BBQ catering: a guide for pros

What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.

Offering bbq catering

You smoke and grill meats and prepare classic sides for events, serving buffet style or plated. Clients want slow cooked flavor, food that stays safe to eat and sides that match the meat.

What customers ask

  • How much meat do I need for my guest count?
  • Can you cook on site at our venue?
  • Do you offer vegetarian options and label the sides?
  • How do you keep the meat safe while it waits to be served?
  • Do you carve and serve the meat?

How to win the job

  • On the first call, ask for the guest count, the date, the start time, the service style and the meat preferences
  • Offer a sample of the meat and a list of sides, with the portion guide for each
  • Confirm the cooking location, the fire and smoker rules and the permits for that site before you quote
  • Put in the quote the meat and sides, the portion size, the carvers, the service style and the equipment
  • Build a cooking schedule that shows when the meat goes on and when it comes off
  • Label the sides that contain dairy, nuts or gluten, and keep them separate on the line
  • Share your plan for keeping the meat hot or cold at a safe temperature until it is served

What to put on your profile

  • Post photos of smokers, grills and buffet lines at events
  • List the meats and sides you cook, and the service styles you offer
  • Show your portion guide and the equipment you bring
  • Describe how you keep the food at a safe temperature during service
  • Add your permits and food handler certification status, described accurately

Follow-up that helps the customer

  • Offer a catering plan for the host's next family or company barbecue
  • Suggest a dessert or drink add on to finish the meal
  • Recommend a small smoker for the host's own backyard, if they want to learn
  • Share a leftover plan with safe storage tips for the next day

Licenses and permits

Food businesses commonly need a health permit or a food handler card from the local office that oversees food safety. Smokers and mobile cooking units may have their own rules, and fire and open flame rules can apply at the site. Check each rule before you cook at a new location.

Questions

Do I need a permit to smoke meat at a client's home?

Ask the local office that oversees food safety and the local fire authority what applies to cooking on site. Rules differ by place, so confirm them before the event.

How do I handle a client who wants the meat ready early?

Explain the safe holding time and the temperature needed, and build the schedule around it. Do not hold cooked meat past the time your food safety plan allows.

What if the weather ruins the cook?

Agree on a rain plan in the contract, such as a covered area or a backup cooking site, and tell the client what changes if the plan is used.

About this guide

This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.

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