be country specific in their catering delivery - Nigerian Caterers appear to be leading the march but caterers from other nations including Ghana, Zimbabwe and South Africa are gaining ground. However the opportunity lies for those that can show that they have a Pan African influence.
Several examples of excellent practice exist among African Caterers - just to highlight a couple of these - Flavour Events Management and Eagle Catering. These are great examples of companies that are trying to provide that unique Pan African experience. They are certainly not there yet but at least they seem to have bought into the idea of developing dishes that reflect a Pan African cuisine and looking to leave their guests with a unique experience regardless of their background.
Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go for African Caterers to really establish themselves across the UK as household favorites here in the UK. Caterers like Eagle Catering need to work with other caterers to develop and grow the market. It would be prudent as well to engage African Restauranturers as well - so that they can really start to build an environment that promotes excellence in the quality of food and its presentation to a wider audience in the UK.
So what are the things that African Caterers need to be putting in place in order to be able to compete with English and Asian Caterers? They are several fold and include but not limited to the following :
1. Great Website : this is probably the first opportunity that prospective customers will have on engaging with your company - so make sure it is professional in every aspect. One tip that I find that a lot of catering companies are missing when it comes to their website is not using it to capture leads. The Eagle Catering website does this very well. If your site does not have a number of opportunities (not just the contact us page) where prospects can give you their name and email address then you are really missing a trick on your website
2. Follow Process - this is something that most caterers do not have in place - an effective automated follow up system that would ensure that every person that touches their business be it from a web enquiry, telephone call, text message - is properly followed up - even if they do not end up buying your service today they may still do so in the future. If you have an effective follow up system in place then the likely hood Is that they will call you when they are ready to buy.
3. Great Menu - Leverage the massive opportunity presented by the African story and create a really Pan African Menu that would give guests a once in a life time experience.
Given where African Caterers are today - there is much work to be done - a total overhaul of every aspect of their business will be needed if they are to start to compete in the very lucrative sector of English weddings. The elements are there though - when you consider the possibilities - from West Africa to East Africa to Southern Africa and North Africa- it presents a amazing range of dishes that if properly put together can create a culinary safari and a once in a life time experience for guests. When you look at most African Caterers in the UK today they tend to be country specific in their catering delivery - Nigerian Caterers appear to be leading the march but caterers from other nations including Ghana, Zimbabwe and South Africa are gaining ground. However the opportunity lies for those that can show that they have a Pan African influence.
Several examples of excellent practice exist among African Caterers - just to highlight a couple of these - Flavour Events Management and Eagle Catering. These are great examples of companies that are trying to provide that unique Pan African experience. They are certainly not there yet but at least they seem to have bought into the idea of developing dishes that reflect a Pan African cuisine and looking to leave their guests with a unique experience regardless of their background.
Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go for African Caterers to really establish themselves across the UK as household favorites here in the UK. Caterers like Eagle Catering need to work with other caterers to develop and grow the market. It would be prudent as well to engage African Restauranturers as well - so that they can really start to build an environment that promotes excellence in the quality of food and its presentation to a wider audience in the UK.
So what are the things that African Caterers need to be putting in place in order to be able to compete with English and Asian Caterers? They are several fold and include but not limited to the following :
1. Great Website : this is probably the first opportunity that prospective customers will have on engaging with your company - so make sure it is professional in every aspect. One tip that I find that a lot of catering companies are missing when it comes to their website is not using it to capture leads. The Eagle Catering website does this very well. If your site does not have a number of opportunities (not just the contact us page) where prospects can give you their name and email address then you are really missing a trick on your website
2. Follow Process - this is something that most caterers do not have in place - an effective automated follow up system that would ensure that every person that touches their business be it from a web enquiry, telephone call, text message - is properly followed up - even if they do not end up buying your service today they may still do so in the future. If you have an effective follow up system in place then the likely hood Is that they will call you when they are ready to buy.
3. Great Menu - Leverage the massive opportunity presented by the African story and create a really Pan African Menu that would give guests a once in a life time experience.
About the Author:
Sylvia is the founder of Eagle Catering one of the Top African Caterers in the UK specializing in African And Caribbean Food. You can find out how they can help you deliver a truly unforgetable experience by visiting their website on Nigerian Caterers
