I opened Catered by Matt just over a year ago, and I am incredibly proud of what we have been able to achieve thus far. We have catered over 600 amazing events, received more than 200 five-star reviews, catered for some of Sydney’s leading brands, and built a team of 8 incredibly talented and passionate staff.
Our team work hard, going above and beyond every day in pursuit of building a catering company our clients can rely on. So, the question becomes, why do we do what we do? If you are at one of our events and ask this question to any one of our staff, you will receive the same energetic response. “We believe every client deserves an extraordinary experience.” If you follow our journey, this is something that you undoubtedly hear me say time and time again, but why? Why does every event need to be extraordinary? Why go the extra mile? Why not settle for good?
Why?
We rarely cater events that are not significant to the guests attending. We often cater for weddings, family reunions, product launches, team bonding sessions, farewells, birthdays, and the list goes on. Typically, these are once-in-a-lifetime occasions. Maybe it’s someone’s 21st birthday, or it’s their wedding day; perhaps it’s a 10th anniversary, or someone is launching their dream business. Most of these occasions happen only once, and as a team, we feel a profound responsibility to ensure these events are catered to an extraordinary level. Hence, when we are asked why we do what we do, our response is “Because we believe every client deserves an extraordinary experience.”
What are our core values?
1. Competitive Greatness
• We compete with the ever-imposing urge to do things the simple/easy way.
• We push each other to be better for the sake of the customer and the growth of our team.
• We treat events like game day. When we are on site, we are competing to give the best service, food, and overall experience.
• We treat time in our HQ kitchen like pre-game practice. We continually strive to be faster than yesterday or make the food taste better than it did last time.
2. Client First Mindset
• When considering a question/thought about a certain circumstance, we run it through the frame of ‘what would be best for the client?’. This will clarify our thoughts and keep us acting in line with our goals.
• When onsite, we consider how we can make the client’s experience extraordinary. The small things matter: emptying bins, remembering names, leaving kitchens cleaner than we found them.
3. Constant improvement
• Every day, we aim to improve. The filter we run decisions through is ‘does this action make us better?’.
• After every event, we reflect on what could have been done better, document lessons learned, and discuss them with the team.
• We set goals monthly, both individually and as a team. We then develop clear, actionable steps to achieve them.
4. We do what we say we’re going to do
• When we create improvement plans, we commit to seeing them through, no matter how challenging they may become.
• We operate and grow within the guidelines of our core values; these principles are always applicable, not just when it’s convenient.
• We perform based on the plan, not temporary emotions we feel in the moment.
These values were developed to serve as a clear guide for decision-making. When consistently applied, they empower us with a sense of autonomy within the business. By aligning these values with our goals, we can quickly see the boundaries within which we can confidently operate.
We believe every client deserves an extraordinary experience, and these are the values we follow as a team to ensure we make that happen.
If you are looking for a catering company you can rely on, enquire below, we would love to see how we can help
