Turning One-Off Gigs Into Repeat Business

We heard from Paul about what it really takes to make it as a caterer, from choosing the right events and managing seasonality, to building credibility with customers and turning one-off bookings into repeat business.

Silvers Street Food is an independent mobile catering business specialising in traditional fish and chips, serving events across the Midlands and beyond.

After years of experience across the fish and chip industry, from wholesale supply to managing busy city-centre shops, Paul founded Silvers Street Food to bring together his expertise, quality ingredients, and the flexibility of event catering. Drawing on long-standing supplier relationships and a deep understanding of the industry, the business has grown steadily through a focus on consistency, trust and doing things properly.

How did Silvers Street Food start, and what pushed you to go out on your own?

Since leaving the army in the early 2000’s, I’ve been drawn, in one way or another to fish and chips! I started off working for a wholesale company that specialised in supplying fish and chip shops in Norwich and the surrounding areas. During that time an opportunity opened up for me to see the other side, and I bought my first chippy! Having ran that for a few years, a second shop became available. This was a very busy shop close to the city centre and with a team of up to 12 staff we ran the shop very successfully for five years.

I then relocated to Staffordshire and worked for a mobile catering company, serving various cuisine including fish and chips! I really enjoyed the variety of events that we attended and some of the stunning locations across the UK that we travelled to. Lots of weddings and corporate events, with lots of great feedback which I thrived off.

All of the experience got me thinking….. I could do this for myself! I had lots of contacts in the trade, enjoyed the work and the variety that came with it, so I set up Silvers Street Food 3 years ago.

At what point did it stop feeling like “just doing events” and start feeling like a real business?

I think it took around 18 months building up relationships and trust with clients and gaining a fabulous customer base with lots of repeat trade. It also took a few months to fine tune a few things, going back to my original fish supplier in Lowestoft to establish links with their suppliers in Grimsby! They now provide us with really top quality fresh fish and along with chips which are prepared fresh in house, this provides the foundation for a superb traditional portion of fish and chips!

How would you describe your ideal type of booking today, and how did you learn what to say yes (and no) to?

I find prepaid events such as weddings, birthday parties and corporate events are probably the simplest from a ‘knowing what stock to take’, point of view! We’ve figured out roughly what people want at these events, so you can really judge quite accurately the stock needed. Having said that we also enjoy the pay-as-you go events. These type of events require a little more work, regarding needing to take multiple orders and have systems in place to deal with this.

We like to use a buzzer system when really busy, so that the food can be cooked fresh to order, and customers buzzed when ready. Generally if we are serving at one of the local pubs people are more than happy to wait for that extra fresh hot food. The downside to these events are predicting numbers, we always check what the weather is doing and work closely with the event organisers to establish if there’s likely to be any spikes in trade for that day.

What does your ideal booking look like today, and what experience has helped you decide which events to accept or turn down?

We learnt a lot in our first year regarding pay-as-you go events, and are particularly careful now on the types of events that we attend. With expected customer numbers and how many other traders are in attendance being key to ensuring these are successful.

What’s been the biggest challenge in getting consistent, high-quality enquiries?

Because this type of work is particularly seasonal we tend to get a high volume of enquiries and bookings from April through to October, with December also being very busy. During these months we could have multiple event enquiries for the same day, sometimes squeezing two in, if the logistics work out. We also work closely with other top quality suppliers, so are still able to offer customers something if we already have a job on.

What’s been the biggest challenge in getting consistent, high-quality enquiries?

The challenge is trying to keep the quieter months busy, which is why we like to mix things up a bit with several pubs and pay-as-you go events. I guess during these months there are a lot of suppliers in the same boat, so trying to be competitive is key.

What’s actually worked for you when it comes to marketing and visibility and what hasn’t?

There are several event platforms out there with some providing more jobs than others. We have a website that also generates enquiries and I also try and post a few things on social media. This is something I need to embrace more!

What made you decide to work with Add to Event in the first place?

I find the team at Add to Event very helpful and the platform is easy to use. Add to Event welcomed me with open arms when I started out and have provided me with the highest number of leads that turn into actual events and repeat trade. Thank you!

What’s been the biggest win or shift since using Add to Event?

When you first start out you don’t generally have a huge amount of material, photos of events, reviews or content from your business. So a few months in once all this comes together and you have a few good reviews behind you, it really gives you a sound platform to promote your product and generate the enquiries.

How important has having the right compliance and industry support been in building trust with organisers and venues?

In my opinion, it’s essential. I joined NCASS from the offset and they have been especially helpful. The systems that they have in place to help produce all the relevant compliance paperwork is a godsend. Alongside this they work with other sectors in the industry, providing essential links for engineers, cash back offers from various suppliers and a simple process for sending any documentation off to event organisers.

How important are trust, credibility and presentation when clients are choosing who to book?

People have so much information to hand these days regarding what they want and what a business can provide. So I believe it’s crucially important that standards (and proof of this) remain high. I’d like to hope that when choosing a supplier, that customers are looking at reviews, hygiene ratings, reports and all relevant information available to them prior to completing the booking. I believe keeping standards high and being able to provide the customer with a level of confidence in your ability will help them with their decisions with selection.

What’s one thing you’ve learned about running a catering business that you wish you’d known earlier?

It’s 24/7 and hard work! You might get home late after a 15 hour shift but still have an inbox of emails to work through before getting up the next day ready to go again. So can be very challenging but if you are well organised and willing to embrace the challenges it will be rewarding, both from a customer satisfaction point of view and job fulfilment.

What advice would you give to someone trying to turn catering into a sustainable business, not just gigs?

Be flexible with the variety of work that you take on and try and be proactive during the quieter months.

Want classic, crowd-pleasing fish and chips at your next event?

Check out Silvers Street Food on Add to Event and book them today.