catering
catering — noun
1. the business or activity of preparing food and drinks and serving them at specia
the business or activity of preparing food and drinks and serving them at special events like weddings, conferences, and parties
Haruto runs a small catering company that specialises in Japanese wedding banquets.
collocation: catering company
The catering for Amina's graduation party included a three-tier cake and fresh sushi.
Dimitri ordered catering from a local Greek restaurant for the office lunch.
The hotel's catering team prepared over five hundred meals for the conference.
Fatima decided to study catering at college so she could open her own bakery one day.
- food service
broader term covering any organised provision of meals, not only at events
- banquet service
specifically for large formal meals at celebrations or ceremonies
用法筆記
Used both as a business name ('Haruto Catering') and as a general term for the service itself. Distinct from 'hospitality', which covers accommodation and guest services as well as food.
catering — verb
1. to supply food and related services for a particular event or group of people
to supply food and related services for a particular event or group of people
Kwame's restaurant caters for weddings and can serve up to two hundred guests.
cater for + event (British pattern)
The bakery caters lunch to three nearby offices every weekday.
cater + meal + to + recipient
Eleni was hired to cater a birthday dinner for thirty people at the art gallery.
A team of six chefs catered the charity gala, serving a five-course meal.
Olga's family has catered large festivals across Eastern Europe for three generations.
- feed
more general and informal; does not imply professional service
- provision
formal, noun form; broader than food alone
- supply meals for
straightforward alternative emphasising the delivery of food
文法句型
cater + event
cater + for + event/group
cater + meal + to + recipient
用法筆記
British English typically uses 'cater for an event'; American English often drops the preposition and uses 'cater an event' directly. Both forms are widely understood internationally.
常見錯誤
2. to meet the particular needs or wishes of a specific group of people, often by a
to meet the particular needs or wishes of a specific group of people, often by adjusting what you offer to suit them
The new shop caters to pet owners who want organic food for their animals.
cater to + specific group
Naledi designed the course to cater for students with different levels of experience.
cater for + group (British variant)
Mei-Ling's platform caters to independent filmmakers who shoot on vintage cameras.
Sven refused to cater to his boss's unreasonable demands and handed in his notice.
The resort caters mainly to families with young children, offering kids' clubs and shallow pools.
- accommodate
more formal; implies making adjustments or finding room for something
- satisfy
focuses on meeting a standard or requirement, better for individual needs
- indulge
suggests giving more than necessary, often with a sense of excess or lenience
- pander to
strongly negative; implies exploiting people's worst instincts for personal gain
文法句型
cater + to + group/needs
cater + for + group/needs
用法筆記
Always followed by 'to' (or occasionally 'for' in British English). The object is typically a group defined by shared tastes or needs — not usually a single person unless that person represents a category. Distinguish from verb sense 1 (PROVIDE FOOD), which is about actually supplying meals.