Why Every Brand Needs Catering Leadership
In a recent episode of the Catering Cage podcast, host Erle Dardick welcomed Jennifer Saunders-Haynes, Catering Strategist at Elizabeth Jewel Consulting and a seasoned industry expert. Jennifer, who previously spent over four years at Subway, shared her entrepreneurial journey and insights on catering leadership. Her expertise stems from extensive experience in the restaurant industry, where she has developed programs for multi-unit restaurant environments.
The conversation highlighted the critical need for dedicated catering leadership at the executive level. Saunders-Haynes emphasized that a Chief Catering Officer role requires someone who can coordinate across multiple departments: "Having somebody in the C-suite gives you the opportunity to lean really hard into operations, marketing, and supply chain because all of that needs to tie together." She detailed how launching even a single catering item requires coordination across culinary, procurement, operations, marketing, and CRM teams.
Discussing community building in the catering space, both Dardick and Saunders-Haynes agreed on its importance for professionals at all stages of their journey. Dardick mentioned his CaterLinked initiative, designed to foster peer groups and mentorship in the industry. Saunders-Haynes credited community support as instrumental in her consulting career: "If I didn't have community, I'm not sure I would have been able to start Elizabeth Jewel."
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Looking ahead to economic uncertainty, Saunders-Haynes offered practical advice for restaurant operators. Drawing parallels to the early COVID period, she urged businesses to retain talent who can pivot to off-premises opportunities: "If you have people on your team that can help fill that gap for now, hold on to them... You're going to need them if something happens in the economy and people shift how they spend." She noted that skills needed for catering management naturally translate to third-party delivery management.
The discussion also touched on increasing competition from beyond the restaurant industry. Saunders-Haynes pointed to grocery stores like Whole Foods developing sophisticated catering programs: "I went on the Amazon page... Whole Foods catering pops up with a whole section marketed for Easter where you can order lunchboxes, hot meals, cold meals, platters, cakes, desserts." This expanding marketplace requires restaurants to develop strategic approaches to remain competitive.
For those interested in connecting with Jennifer Saunders-Haynes, she can be found at ejewelconsulting.com, on LinkedIn, or on Instagram as "the catering queen." She closed with an encouraging message for industry professionals facing uncertain times: "Keep pushing, keep going forward... I think we'll all get through this in the industry together."
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