I operated a restaurant equipment business for over ten years. One of things that always fascinated me was how people got started in the catering business. Almost always it started off as a hobby turned underground side hustle. I say underground because they built their client list prior to properly setting up their catering business according local laws and requirements. Lets dive into what I call the catering underground. For every startup there is always a reason or in this case a hobby, interest, or natural born talent that started these three tasty side hustles.
Bakery Underground Hobby Hustle
The first catering side hustle is the baker. I saw this start several times. This first was a lady that was good at making yeast rolls. She started making yeast rolls for special events at church. Then she had friends and family requesting rolls for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. She had so much demand she began selling at the local farmers markets. Now she has fully expanded to a store front location.
Another pair of home bakers started out with cup cakes. Then moved into wedding cakes. Later this mom and daughter dou opened a store front location that is totally focused on all types of sweet treats.
The last underground baker was a nurse looking for a treat to help her relax after a busy shift. She developed a melatonin brownie and sold the rights to the recipe at a national food show. She went to the show to just take orders for brownies and ended up selling the whole business.
Grill Hobby Hustle
This one starts with a guy who loves to grill and bbq. He has a huge grill, and social media full of friends that loves his cooking. He lists what he is cooking on social media along with when he is cooking. He usually posts pictures of the menu items a few days in advance to give followers time to reply. Then for those who are interested he cooks extra for them. This hobby hustle eventually evolved into a side hustle catering business for businesses and family reunions.
Underground Sandwich Shop
One customer discovered a real niche to be filled at the local shipyard. For her underground hustle she made brown bag lunches consisting of a tasty sandwich and a bag chips. The workers started each morning at 5:00 am as they walk toward the gate she sold her sandwiches and some coffee available by 6:00 am she was sold out. Her hustle fills a need and is an affordable option for her customers.
All of these hustles started on the down low. Some started as a hobby. Some started as a way to fill a need. How will you start your hustle?
