Career Outlook for Catering

Cookbook

Career Outlook for Catering

by Bruce Mattel and The Culinary Institute of America

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The catering segment of the hospitality industry continues to grow every year. During the mid-1990s, catering was actually the fastest-growing sector of the food service industry. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (a division of the U.S. Department of Labor), food preparation careers will be in demand through 2012. Institutional catering—to universities, hospitals, nursing homes, and business campuses—is on the upswing. Social catering to civic groups, charities, corporations, businesses, and individuals is the fastest-growing segment, according to the Restaurant Industry Forecast 2000, prepared by the National Restaurant Association.

Why? Contract catering allows institutions to keep costs down. And in the case of social catering, a home-building trend that includes large kitchens with upscale appliances inspires owners to entertain more often.

The increase of cooking and lifestyle programming on television has led the average person to learn more about food products, wine, and cooking, and thus want a more sophisticated approach to home, business, or community entertaining than ever before.