How to Market Your Restaurant's Catering Services

Having a catering menu isn't enough. If potential customers don't know you offer catering — or can't easily find and order it — your program won't grow. Here's how to market catering effectively without a big budget.

The marketing funnel for catering

Catering marketing works differently from restaurant marketing:

Most catering customers don't stumble on your restaurant. They search for "catering near me," get a referral, or see your outreach. Your marketing needs to be proactive.

Digital marketing for catering

Google Business Profile optimization

This is the single highest-ROI digital action for local catering:

• Add "catering" to your business categories — Google lets you add secondary categories
• Upload catering photos — platter shots, delivery setups, buffet spreads (not just dine-in food)
• Mention catering in your description — "We offer drop-off catering for offices, events, and parties"
• Add your ordering link — direct link to your catering ordering page
• Respond to reviews mentioning catering — shows Google and potential customers that catering is active

SEO for your website

Add catering content to your restaurant website:

• Dedicated catering page — with menu, photos, pricing, and a clear "Order Now" button
• Title tags — "Catering | [Restaurant Name] | [City]"
• Schema markup — add FoodService structured data if you can
• Blog posts — even one or two articles about catering help with search visibility

Social media

Post about catering consistently — not once, but regularly:

Content ideas:

• Before-and-after shots of catering orders being prepared and set up
• Customer testimonials — "Thanks to [company] for ordering catering this week!"
• Behind-the-scenes prep for a large order
• Menu highlights — "Our new breakfast catering package"
• Seasonal promotions — "Holiday party catering — book by Dec 1"

Frequency: 2-3 catering-specific posts per week, mixed into your regular content.

Platform priority for catering:

1. Instagram — visual, great for food photos, reaches office managers
2. LinkedIn — directly targets corporate decision-makers
3. Facebook — good for local community and events
4. Google Business — posts appear in local search results

Paid advertising (optional)

If you have budget, targeted ads can accelerate catering growth:

• Google Ads — target "[your city] catering" and "[cuisine type] catering near me"
• Instagram/Facebook ads — target by job title (office manager, executive assistant, HR) within your delivery radius
• LinkedIn ads — expensive but highly targeted for corporate accounts

Start small ($200-$500/month) and measure. If cost per acquired catering customer is under $50, it's working — since the average corporate account is worth thousands.

Email marketing

Email is the most effective channel for catering retention and reactivation.

Build your list

• Collect emails from every catering order (your software should do this automatically)
• Add a catering email signup on your website
• Offer a first-order discount in exchange for email
• Import existing customer emails (with permission)

Email campaigns that work

Monthly catering newsletter:

• New menu items or seasonal specials
• One customer testimonial or photo
• Clear CTA to order catering

Automated re-order emails:

• Sent 2-3 weeks after a customer's last order
• "Ready to order again?" with a link to repeat their last order
• According to Mailchimp's benchmark data, restaurant emails average 20% open rates — re-order emails from catering platforms often see 30-40% because they're relevant and timely

Seasonal campaigns:

• Holiday catering bookings (November for Thanksgiving/Christmas)
• Summer BBQ and event packages
• Back-to-school/back-to-office promotions
• National Food Days tie-ins

Win-back emails:

• Sent to customers who haven't ordered in 60+ days
• Include an incentive: "We miss you — 15% off your next catering order"

Local outreach

Digital marketing brings customers who are already searching. Local outreach creates demand from people who weren't thinking about catering yet.

Door-to-door with samplers

Covered in detail in our getting catering clients guide. The short version: bring free food to offices, leave your catering menu, and follow up.

Partnerships

• Event planners — become their go-to caterer with a referral fee
• Coworking spaces — offer to cater their community events
• Hotels — provide catering for guests when the hotel doesn't have a restaurant
• Real estate offices — open houses and client events need food

Networking

• Join your local chamber of commerce or business association
• Attend networking events (and mention you offer catering)
• Sponsor a local business event with donated food — the best marketing you'll ever do

Referral programs

Your satisfied catering customers are your best marketers:

• $25 off for every referred customer who places an order
• Free platter upgrade for 3+ referrals
• Make it easy — give customers a referral link or card they can share

Keep referral programs simple. One incentive, one action. Complicated programs don't get used.

In-restaurant marketing

Don't forget the customers already walking through your door:

• Table tents — "Feed your office! Order catering at [URL]"
• Counter signage — near the register where people wait
• Receipt messaging — catering link printed on every receipt
• Staff scripts — "Do you ever need catering for work?" when regulars order
• Packaging inserts — catering flyer in every takeout bag

These cost almost nothing and reach people who already love your food.

Measuring what works

Track where catering orders come from:

Double down on channels that convert. Cut channels that don't. Most restaurants find that local outreach + email + Google are the top three by far.