Opinions expressed by entrepreneurs’ colleagues are their very own.
In the industry built on large moments, Sebastien Centner Factory for small things.
“There are things in our industry that people just expect,” he says. “If it is hot food, it should be hot. The food should be good. This is the foundation. But this is the last five percent? This is what we stand out.”
Centner is the founder EatertainmentA company dealing in catering and events based in Toronto, which currently runs over 1,000 events a year. His journey began with confidence and a hard lesson.
At that point, Centner was not in the catering industry. He ran a bar and a restaurant when a loyal customer asked if he could help satisfy his daughter’s engagement party. This could be his first try to perform such an event.
He decided that he had every little thing he covered: chefs, servers, drinks and food. It cannot be that difficultHotel entrepreneur.
“It was a disaster,” he says Shawn Walchefhost Influence of restaurants. “If we delivered 50 percent of what the customer expected, I would be surprised.”
But as a substitute of leaving, he was obsessed. “We did 20 events in the first year,” he says. “I learned from the event to the event to the event. Every time I did less and less shit.”
Over time, he developed a system based on preparation and precision. Every detail of the event was mapped in advance so that his team could cope with curves and proceed to offer something special.
“I always say that we can only deliver five percent if we have already planned the first 95,” he says. “If you try to fix something basic on the day of the party, you don’t have time to go outside.”
Philosophy got stuck. Just like pressure.
“You will try wine together, you fly to southern Africa, so that scout, basically on vacation with clients,” he says. “But if something goes wrong, we are helping. They are not our friends.”
Centner loves the energy of the gastronomic world-ttemo, problem solving and creativity. But it is clear for one thing: it is business and works only if you consistently deliver.
And this is not something he does alone. His wife, SheilaHe has been with him from the very starting, helping to administer each business and the brand. “She balances me” Centner says.
The combination of a couple was not only immediate activity. It was an immediate life. “When I met her, we met [and] She moved in during the week – he says. “We were engaged in a month and we got married during the year.”
They have worked side by side for a long time. While Centner focuses on logistics and scaling, Sheila directs the creative side – developing content, managing a strategy and continually forcing the company to evolution.
“She will say:” If I see one more mini Burger Matcha Green Tea, I’ll shout, “he laughs. “And she is right. We’ve been doing it for six months. We have to get rid of it.”
When Sheila conducts a creative direction and content strategy, the internal eaterinment team now records each event, edits video reels and sends customers selected summaries. It is a Polish layer that did not exist in catering just a few years ago. This personal touch has become part of their five percent.
What Centner maintains after two decades is not only a height or scale. It’s people. “My favorite part is the sight of the face of people when they enter the room,” he says. “They smile. They pull out the phones. This is the response we wish.”
For Centner, this moment is every little thing. Lights, food, music – every little thing is built on a spark of joy. This is a combination. This is an additional five percent Eatertainment It was built for delivery.
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