Two catering businesses under one name
Most caterers run two quite different businesses. Corporate catering is a repeat game: office lunches, morning teas, boardroom platters and staff events, ordered by an office manager or EA who wants reliable delivery, clear dietary labels and an invoice that fits their accounts process. Wedding and private event catering is a one-off, high-value sale with a tasting, a detailed quote, a deposit, and months between enquiry and the day itself. They need different pages, different follow-up and different measures of success.
We start by working out where your margin and capacity sit. A kitchen that can turn out 40 corporate lunches before 11am every weekday has a different growth plan from one that does two weddings a weekend from September to April. Marketing should push the side of the business you can deliver well.
Corporate: make reordering effortless
Corporate buyers search with location and format: “corporate catering Sydney CBD”, “office lunch catering North Sydney”, “breakfast catering Parramatta”, “boardroom lunch delivery”, “gluten free catering for meetings”. They want a menu with prices, minimum orders, delivery areas, order cut-off times and dietary information they can trust. A PDF menu sent on request loses to a competitor with online ordering.
The real value in corporate work is the reorder. An office that orders lunch for its monthly team meeting is worth far more than its first invoice. Keep client details, past orders and dietary notes on file, send a reminder before regular events, and make it simple to repeat a previous order. Quinn’s Simple CRM can hold those accounts and send reorder prompts by email or SMS. For businesses targeting larger companies, LinkedIn ads can reach office managers and event coordinators by role and location.
Catering work worth building around
- Corporate breakfast, lunch and meeting catering
- Weddings and private events
- Christmas parties and end-of-year functions
- Grazing tables, canapés and specialty menus
- Repeat orders from office accounts
Weddings and events: a quote form that does the groundwork
Event clients search differently: “wedding caterer Southern Highlands”, “spit roast catering for 80”, “canapé catering Sydney”, “grazing table for 50th”, “Christmas party catering”. Few of them can be quoted from the first message. A good enquiry form saves days of back-and-forth by asking for:
- Event date and type
- Guest numbers, including children
- Venue, and whether there’s a kitchen on site
- Service style: canapés, buffet, shared plates, plated, grazing
- Dietary requirements and allergies
- Whether staff, equipment hire or bar service are needed
- Budget per head, or a total budget
Publish starting prices per head for your main packages, even as a range, along with minimum guest numbers and what’s included. Couples comparing caterers shortlist the ones that give them a sense of cost early. Follow up quotes within a day or two, offer a tasting once a quote is accepted in principle, and set out the deposit and final-numbers deadline clearly.
Food safety is part of the sales pitch
Buyers of corporate catering, especially for hospitals, schools and larger companies, often ask about food safety before ordering. Under Food Standards Code Standard 3.2.2A, caterers that prepare and serve ready-to-eat potentially hazardous food need a certified Food Safety Supervisor and trained food handlers, and must be able to show their food is safe. Your business also needs to be registered or licensed with your local council or state food authority, depending on what you do and where. Check the exact requirements for your operation with your regulator, then mention your Food Safety Supervisor and allergen processes on the website. It answers a procurement question before it’s asked.
Google profile, photos and seasons
“Caterer” is the usual primary category. Add secondary categories only for services you actively sell, and list corporate and event menus separately in the profile’s services section. Photos should show your actual food, plated and on platters, at events you’ve done, plus your team in uniform and your vans if you deliver. Overhead shots of platters work well for corporate menus. Event photos with guests (with permission) suit wedding pages.
The calendar is predictable. Weddings cluster between September and April. Christmas party bookings start in September and peak in late November and December. Corporate demand dips over January and picks up again in February. Plan event promotions months ahead, and use quieter periods to win corporate accounts that keep the kitchen busy year-round. Many caterers work alongside event hire companies for marquees, furniture and glassware, and those relationships send referrals both ways.
What to measure
- Quote-to-booking rate for events, by event type
- Average spend per head and total event value
- Corporate accounts that reorder within three months
- Order lead time and cut-off misses
- Kitchen capacity used in each season
If you’re weighing up how much to put into ads for each side of the business, our marketing budget guide covers what drives the cost.
Questions about catering marketing
Should caterers show prices on their website?
For corporate catering, yes. Office managers want to order from a menu with prices, minimum orders and delivery fees without calling. For weddings and events, show starting prices per head for your main packages and explain what changes the cost, such as service style, staffing and venue. Couples and event planners shortlist caterers who give them a sense of cost early, and a range filters out enquiries that were never going to fit your pricing.
How can a caterer win more repeat corporate work?
Make reordering the easiest option. Keep each client’s order history, dietary notes and delivery details on file, and remind them before regular meetings or monthly events. Offer online ordering with clear cut-off times. Follow up after first orders to check everything arrived well. Over time, a handful of reliable office accounts often does more for a catering business than a steady stream of one-off events.
What should a catering enquiry form ask?
Enough to quote without a phone call: event date, guest numbers, venue and kitchen access, service style, dietary requirements, whether staff or equipment are needed, and budget. Make the date and guest count required, keep the rest optional, and allow notes. A form that asks the right things lets you quote quickly, which matters because event clients often contact several caterers at once and book whoever responds first with a clear price.
Where should a catering business start with Quinn?
Send through a request for our free marketing audit, noting whether corporate or event work is the priority. We’ll review your menu pages, enquiry form, Google profile and search presence, and show where buyers are dropping off before they order or ask for a quote. You’ll get a practical list of improvements. Any work you’d like us to take on is quoted separately.