A catering request page that saves a phone call

Start with the questions you always ask

Write down the first questions you ask on every catering call. Those are the page. A customer who answers them up front gets a better reply, and you skip the opening round of phone tag.

Trim the list to what you need to price and plan, and put the rest in the conversation that follows. Our guide to the quote request page covers keeping that balance.

Read your last several catering inquiries and notice which details you had to chase. Those missing details are what the page must ask for, and that is the only research you need.

What goes in the message

Tell people, above the form, which details to include: the date and time, the place, an approximate number of guests in words, whether it is a drop-off, a setup or full service, and how formal the event is.

Ask about dietary needs and what the guests cannot eat, and say that exact allergy details are confirmed in conversation. Do not promise a kitchen can avoid a substance on the strength of a web form.

Ask whether the event has a set time for food. Timing is a common source of trouble, and a visitor who states it up front gives you what you need to say yes or no.

Say what you do and what you do not

People waste effort on requests you cannot meet. State the kinds of events you cater, how far you travel, and how much notice you usually need. Say plainly when a date is too close to take.

Our page on the site for a caterer covers the pages around this one. A visitor who sees clear limits trusts the rest.

If you have a minimum order or a seasonal menu, say so here rather than after a long exchange. Honest limits save both sides an afternoon.

Menus and sample pages that support the request

A request page works better beside a menu page. Show the kinds of menus you offer for different events, with descriptions in text, so a customer arrives at the form already knowing roughly what to ask for.

Link to any event pages you maintain. Our guide to the event page for a business shows how to describe an event clearly.

Photographs of food laid out at real events, with captions, can help more than studio shots. They show a customer what actually arrives at the door.

What happens after the request is sent

Say how soon you usually reply and how a proposal is delivered. Each submission can be sent to your email, Slack or CRM, so it reaches whoever handles the work. The Leads screen keeps a status and note on each.

Follow up with a person, not an automated message that restates the form. A reply that mentions the date and the place shows the customer they were heard.

Tastings, confirmations and changes

Some customers will want a tasting or a call before they commit. Say whether you offer one and how to ask for it, in your own words. Do not promise a tasting you cannot schedule.

Describe how a booking is confirmed, in general terms: that you send a proposal, how a date is held, and what the customer does next. Leave specific figures to the proposal itself.

Cancellations and changes are better stated before they matter. A plain paragraph about how you handle changes in guest numbers or dates keeps goodwill, and it is much easier to write before a dispute than after.

Mistakes that cost a caterer the booking

These are the habits that make a customer pick whoever answered fastest.

A caterer can have this page written from a conversation about the events you take on. The in-app assistant can adjust the guidance above the form, and a check that runs before anything publishes applies to the page before it goes live.

• A bare contact form with no guidance on what to include
• No mention of how much notice you need
• Questions about budget with no explanation of why
• No line about dietary needs or how they are handled
• Slow replies to a page that promises quick ones
• A request page with no menu anywhere near it