How to get catering orders: how restaurants win more catering
Catering is the biggest ticket most restaurants ever see: one office lunch can equal a busy night of takeout. The restaurants that win it are rarely the cheapest. They are easy to find, answer first and make ordering simple. Here is how to get more catering orders, starting this week.
Know who books catering
Most catering comes from a few repeat buyers: office managers and executive assistants ordering team lunches, event planners, schools and places of worship, and families planning birthdays, graduations and religious events. Each one books again and again once they trust you, so every first order is worth far more than its ticket.
Be easy to find
- Give catering its own page on your website, with packages, trays, minimum headcount and a request form
- Add catering as a service in your Google Business Profile and mention it in the description
- Use the words people search: “catering near me”, “office lunch catering”, “[cuisine] catering [city]”
- Show real tray photos and serving sizes, so planners can picture the spread
- List catering on the delivery apps that offer it, as another place to be found
Answer first, the same day
Speed wins more catering than price. A planner who sends three inquiries usually books the first clear, complete quote. Reply within hours, confirm the date and headcount, and send a priced quote the same day. A short follow-up two days later recovers many quotes that went quiet.
Make the quote easy to say yes to
- Offer two or three packages at different price points per person
- Spell out what is included: serving utensils, plates, setup, delivery
- Note vegetarian, vegan and allergy-friendly options up front
- State the deposit, final headcount deadline and cancellation terms
- Send it as a clean, branded quote, not a paragraph in an email
Go where catering buyers are
- Drop menus and samples at nearby offices, coworking spaces and schools
- Partner with local event venues and wedding or party planners
- Join your chamber of commerce and local business groups
- Offer a tasting for planners who book regularly
Turn one event into a regular account
After every event, ask for a review and a referral, and save the client with their usual order. A friendly note before the next quarter or holiday season (“Planning your team lunch again?”) books repeat orders with almost no effort. Track your best catering clients separately: a handful of offices can carry your weekdays.
Plan big orders ahead
Catering only pays if the kitchen is ready. Keep every booked event on one calendar, confirm headcount a few days out, and order ingredients against it. Missed details on a 60-person lunch cost more than the order earns.
How Saltifi helps
Saltifi collects catering requests and sends them to your restaurant, next to the requests from your own website. You build a branded quote from your menu and packages in minutes, choose whether to take a deposit, and every booked event lands on a calendar your kitchen can plan around. Our team can also run the marketing that gets your catering found.
