Starting a Catering-Focused Event Business in Bangalore as a Side Hustle — Need Advice
Hey everyone,
My friend and I are planning to start a small event management business in Bangalore, but initially we want to focus mainly on catering services.
My friend has around 8 years of experience in food operations and already has a reliable team along with strong vendor connections for catering, decor, and event logistics. Since both of us are currently working full-time, we want to start this as a side hustle first and gradually scale it if things work out well.
The idea right now is to begin with smaller events like:
- House parties
- Birthday celebrations
- Corporate team lunches/events
- Small gatherings
- College/community events
We want to keep operations lean initially by leveraging existing vendor networks and the team we already have, instead of investing heavily upfront.
Would love some advice from people who are in the catering/event space in Bangalore:
- How difficult is it to get the first few clients?
- Is Instagram marketing enough initially or should we also focus on platforms like WeddingWire/Justdial, etc.?
- What kind of margins are realistic in catering?
- Any major operational headaches we should prepare for?
- Is Bangalore still a good market for new catering/event businesses?
- Any mistakes to avoid while running this as a side hustle?
Would really appreciate honest feedback, suggestions, or lessons from your own experience.
Thanks 🙌