Thinking of opening a catering business in Malaysia?
On average, catering business in Malaysia is a worthwhile business since people are too busy to cook for guests by themselves.
People want to skip the hassle of hunting down supplies, prepping ingredients, and cooking different kinds of meals that taste good.
Because of Malaysians growing preferance of ready-to-eat food and their limited time, food catering in Malaysia is a very fruitful business.
Ready to start your own? Let’s get into it.
Open a Catering Business in Malaysia
Catering is more than just putting food on plates. You need to know how to manage stressful situations, planning ahead, and controlling customer expectations.
We will take you through the steps on how to start a catering business. With the right guide and your passion, you’ll be delighting guests at events in no time.
#1 Create Your Catering Business Plan
Once you’ve decided on a creative catering business name, its time to put your thinking hat on.
You’re going to go through quite a bit of research but this is the business plan checklist for catering businesses you need to have.
- Company overview
- Market analysis
- Financial planning
- List of suppliers and contacts
- Equipment needed
You can always add to your business plan afterwards once you’re more accustomed to the catering business.
#2 Register Your Business in SSM
All businesses in Malaysia must register with SSM under the Akta Pendaftaran
Perniagaan 1956 (APP1956).
Now, you can easily apply for SSM through SSMezbiz with a fee that only costs RM30 per year.
#3 Follow the Regulations
Where food is concerned, you need to follow all related rules in Malaysia. This is to ensure your business has quality storage, handling, and processing.
In Malaysia, these are the legislations you need to follow for a catering business:
- Food Act – to regulate the activity of any food operator in Malaysia
- Food Regulations 1985
- Food Hygiene Regulations – to ensure premises are following safety and health requirements
- Food Regulations 2009 – Issuance of Health Certificates for Export of Fish and Fish Products to the European Union
#4 Cost of Catering Services
Pricing your catering service depends greatly on the location of your business and what type of catering you do.
Some caterers find it easier to offer different packages to their clients but we feel that custom orders are more ideal.
This way, it is a lot easier to meet your customers needs.
#5 Have an Emergency Plan
It is crucial that you have extra capital when you start a catering business. Then, you have to budget wisely as you go.
These times, you never know what can happen so it’s best if you prepare for the worst in case the catering industry flops.
Guide to Start a Catering Business
All in all, catering is not an easy business. It requires physical and demanding work which not all are ready for.
But with Kantan’s instant cooking paste, you can be both a great cook and a better caterer.
Want to start? Get in touch with our advisor on purchasing bulk readymade pastes to kickstart your catering business!
Next read: Using Readymade Pastes for Catering Services in Malaysia