Catering Company

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Executive Summary

Mama Dee's Catering is a catering company in the west side of our city. We cook and serve food for weddings, birthdays, graduations, church and family events, and we deliver lunches and meals to offices and organizations on a regular basis. People planning events want food that tastes like home, arrives on time and is served with care, at a price that fits their budget. Many caterers are booked far ahead, and many offices struggle to find dependable lunch catering. We focus on great food, clear prices and showing up exactly when we said we would. Here is what our numbers show. We expect sales of about $163,000 in Year 1, growing to about $754,000 by Year 5 as repeat clients and referrals grow. We expect losses of about $59,800 in Year 1 and $11,100 in Year 2 while we build our customer base, then a profit from Year 3 (about $38,300), growing to about $127,500 by Year 5. We need $134,000 in total. That covers $46,400 in startup costs (kitchen equipment, serving ware, permits and the kitchen deposit), the money we expect to lose in the early months, and a cash cushion of about three months of bills. I am putting in $18,000 of my own money, and I am asking for $116,000. I am Tanya Fisher, the owner and chef. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this plan, not promises.

Company Description

Mama Dee's Catering will be a limited liability company (LLC) in Nevada, owned by Tanya Fisher. We will cook in a shared commercial kitchen downtown, where we rent a station by the hour. What we believe. Food made with care, served on time, at a fair price, with every guest treated like family. What we offer:
- Weddings, birthdays, graduations, showers, repasts (meals after funerals) and family events, with buffet or plated service. - Office and organization meals: breakfasts, lunches, meetings and events, including regular weekly orders. - Drop-off catering (we deliver and set up) or full service (we stay and serve). - Southern comfort food, especially our smoked chicken, mac and cheese and peach cobbler

Licenses and food safety. Food sold to the public must be made in a licensed kitchen, not a home kitchen, in most places. We will get a health permit, a business license and food safety manager certification. Our county requires caterers to cook in a permitted kitchen and to have a certified food protection manager. Our shared kitchen already has a permit, and I passed my ServSafe Manager exam in 2026. Where things stand today. I have catered 20 events for friends and church members, toured two shared kitchens, and built a tasting menu with costed recipes.

Problem & Opportunity

People near us need catering they can count on. 1. Booked up. Popular caterers are often booked months ahead, especially in wedding and graduation season. 2. Price. Many families cannot afford high-end caterers, but still want good food for important days. 3. Office meals. Offices, churches and nonprofits need dependable lunches and meeting food, delivered on time. 4. Taste of home. People want food that feels personal, not like a chain restaurant platter. How we know people want this. In the past year I was asked to cater 20 events and had to turn down 8 because I did not have a licensed kitchen. Two local offices asked about weekly lunch orders.

Products & Services

What we sell. 1. Private events and weddings. Our plan assumes an average event of about $3,200 in Year 1, rising to about $3,600 by Year 5. Food, disposables and event-day costs are about $1,400 per event. About 35 events in Year 1 (about three a month), growing to about 125 a year by Year 5. 2. Office and organization accounts. Regular meal orders averaging about $850 per order in Year 1, rising to about $950, costing about $350 to make. About 60 orders in Year 1, growing to about 320 a year. Our menu and prices. Buffet packages from $18 per person (25-guest minimum). Office lunch boxes $14 each. Full-service staff $30 per server per hour. 30% deposit to hold a date. How it works:
1. A call or form to learn the date, guest count and budget. 2. A written quote with the menu, price per person and what is included. 3. A deposit to hold the date, often with a tasting for large events. 4. We cook, deliver, set up, and serve if it is full service. 5. Final payment, and a thank-you follow-up asking for a review. Gross margin, explained. "Gross margin" is the share of each sale left after paying for the food and supplies used. Our plan shows about 57% in Year 1. That money pays the chef, staff, kitchen rent and other bills.

Market Analysis

Who will hire us:
- Families planning weddings, birthdays, graduations, showers, reunions and repasts. - Churches and community groups. - Offices, schools, nonprofits and medical practices that need meeting and lunch food. Where our clients are. Churches and event halls within 30 minutes, plus the offices and medical buildings near the shared kitchen. Busy times. Weddings and graduations peak from April through June and in October; holiday parties fill December. In slower months we focus on office accounts and holiday orders. Our plan is careful on purpose. About three events a month plus about five office orders a month in Year 1 is a manageable start.

Competitive Landscape

Other options people have:
1. Other caterers. Elegant Affairs Catering (a made-up name) charges about $35 per person with a 75-guest minimum and books 6 months ahead. 2. Restaurants that cater. Convenient, but often limited menus and drop-off only. 3. Grocery store platters. Cheap and easy, but not personal. 4. Family and friends cooking. Free, but a lot of work on an important day. How we will win clients: food that tastes homemade, clear per-person prices, on-time delivery, and friendly service.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How people will find us. - Photos and short videos of our food and events on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. - Free tastings for event planners, church event committees and office managers. - Listings with local wedding and event venues as a recommended caterer. - A Google business listing and reviews from every client. - Drop off sample lunch boxes to nearby offices with a menu and price list. - A thank-you discount for clients who refer new events. Marketing budget. About $8,000 in Year 1, growing a little each year. The logo, website, tasting menus and food photos are paid for from startup costs.

Operations Plan

How the business runs day to day. Kitchen. We rent time in a shared commercial kitchen downtown, where we rent a station by the hour for about $24,000 a year in Year 1, including utilities. Renting a shared kitchen costs far less than building our own. Equipment. About $35,000 to start: a commercial range and convection oven, refrigeration, prep tables, chafing dishes and serving ware, insulated carriers, linens and display pieces, smallwares, van shelving, and a laptop with catering software. We set aside about $4,000 to $5,000 a year after that. Getting food to events. In Year 1 we use my SUV for small events and rent a cargo van for large ones. We plan to buy a used van in Year 2. Staff. The owner cooks every event. Event staff (cooks and servers, hired as needed) grow from about one full-time-equivalent in Year 1 to about five by Year 5, at about $32,000 a year per full-time-equivalent. Food safety. Every dish is held at safe temperatures from kitchen to table, with temperatures written down. Allergies are noted on every order. Ordering and planning. Every event has a written order sheet with the menu, guest count, timeline and staffing. Food is ordered from a restaurant supply distributor that delivers to the shared kitchen, plus a warehouse club for small orders based on guest counts. Running costs. Kitchen rent and utilities about $24,000 in Year 1, marketing about $8,000, and office costs and insurance about $7,000.

Management & Organization

Who runs the business. Tanya Fisher, owner and chef. As owner I will create menus, cook, sell and plan events, hire and train staff, and handle the money side of the business. I plan to pay myself $60,000 a year. Staff. Cooks and servers hired as needed for events, growing as we book more work. People who will help us: a bookkeeper or accountant, an insurance agent, the manager of our shared kitchen, and a free mentor from SCORE or the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Eric Brooks serves as a key volunteer advisor.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals and when we plan to reach them. - Before starting: rent kitchen time, get permits and food safety certification, set the menu and prices, and book our first events. Target start: March 2027, before graduation and wedding season. - First year: about three events a month, five office orders a month, and about $163,000 in sales. - Year 2: about $303,000 in sales and break even. - Years 3 to 5: grow to about $754,000 in sales by Year 5. What we check every week: events booked, deposits received, food cost compared with price, staff hours, reviews, and cash in the bank.

Funding Request

How much we need and how we will use it. Total needed: $134,000. This number comes from the Funding Need Calculator in this plan. It adds up: - Startup costs of $46,400, listed item by item in the Startup Costs section (about $35,000 for kitchen and serving equipment, $2,500 for opening food and supplies, $1,200 for permits and certification, $1,200 for legal setup, $2,500 for the logo, website and photos, and a $4,000 kitchen deposit). - About $54,700 to cover the money we expect to lose in the early months while we build our customer base. - A cash cushion of about $87,600, about three months of bills, so slow weeks do not put the business at risk. Lenders call this "cash cushion." Where the money comes from: - My own money: $18,000. - Amount requested: $116,000. Kind of funding we are looking for: an SBA 7(a) loan through a local bank or community lender. How we will pay it back. We expect losses of about $59,800 in Year 1 and $11,100 in Year 2 while we build our customer base, then a profit from Year 3 (about $38,300), growing to about $127,500 by Year 5. With this funding, the business has money in the bank every year of the plan. The loan is planned at 12.75% interest over 10 years, the most the SBA allows for a loan this size, so payments of about $1,715 a month are already included in our cash flow. What we are offering the lender: our equipment as collateral and a personal guarantee from the owner. A smaller first step, if needed. If we cannot raise the full amount right away, we can start smaller and grow into this plan: - Phase 1: rent a shared kitchen by the hour and take small drop-off orders (office lunches, small parties) on weekends while keeping your current job. Startup can be a few thousand dollars for permits, certification and serving pans. - Phase 2: once you have steady bookings, take larger events, hire staff and follow this plan. To plan the smaller start, make a copy of this plan (use Duplicate) and lower the numbers to match. This plan uses the owner's SUV for small events and a rented cargo van for large ones, but no van rental cost appears in the startup budget or the running costs. Get a rental quote and add it before sending this plan. All numbers in this plan are estimates. We will update them as real results come in.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this plan:

- Your resume (one page is fine) and any licenses or certificates. - A personal financial statement (a list of what you own and what you owe; lenders usually provide a form). - Business registration papers and your EIN (your business tax number from the IRS, free at irs.gov). - Your food safety certificate and health permit (or the kitchen's permit). - Your shared kitchen agreement. - Your menu with prices and photos of your food. - Letters or reviews from past clients. - Equipment quotes. - Proof of insurance, or a quote. If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue. The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Private events: about $3,200 each in Year 1, rising to $3,600; about $1,400 in food and event costs; about 35 events in Year 1, growing to 125. - Office orders: about $850 each in Year 1, rising to $950; about $350 to make; about 60 orders in Year 1, growing to 320. - Owner pay: $60,000 a year. Event staff: about $32,000 per full-time-equivalent, from one to five. - Other yearly costs in Year 1: kitchen rent and utilities about $24,000, marketing about $8,000, office costs and insurance about $7,000. - Tax rate: 21%. - Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and research.

Startup Costs