Guest Speakers

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Guest Speaker: The Great Thing about Weddings

01 June 2011

By Mike Roman

guest_june11Despite the challenges, we take joy in producing them.

It’s very easy to be a great wedding caterer. All you really need is a talented catering team, empathy, patience and a genie’s magic lamp. You need access to this lantern simply because most caterers get hit with some very challenging “wishes” from the bride, mother of the bride and every vendor associated with the wedding before, during and even after the wedding day.

Sadly, caterers don’t have access to a magic lamp; they must face a constant level of pressure on them while catering this emotion-filled event. Weddings can bring out the worst in customers. They really can’t help themselves because there are no do-overs in weddings. When the chocolate wedding cake promised turns out to be a carrot wedding cake upon cutting, there is no pause button to hit to create the time you need to  make things right.

Weddings are live dramas that are supposed to be perfect. A caterer’s excuses—even if the problem is not their fault—fall on deaf and angry ears. The caterer’s reputation is in the hands of those who failed to make the caterer aware of all they should know. Surprises and weddings do not go hand in hand. Everything from weather to an intoxicated uncle can result in unforeseen situations that require the caterer to think on their feet and become their own genie in the lantern.

Nevertheless, most caterers reading this can honestly say that weddings are a major reason for their success and provide handsome profits to the bottom line while securing new clients along the way. In fact, many of their happiest events have been weddings. When I say “happiest” I mean from the caterer’s viewpoint, not just the customer’s.

Most people attend fewer than 20 weddings in a lifetime as a guest. Caterers “attend” hundreds of weddings over a career. In the same way that doctors take pride and joy in bringing babies into this world, caterers take pride and joy, whether they realize it or not, in being involved in the magic of joining couples and families. Sure, weddings are filled with potential crisis and hard work, but I’m convinced that there is a special spot in heaven for those professionals who cater weddings.


© Mike Roman, president/founder, Catersource. Published in the May/June 2011 issue of Catersource magazine. Catersource Magazine, Conference & Tradeshow is dedicated to the education and growth of the professional caterer. Stay connected with reliable news, information, products, services and networking opportunities relevant to your business, and be a part of the largest resource network in the industry. Visit www.catersource.com for more information.

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