The short answer
Put an order form on your own website that asks for the date, the guest count and the menu, and shows the customer a price. Link to it from your main menu and from every place people find you. A plain contact form works, but it leaves the questions and the maths to you.
Four ways to take catering orders online
1. A contact form or email address
Good: Free and quick to set up.
The catch: Every enquiry arrives incomplete. You write back to ask the date, the guest count and the budget, then do the maths by hand.
Fits: Very low order volume.
2. A downloadable order form or PDF menu
Good: Customers see what you offer and can fill in quantities.
The catch: People rarely print, fill and send it back. Totals are calculated by hand, and an old PDF keeps circulating with old prices.
Fits: Regular clients who already know you.
3. Catering added to your restaurant ordering system
Good: If you already take takeaway orders online, catering can sit in the same checkout.
The catch: Takeaway systems are built for orders ready in 30 minutes. Catering needs dates weeks ahead, guest counts, minimums, delivery areas and often a quote before payment.
Fits: Restaurants selling fixed trays for pickup.
4. An online quote calculator on your own website
Good: The customer picks menu items, enters the guest count and sees a price. You receive a complete request with everything filled in.
The catch: You have to enter your menu and prices once before it works.
Fits: Caterers and restaurants that quote events, not only sell trays.
What a catering order form must ask
- Event date and time, and the latest date you can accept an order for it
- Guest count, with your minimum if you have one
- Menu choices and quantities
- Special diets and allergies
- Pickup or delivery, and the delivery address
- Contact details and how they want to hear back
Where to put it
On its own page, linked from your main menu as “Catering” or “Order catering”. Add the link to your Google Business Profile, your social media profiles and your email signature. Customers ordering for an office often come back, so make the link easy to find again.
Do you have to pay commission?
Marketplace and ordering platforms often charge a percentage of each order. A form on your own website does not have to. Read the pricing page of any service you consider and work out what it costs at your order size, because on large catering orders a percentage adds up quickly.
How CaterWay does it
You add your menu and prices once. CaterWay gives you an order calculator to put on your website or share as a link. Customers choose, see the price and send the request. It lands in your dashboard with every detail, ready to confirm or adjust. There is a free plan. See pricing.
