For all of
us geography impaired westerners, countries like Thailand are mysterious far
away lands. The only way we come into close contact with the culture of this
beautiful country is through its cuisine. In some areas Thai food sales have
even begun to rival those of Chinese food.
And who can
blame the people who like this type of cuisine. It is a very balanced blend of
lightly cooked food, using strong tasting ingredients, many of them spicy. It
is truly an art form, because the chef has to balance all known tastes in a
single dish. Thai cuisine eludes simplicity and challenges the one that tries
it in unknown ways.
My love for
Thai food aside, let’s talk about the technical aspect of the business and
commercialization of Thai food. The main ways to do this is to buy your own
restaurant so people come to you, or to get a catering service, so you go to
the customers and deliver. Many businesses choose both.
Now Toronto
doesn’t seem like the city most likely known for its fine Asian cuisine, but
some of the best Thai food catering services are there. So what makes Thai food
deliveries in Toronto so great?
Let’s assume
some people don’t know what catering actually is and explain it: In its
simplest form, catering is a simple service where someone cooks for you and
bring the food over to a location that you specify.
In its more
complex form it’s a fine balancing act. What do I mean by this? Well catering
is more complicated than owning a restaurant. Like previously mentioned, the
restaurant has the advantage because the customers come to you. All you have to
do I create an attractive atmosphere.
The caterer needs to travel more and as any engineer can tell you, the
more moving parts you have, the more complex the system is, thus increasing the
likelihood that something will go wrong.
Catering
also requires a far greater degree of flexibility. In a restaurant you just
pick an already determined recipe and that’s about it. A caterer must
constantly bend to the will and taste of the customer. It is not a rare
occurrence for the client to change his/her mind half way through, leaving the
poor caterer obligated to start over.
As far as
Toronto Thai food deliveries go, the complexity is not that great. Take the
order, prepare the food and get it to the customer on time.
Catering
Thai food is especially challenging because of the complicated nature of the
food. Hardships aside this line of work is very satisfying both financially and
spiritually if one chooses to apply him/herself.
