Writing Down How Your Business Runs

Understanding Brain-Dumping and SOPs

Standard Operating Procedures, or SOPs, are the written instructions for how your catering company delivers an event. They help your team produce the same reliable result whether you are cooking, loading the van, or managing the client relationship. For example, your lead cook should be able to follow the same steps for preparing a buffet of chicken, roasted vegetables, and salad every time. Your event captain should know how to check the room, direct servers, and handle a missing rental without waiting for you.

The goal is to build a system in which a new team member can perform at least 80% of a routine task correctly on the first shift by following the instructions. This does not mean a new server can run a 300-person wedding alone. It means they can complete a defined job, such as labeling dietary meals, setting a beverage station, or packing the correct chafing dishes, with limited help. That level of clarity lets you take on more events without being the only person who knows how the work gets done.

The Importance of Brain-Dumping

Brain-dumping means moving the knowledge in your head into a format your team can use. In event catering, much of this knowledge is easy to overlook because you have learned it through hundreds of events. You know which dishes travel well, how much ice a summer wedding needs, when to confirm the rental truck, and what to do when the venue changes the load-in entrance. Your staff may not know any of that unless you capture it.

Real-World Example: You may have a reliable way to recover when a wedding venue delays kitchen access by 45 minutes. You might send cold appetizers first, move finishing work to the mobile kitchen, and notify the event captain of a revised service order. Record those decisions, the timing, and the messages to send. The next lead can use the same playbook instead of calling you during dinner service.

Creating Effective SOPs

For every process, explain three parts:

1. Why: State why the task matters. This gives the team context. Checking dietary labels protects guests and prevents a serious service mistake.
2. What: List the exact steps in the order they should happen. Include quantities, timing, tools, and who owns each step. For a load-out SOP, show how to count hot boxes, label leftovers, secure knives, and verify the vehicle doors are locked.
3. Outcome: Define what completed work looks like. A successful pre-event pack might mean every item on the event pull sheet is checked, cold food is below your safe temperature limit, and the captain signs the final count.

Use plain language and photos where they help. Write for a capable new hire, not for someone who already knows your shortcuts.

Organizing Your SOPs

Keep every SOP in one searchable location, such as Notion, Google Drive, or a team operations platform. Organize the vault by the way your catering work happens: Sales and Contracts, Menu Planning, Purchasing, Kitchen Prep, Packing and Transport, Event Setup, Service, Breakdown, and Post-Event Follow-Up.

Name files so they are easy to find, such as “Wedding Load-In Checklist” or “Allergen Meal Labeling Procedure.” Add an owner and review date to each document. If a venue changes its access rules or you replace a piece of kitchen equipment, update the related SOP instead of leaving old instructions in a text thread.

The Loom-First Approach

Do not wait until you have time to write a perfect manual. Use Loom or your phone to record yourself doing the task. Talk through what you are checking, why you make decisions, and what commonly goes wrong. Record a real prep shift, a van-packing session, or a venue setup when possible.

Real-World Example: Record yourself building a buffet line at a wedding venue. Show the placement of tables, linens, food labels, serving utensils, warming equipment, and guest-flow signs. A coordinator can turn the recording into a short checklist with photos and timestamps. The video becomes useful training for captains and a reference when the team works at an unfamiliar venue.

Building a Culture of Self-Reliance

Teach the team to check the SOP vault before interrupting you with a repeat question. This is not an excuse to ignore people or hide important decisions. It is a way to make routine answers consistent and help staff solve problems independently. When someone asks how to pack a gluten-free meal or close out a bar station, ask, “Which SOP did you check?” If the answer is missing or unclear, fix the SOP after the event.

Review one process each week with a cook, driver, captain, or coordinator. Ask them to follow it without coaching. Their questions will show where the instructions fail. Over time, your company becomes less dependent on your memory, and you can spend more time selling profitable events, improving menus, and building relationships with venues and planners.