How to Set Up Online Catering Ordering for Your Restaurant

If customers can't order catering from you online, they're ordering from someone who lets them. The good news is that setting this up is simpler than most owners expect. Here's how to do it in a week.

Why online ordering matters for catering

This isn't about keeping up with technology. It's about how catering buyers actually behave.

The person ordering is usually an office manager or executive assistant planning a meeting at their desk, often after hours, and they want to see a menu with prices, customize it for group size and dietary needs, pick a date and time, pay, and get a confirmation. If any of those steps needs a phone call or an email back-and-forth, a lot of buyers will find a restaurant that doesn't make them wait.

Step 1: Choose your platform

You need a platform built for catering orders, not a regular online ordering system. The requirements are different:

Your takeout system (DoorDash, Uber Eats, your POS's online ordering) wasn't built for this. You need dedicated catering ordering software.

Options include FlashCater (flat fee, zero commissions), HoneyCart, or CaterZen. Our full comparison walks through them.

Step 2: Build your catering menu

Don't just upload your dine-in menu. Create a catering-specific menu built around packages ("The Team Lunch" with protein + sides + drinks at $18/person), one per-person price that scales with headcount, and add-ons (beverages, desserts, serving supplies) at checkout. Default to a 10-15 person minimum per package, a 24-48 hour lead time, and dietary labels on every item.

Keep it tight: 3-5 packages plus add-ons. Expand later once you know what sells.

Photos matter

Spend 1-2 hours photographing your packages. One overhead shot of each, laid out the way it'll arrive, makes a huge difference. Someone buying lunch for 30 people wants to see it first.

Step 3: Set your pricing and policies

Get these settled before you go live.

Pricing

Per-person prices for each package, add-on prices, and delivery fees (flat fee or distance-based).

Order policies

• Minimum order: $150-$250 for delivery, no minimum for pickup
• Lead time: 24 hours minimum (48-72 for large orders)
• Cancellation policy: Full refund 48+ hours out, 50% refund 24-48 hours, no refund under 24 hours
• Delivery radius: Start with 5-10 miles

Payment settings

Require a credit card at checkout, set a deposit structure for large orders (e.g., 50% for orders over $500), and decide whether you'll offer invoicing for corporate accounts.

Step 4: Set up your ordering page

With FlashCater or a similar platform, the setup runs in this order:

1. Add your menu: items, descriptions, photos, pricing, modifiers
2. Configure settings: lead times, minimums, delivery zones, business hours
3. Brand the page: your logo, colors, restaurant name, contact info
4. Set up payments: connect your payment processor (usually Stripe)
5. Test thoroughly: place test orders yourself, read the confirmation emails, check the dashboard

Most platforms do the technical setup for you. You hand over the menu and your preferences, they build the page.

Step 5: Connect to your website

Nobody can order from a page they can't find. Put the link everywhere.

• Your website navigation: a prominent "Order Catering" or "Catering Menu" link
• Your homepage: a section or banner for catering
• Google Business Profile: add the ordering URL as a link
• Social media bios: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn
• Email signatures: every staff email should link to catering ordering

Keep the URL clean: yourrestaurant.com/catering or similar.

Step 6: Go live and promote

Launch announcement

Email your customer list ("You can now order catering online!"), post a photo of your catering spread on social, put up signage ("Order catering at [URL]"), and offer a first-order incentive, 10% off or free delivery.

First week checklist

• Monitor incoming orders daily
• Respond to any issues within 1 hour
• Confirm each order personally (in addition to automated confirmation)
• Ask for feedback after delivery
• Fix any menu issues customers flag (confusing descriptions, missing options)

Ongoing promotion

A monthly email to your catering customer list, social media posts showing catering setups (1-2x per week), and local business outreach with your ordering link. Follow our guide on getting more catering clients.

Common mistakes to avoid

Launching with too many menu items. Start with 3-5 packages. Learn what sells before expanding.

Not testing the ordering flow yourself. Place a real test order. Is anything confusing? Would you order from this page?

Hiding the catering link. If customers can't find it in 5 seconds on your website, it might as well not exist.

No photos. A catering menu without photos gets far fewer orders. One good photo per package, minimum.

Not following up. Your first 10 catering customers are the foundation of the whole program. Call them yourself, ask what they'd change, make them feel like they matter. They'll reorder and they'll refer.

Timeline: online catering ordering in 7 days

It really is that simple. The setup is a one-time job. After that, managing orders is a few minutes a day, and customers order on their own schedule.