A solution created by and for caterers

The “Catering Crate” was developed over time by John Hatcher, owner and co-founder of Café Pacific Catering. Café Pacific Catering has been serving the greater Puget Sound region (Seattle/Tacoma) since 1989.

After many years of “drop-off” corporate catering John was frustrated with the available options for transport and heat retention. He did not like the cheap look of wire chafing dishes, the damage to or loss of cambro containers and/or metal chafing dishes, the inconvenience and expense of return trips to pick up cambro containers and/or metal chafing dishes and the unattractiveness of virtually all transport/heat retention catering containers. And most importantly the cost of all the available options was too high. 

John thought that a simple, attractive, insulated container that could keep food to temperature for an hour or more would be just what he was looking for. This container must be very inexpensive and need no fuel source . . . something like a pizza box but for hotel pans . . . and with more insulation. After years of nothing becoming available John, with the help of his wife and business partner Amy, decided to develop a container themselves. Thus the “Catering Crate” was born.

John had prototypes made with a box company to accommodate the specifications of a typical disposable aluminum pan with space above and below for added insulation. Amy worked with a graphic designer to create just the right graphics for the outside of the box. Her goal was to come up with an attractive and unique design that would set food displayed in the box apart from the competition. No more cheap looking wire chafing dishes with potentially dangerous fuel sources would be required. And the best part is that the “Catering Crate” is extremely inexpensive. The “Catering Crate” can simply be left at the client’s event location for disposal or recycling. And you know what that means, no more expensive return trips to pick up equipment! Since the boxes are so well insulated your drivers can make more deliveries per route and make the deliveries earlier. Earlier deliveries create less stress for both your client and the driver. John and Amy feel the Catering Crate is the perfect solution to all the challenges that corporate drop-off catering creates.