The challenges faced by three friends scouting for suitable catering services inspired them to establish a successful business solution, writes Nur Zarina Othman
THOSE who have tried looking for catering services would know how difficult it is to get a suitable caterer, sometimes even getting a price quote can be frustrating.
John Lim hit a wall when looking for catering services for his corporate events, so he and his friends, Janet Tan and Carmen Chan, decided to set up their own catering platform called FeedMyGuest, an online marketplace where caterers from all over the country can market their businesses.
“It all started when I was looking for a caterer and it was really frustrating. Tan and Chan too had found the experience a hassle,” says Lim. “Looking for a caterer, and it needn’t even be an endorsed caterer, is really burdensome,” he says.
This was the trigger point for the FeedMyGuest catering platform.
Launched in 2015, FeedMyGuest.com offers a catering solution for almost all catering needs for all occasions, big and small.
Lim looked at various catering sites from the US, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Singapore to see how business was done and grown. He says FeedMyGuest has been doing pretty well since day one. The site is growing not only in size but also in terms of services.
“Of course, there were many hiccups when we first started, from managing scams to making sure that customers received the service requested,” he says.
Lim remembers how his team of client managers had to ensure that all the services were not only fulfilled but also rated for future reference, something that FeedMyGuest still practises as part of their customer and after sales-services.
CUSTOMISABLE CATERING
The variety of festive occasions Malaysians celebrate seems to have given the platform an advantage. To cater to these festivities, Feed My Guest offers customisable menu selections.
“Our main objective is to provide the best catering solutions for everyone. So we need to make sure that we get our catering partners to update their menus as often as they can,” says Lim.
Most caterers have special offers during celebrations, but it’s funny that they hardly have a ready menu for customers to choose from; it is only given upon request, making the search a pain for many.
“We keep reminding our caterer partners to provide such information so that we can better match them with clients’ needs,” adds Lim, who finds it interesting that a foodie country like Malaysia has yet to leverage on online presence, compared with other countries.
The FeedMyGuest platform is one that not only provides a listing of catering services; it is more of a matchmaking site for both client and caterer.
“Don’t worry if you don’t find a listing that fits your exact requirements, the FeedMyGuest’s algorithm will find the best menu selection for you, looking not only at current offers but also at previous successful catering services.
“We also pride ourselves in efficiency as our customers will get responses from our caterers within 48 hours,” says Tan, who is responsible for all the caterers registered with the platform.
RAYA IS IN THE AIR
During this Hari Raya Aidilfitri season, for example, many people and organisations have open houses.
Food takes centre stage in these types of celebrations and having a caterer who can match your festive needs is a dream-come-true. FeedMyGuest has more than 200 caterers available under its listings that can even make sure your special rendang hitam is there on the menu when you need it.
This Raya, FeedMyGuest has a Hari Raya tab offering services from caterers who have special Raya menus to offer. This newly added tab is a thematic tab that FeedMyGuest added especially for Raya, on top of their usual buffet, hi-tea, corporate, birthday, Halal, wedding and pre-packed caterers tabs.
“Also special for this Raya, FeedMyGuest offers RM50 discounts on all Raya catering orders and also an opportunity to win a kambing golek (roast lamb on a spit),” adds Chan, who is in charge of the platform’s marketing solutions.
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MOVING FORWARD
The food industry, because of the many festivities we have, is growing by the minute.
“We want to be able to offer complete catering services that are not just limited to providing food but the entire spectrum of an event,” says Lim.
“When people order food for a party, they also want party decor options. So looking at the needs in our customers queries, there is a market for a full catering service, meaning party foods and setup,” he says.
One of the most unique and interesting orders that FeedMyGuest has received so far is an order for 1,000 red eggs, a tradition in the Chinese community, symbolising life for a newborn baby.
Currently, FeedMyGuest only lists caterers in the Klang Valley area but the company is looking into the mechanism of expanding the site to three other states — Melaka, Johor and Penang — and is currently working towards finding caterers from these areas.
Finding a suitable caterer can be a nightmare, but by matching requirements against services offered on FeedMyGuest.com, you could have a stress-free catering experience; after all that was what the co-founders had ever hoped for themselves.