Catering Careers On the Upswing After 9/11 Setbacks

Airlines, cruise ships, hotels, restaurants, and caterers all suffered serious losses from the terror attacks of 9/11. Fear and an ailing economy kept people home and took away the urge to travel. The number of catering jobs available dropped sharply. Now the shadow of 9/11 is passing, and the economy shows signs of improvement. The new atmosphere of optimism is reflected in a rise in jobs in catering.

More parties, more catering

Right after the attacks on New York City, social gatherings were small, subdued, or nonexistent. It was not a good time to enter a catering career or to enroll for catering training. The prolonged state of shock and mourning that followed the tragic events put a freeze on joyous parties--and therefore on catering jobs.

Now the country is almost completely back to normal, at least in terms of the number of celebrations and parties that are going on. This means that there is a need for catering, and the number of jobs in catering is on the rise again. As the economy grows, there are also more conferences and business meetings that require the kind of food that caterers provide.

Schools that offer catering training are reporting solid increases in student enrollments as the number of opportunities for jobs in catering rise. In some cases the new students are leaving other industries that have not had the same ability to come back the way that hospitality and catering have. Other people are turning toward jobs in catering as a way of expanding their career horizons. Not all the students want to work as catering employees. Some students want to plan banquets or manage hotels.