Anaheim-based Specialty Restaurants Corp.’s catering business, SRC Event Group, is part of the latest strategy to take the company to the next level.
“We’ve always been an on-premise caterer, and we really recognized that we were losing out on an opportunity to work with clients that would come to us and do events at our facility but also [want off-site catering],” McKennon said.
The company hired Connie Armijo, vice president of special events, about a year ago to lead the new division.
The SRC Event Group nabbed a major win earlier this year when it was named one of the official caterers of Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. The historic property is the former estate of the Doheny family, whose wealth came from oil drilling in Los Angeles in the late 1800s.
SRC Event Group was among 30 restaurant operators competing for one of three spots as official caterers of Greystone. Business is booming now for SRC Event Group, with about 22 weddings at Greystone planned and another 10 corporate events for an estimated $1 million in new revenue.
The success of the event group could help pave the way for expansion into contract food services.
“It’s an interesting business to get into,” McKennon said. “On a cost basis, the [return on investment] is very attractive. With the talent we have and a couple more folks we could really roll into that aspect. We’re putting our toe in the water with Greystone.”
— Kari Hamanaka
