In The News

Making Catering Memorable
FoodService Director

By Paul King

TIP NO. 1: Communication is key.

Effective communication isn’t merely between client and staff while pursuing or planning an event. Michaelle Busky, special events coordinator for Parkhurst Dining Services, in Pittsburgh, says communication also comes down to how you advertise your services to the community. Busky was brought on board about 18 months ago to grow Parkhurst’s 15-year-old catering program, and one of the first steps she took was to create a new website for her division.

“We created a website dedicated solely to special events,” she explained. “We wanted to capitalize on the fact that we have been doing catering for the past 15 years. But if you go on the Parkhurst website you wouldn’t know that we do special events.”

In addition to a new site, Busky created a new logo, which uses the stylized P and printed “Parkhurst,”  with “Event Catering” in script below the Parkhurst name. “It is separate from the Parkhurst logo, but it is similar,” she says. 

TIP NO. 2: Never forget that the customer is king.

The adage, “The customer is always right,” is seldom truer than when it comes to catered events. After all, say caterers, the client is the host; catering is merely the vehicle through which the client’s message or vision is conveyed.

Often, satisfying the customer can put a strain on the catering department, notes Parkhurst’s Busky. That is when, she says, you take one for the team.

“One of our corporate clients was planning their big event, and they requested to taste more than 45 items,” Busky recalled. “I don’t know too many caterers willing to do that. But we’re all about loyalty, and we have been doing this event for them for several years. I always tell my staff that it is easier to resell happy existing customers than it is to find new ones.”

However, she adds that satisfying the customer comes with a caveat: “You cannot be all things to all people,” she explains. “There is this tendency for caterers to want to become chameleons, and you really are doing the clients a disservice. There are times when you just have to walk away [from potential business], when they are not what you do or not within the realm of your capability or they are just not part of your image.”

Busky’s approach is working; this past summer Parkhurst Event Catering was named Best Caterer in a reader poll conducted by Pittsburgh Magazine.

Making Catering Memorable
FoodService Director

By Paul King

TIP NO. 1: Communication is key.

Effective communication isn’t merely between client and staff while pursuing or planning an event. Michaelle Busky, special events coordinator for Parkhurst Dining Services, in Pittsburgh, says communication also comes down to how you advertise your services to the community. Busky was brought on board about 18 months ago to grow Parkhurst’s 15-year-old catering program, and one of the first steps she took was to create a new website for her division.

“We created a website dedicated solely to special events,” she explained. “We wanted to capitalize on the fact that we have been doing catering for the past 15 years. But if you go on the Parkhurst website you wouldn’t know that we do special events.”

In addition to a new site, Busky created a new logo, which uses the stylized P and printed “Parkhurst,”  with “Event Catering” in script below the Parkhurst name. “It is separate from the Parkhurst logo, but it is similar,” she says. 

TIP NO. 2: Never forget that the customer is king.

The adage, “The customer is always right,” is seldom truer than when it comes to catered events. After all, say caterers, the client is the host; catering is merely the vehicle through which the client’s message or vision is conveyed.

Often, satisfying the customer can put a strain on the catering department, notes Parkhurst’s Busky. That is when, she says, you take one for the team.

“One of our corporate clients was planning their big event, and they requested to taste more than 45 items,” Busky recalled. “I don’t know too many caterers willing to do that. But we’re all about loyalty, and we have been doing this event for them for several years. I always tell my staff that it is easier to resell happy existing customers than it is to find new ones.”

However, she adds that satisfying the customer comes with a caveat: “You cannot be all things to all people,” she explains. “There is this tendency for caterers to want to become chameleons, and you really are doing the clients a disservice. There are times when you just have to walk away [from potential business], when they are not what you do or not within the realm of your capability or they are just not part of your image.”

Busky’s approach is working; this past summer Parkhurst Event Catering was named Best Caterer in a reader poll conducted by Pittsburgh Magazine.