The Training Revolution: How Restaurant Brands Can Scale Their Catering Success
On a recent episode of The Catering Cage, host Erle Dardick welcomed RaVae Beck, a hospitality veteran with a master's degree in education, to discuss what might be the restaurant industry's next critical investment frontier: comprehensive training for off-premises operations. Their partnership through the Off-Premises Growth Academy represents a fresh approach to an age-old challenge—how to systematically scale catering success across restaurant brands.
Dardick, reflecting on 15 years since publishing his foundational work on catering operations, emphasized that while the core concepts remain remarkably relevant, the industry's approach to training has lagged behind its ambitions. "The basics haven't changed," he noted. "You prospect for customers, take orders, make orders, deliver orders—it's a factory. But the next big investment these brands need to make to elevate their sales and experience is in training their people." He pointed to success stories like Jason's Deli and Portillo's, brands that have achieved 18-20% of system sales through catering, with some locations reaching as high as 50%.
Beck brings a unique perspective to this challenge, viewing training not as a standardized checklist but as a results-driven solution. "What's the objective?" she asks—her signature question that cuts through the noise of training for training's sake. Her vision extends beyond traditional in-house development to create an open system where content creators and industry experts can share and monetize their expertise within a proven framework. This community-driven approach acknowledges that restaurants aren't competitors when it comes to shared knowledge and growth opportunities.
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The conversation revealed an ambitious roadmap that includes online courses, live training, train-the-trainer programs, and eventually, industry certification and accreditation. Beck's educational background drives her insistence on proper credentialing: "Certification means our team members are able to make a difference in the industry, and we can prove that." The goal isn't just to check boxes but to create measurable impact that can withstand the scrutiny of accreditation bodies.
Perhaps most intriguingly, their vision extends beyond traditional restaurants to encompass the entire off-premises ecosystem—grocery stores, convenience chains, contract caterers, and even fresh food manufacturers. As Dardick observed, "Everyone says they cater now," and the lines between restaurant, retail, and prepared food are increasingly blurred. This convergence creates opportunities for shared learning across what was once considered separate industries.
The Off-Premises Growth Academy represents more than just another training program; it's positioning itself as a potential catalyst for industry transformation. With plans for annual conferences, ongoing community engagement through platforms like CaterLink, and the development of specialized roles like "Chief Catering Officer," Beck and Dardick are betting that the restaurant industry is ready to invest seriously in the people and processes that drive off-premises success. For operators struggling to move beyond that 12% catering threshold, their message is clear: the foundation is there, but scaling requires intentional investment in human capital.
For more information about the Off-Premises Growth Academy, visit opa.academy or connect with RaVae Beck on LinkedIn.
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