Today we’d like to introduce you to Bill Hansen. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Bill Hansen Catering Meet catering legend Bill Hansen, a 50-plus-year industry veteran, and owner of Bill Hansen Luxury Catering. Over the last four decades, this visionary has hosted four U.S. presidents, championship Super Bowl teams, and countless celebrities and athletes. He has catered events for everyone from Pope John Paul II, to The Bush family, The Reagan family, Michael Jordan, Usher, Kim Kardashian, and the list goes on.
Bill has built a business that has grown and thrived despite periodic economic downturns including the global financial crisis of 2007–2008, the 9/11 attacks, the Zika virus, Hurricanes Andrew, Wilma, and Irma (where he served tens of thousands of meals to evacuees for the Red Cross) and the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Widely recognized as a giant in the catering industry, Bill caters, coordinates, trains, teaches, mentors, motivates, manages, and writes. He typically oversees 400 events a year with 40 full-time and 200 on-call employees, and his company averages $10 million in sales annually.
“We are in the business of selling experiences, not just food and beverage,” explains Bill.
Bill earned a Bachelor of Science from Cornell’s world-famous School of Hotel Administration and a Master’s of Science from Florida International University’s School of Hospitality Management where he sold sandwiches, snacks, soda, and beer to pay for his tuition and board.
Right out of Cornell, Bill was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy where he proudly served his country running Officers’ Clubs and Bachelor Officers’ Quarters (hotels for military officers). There he learned systems and procedures while dealing with the crème de la crème of the military world, and overseeing the work of over 180 staffers before he even reached his 25th birthday.
Bill moved to South Florida in 1975 and founded Bills’ Catering with his best friend, Bill Hendrich while also managing The Miami Club, Miami’s most prestigious luncheon club. The two Bills worked together until Hendrich’s passing in 2005 – 25 years in all. Bill Hansen Catering quickly became the standard by which all upscale South Florida caterers are measured.
Since 1990, Bill has taught Catering Management at Florida International University where he wrote a textbook, Off-Premise Catering Management, which remains a standard text in many classrooms.
Bill is the exclusive caterer for Villa Woodbine, a historic and award-winning, early 20th-century Mediterranean Revival estate in Coconut Grove in high demand for weddings, and corporate and social events. In addition, his company caters to a collection of 100 unique venues from the Palm Beaches to the Florida Keys.
In addition to being an in-demand speaker at catering conferences where he speaks to over 3,000 caterers a show, Bill is frequently engaged as an expert witness for food service and hospitality legal disputes and has worked on major cases against Costco and American Airlines.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Anytime you own a business, there are going to be struggles along the way. It started over 40 years ago. I could have filed for bankruptcy in 1971 but rebounded, paid off my debts and the rest is history.
I also made a bad investment in a concession in a State Park costing me $400K, but I was able to overcome it through hard work, seeking guidance from others, and relying on my faith to know that we can overcome these obstacles.
One of the biggest challenges was a very long dependency on alcohol and drugs, which I was able to overcome through self-reflection and dedication.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Bill Hansen Catering & Event Production, a catering and events company celebrating 41 years in South Florida, continuously challenges the boundaries of imagination and breaks new ground as one of South Florida’s extraordinary full-service event design and production companies.
Complete with expert team members, their sophisticated know-how, warm, personalized service, and paramount commitment to their clients’ happiness guarantee to exceed even the highest expectations. In all that they do, Bill Hansen and his team strive to delight their clients and guests with passion, innovation, teamwork, and quality.
Renowned for their bespoke event planning and tailored gastronomic approaches, every detail of Bill Hansen Catering & Event Production’s impeccable service is thoughtfully designed and personalized to delight guests. Their Corporate Chef, Dewey LoSasso, was selected by The Miami Herald as one of the “Florida Food Fifty” a small, intimate group of trendsetters in Florida. Chef Dewey’s custom-crafted fork-to-farm menus truly represent Bill Hansen Catering & Event Production’s philosophy of forward and evolutionary thinking.
Since its inception, Bill Hansen Catering & Event Production has served four U.S. Presidents, Pope John Paul II, and Bill Gates, top professional athletes, singers, hundreds of Fortune 500 firms, and over 5,000 couples. Bill Hansen Catering & Event Production uses a distinct approach of combining traditional and innovative solutions to turn anyone’s entertaining dreams into brilliant reality.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Greatest Accomplishments.
Lifetime Achievement Award from Catersource.
Author of four books—the last one, a book for business owners titled Cater to Your Customers.
Generous Giver.
Profitably Owned and Operated Bill Hansen Catering for 43 years.
University Adjunct Lecturer at Florida International University for 25+ Years.
Founded Leading Caterers of America in 1996 and a Member Now.
Goals for BHC:
– To grow into the Go-To Entertaining Resource for Everyone Planning Parties, Events, Weddings, Quinceaneras, and Mitzvahs—Offering hundreds of venues and thousands of catering menus and ethnic cuisines.
Keys to Success:
– Abundant Energy and hard work. I’m 77 years young and still not retired!
What’s next:
– Building a technical education program for immigrants and those between jobs.
– Building a Ministry with My Faith-Based Daily Message
– Building The Hansen Catering Events Lab/Incubator at FIU.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.billhansen.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billhansenluxurycatering/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BillHansenLuxuryCatering/
Image Credits
Bill Hansen Catering
