Adding catering to your restaurant is one of the highest-margin revenue opportunities available — but getting those first orders in takes more than just switching it on. In this guide, we break down 10 practical steps to launching a high-converting catering programme and growing it into a reliable income stream, all without paying a penny in commission.
What Does a Successful Catering Launch Look Like?
The best catering setups share a few things in common: they’re easy to order from, easy to fulfil, and easy to find. Whether you’re feeding 10 people at a team lunch or 50 at a company away day, the fundamentals are the same. Below, we walk through each element in detail.
1. Keep the Menu Simple
One of the most common mistakes restaurants make with catering is launching with too many options. Catering buyers — typically PAs, office managers, or event planners — want to make quick decisions. A complicated menu full of modifiers and edge cases adds friction and reduces conversion.
- Focus on a small number of products
- Lead with your best-selling items
- Keep modifiers minimal
Simple menus convert better and are easier to fulfil operationally. Less choice, more confidence.
2. Offer Bundles for 10 and 20 People
Buyers tend to round up. If someone needs food for 17 people, they’ll almost always order the 20-person option. Pre-packaged bundles remove the mental arithmetic and make the buying decision much easier — while naturally increasing your average order value.
- Feeds 10 bundle
- Feeds 20 bundle
Clear bundles help increase average order value while making the ordering process faster for the buyer.
3. Use Multiple Images
Catering is a highly visual purchase. Buyers ordering for an office or event can’t try before they buy — your photos need to do the selling. More imagery increases confidence and reduces hesitation at checkout.
- A shot of the full spread
- Close-ups of individual items
- How it looks when served and presented
Products on Slerp can include multiple images, allowing you to showcase the full catering offering and presentation style.
4. Keep Lead Times Short
Many catering orders are placed with only a day or two’s notice. A buyer who can’t get a same-week slot will simply move on to a competitor. Where operationally possible, allowing orders up to the day before is a significant advantage in capturing last-minute demand.
Cut-off times on Slerp can be configured per day of the week, letting you balance kitchen prep requirements with the ability to capture last-minute catering orders.
5. Reward the Buyer
The person placing the catering order is often a PA or office manager making repeat decisions on behalf of their company. These buyers have enormous lifetime value — they reorder regularly, often weekly. Small incentives can make the difference between becoming their default supplier or losing them to a competitor.
- Loyalty rewards for regular buyers
- Repeat customer incentives
- Occasional discount codes
Corporate buyers often reorder from the same supplier. Small, consistent incentives can lock in your brand as their default choice.
6. Promote to Your Existing Customers
Your current audience is your warmest audience. Many of your regular customers work in offices or attend events — they just may not know you offer catering. Don’t assume awareness; actively communicate it.
- Email newsletters
- Social media posts
- In-store signage
- Staff mentioning catering to customers at the counter
Your existing customer base is often the fastest and lowest-cost source of early catering orders.
7. Create a Dedicated Catering Page on Your Website
A standalone catering page gives you an SEO asset that compounds over time. Buyers searching for office catering in your area can find you organically, without any ad spend. Keep it focused, visually strong, and with a clear call to action.
- Catering menu highlights
- Strong food photography
- Minimum order information
- A prominent “Order Catering” button
Aim for a URL like: yourrestaurant.co.uk/catering
A dedicated catering page builds awareness and organic demand before a buyer even enters your checkout flow.
8. Use Your Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile is one of the most underused free marketing channels in hospitality. Posts appear directly in Google Search and Maps results, putting your catering offering in front of buyers at the exact moment they’re looking.
- Announce your catering launch
- Promote office lunch bundles
- Showcase your catering spreads with photos
Many catering buyers start their search on Google. Visibility here — at zero cost — is hard to beat.
9. Encourage the First Order with a Discount
The biggest barrier to a first catering order is uncertainty — buyers don’t know what to expect from you yet. A first-order discount lowers that barrier significantly. Tying it to account creation means you capture the customer for future re-marketing even if they don’t immediately reorder.
- 20% off a first catering order
- Single-use discount code tied to account creation
Discount codes on Slerp can be configured as single-use promotions, encouraging first-time trial while capturing customer accounts for future campaigns.
10. Capture and Use Your Customer Data
Unlike marketplace ordering, direct catering orders give you full visibility of who your buyers are. Over time, this builds a high-value, owned customer base you can market to directly — without paying for reach.
- Identify your most frequent office buyers
- Promote seasonal catering offers
- Build automated campaigns to encourage repeat ordering
Customer data collected through Slerp orders can be used within the Slerp CRM to create automations and segments — for example, tagging catering customers and sending targeted campaigns when you launch new bundles or seasonal menus.
Build Your Catering Revenue Stream
Launching catering successfully isn’t about doing everything at once — it’s about getting the foundations right. A simple menu, strong imagery, short lead times, and consistent promotion to the right audiences will drive your first orders. From there, a focus on repeat buyers and owned customer data compounds your growth over time.
- Keep the menu simple and bundle-focused
- Invest in food photography
- Promote across email, social, and Google
- Incentivise the first order
- Build repeat business through loyalty and re-marketing
Slerp gives you the tools to do all of this commission-free — with direct ordering, built-in CRM, discount codes, and customer data ownership built in from day one.
Ready to launch your catering programme? Book a demo with Slerp today.