Draw your radius
Use the distance you can deliver a hot tray on time. Everything outside it is noise.
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Guide ยท Catering
How to get catering orders from local offices, churches and schools
List every organisation within your delivery radius that feeds groups, find the one person who places the order, send them a short email with tray sizes and how many each feeds, and make ordering and paying a single link. Then follow their calendar: meetings, holidays, school events and religious seasons bring repeat orders. Business email is still covered by the CAN-SPAM Act, so include your address and honour opt-outs.
Know the buyer
Who orders catering, and when
| Organisation | Who places the order | When they order | What they need from you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offices | Office manager or executive assistant | Team meetings, trainings, client visits | Headcount guide, on-time delivery, an invoice or receipt |
| Churches, mosques, temples | Events coordinator or a volunteer committee | Weekly fellowship, holidays, iftars in Ramadan, funerals | Large trays, a clear per-person cost, dietary notes |
| Schools and PTAs | PTA officers, front office | Teacher appreciation, staff meetings, events | Simple ordering, and whether the district needs you set up as a vendor |
| Medical and dental offices | Office manager | Staff lunches, visiting reps | Individual portions, reliable timing |
| Youth sports and clubs | A parent organiser | End of season, tournaments | Kid-friendly trays, easy split payment |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Ask a school or district before assuming you can sell to it. Many have vendor and food rules.
Step by step
How to build and work the list
List the organisations
Search Google Maps inside that radius for offices, faith groups, schools, clinics and clubs. Write down each one's public website and general email.
Find the person who orders
Office managers, event coordinators and PTA officers. A short call to the front desk asking who handles lunches is often fastest.
Send one short email
Two sentences on what you cook, tray sizes and how many each feeds, one photo, one link to order. Include your address and an opt-out.
Make ordering one link
Trays, headcount guide, date and time, payment up front. A buyer who can order at 9 PM without calling will.
Answer catering calls every time
Many buyers still call. An AI phone host can take the date, headcount and dishes and pass you a summary to close.
Follow their calendar
Note each buyer's events: holidays, Ramadan, the school year, quarter-end meetings. Write before the date, not after.
Stay legal
The email rules that apply to business email
The FTC is plain about it: CAN-SPAM "makes no exception for business-to-business email". For catering outreach that means:
- A subject line that matches what is inside.
- Your valid physical postal address in every email.
- A clear way to opt out, honoured within 10 business days.
Text messages have stricter consent rules than email. Use email for first contact and text only people who asked you to.
The first email
What to put in the first catering email
Buyers skim. The email that gets an order answers their three questions in under a minute: what will it cost per person, will it feed everyone, and how do I order without a phone call.
- A headcount guide. Say how many people each tray feeds. Ours says a half tray feeds 8 to 10 and a full tray 18 to 20.
- Lead time. How far ahead they need to order, and the latest time you accept same-day orders if you do.
- Dietary notes. Vegetarian, halal, nut-free, mild options, written plainly.
- Delivery area and timing. Where you deliver and how early food arrives before the event.
- One link and one phone number. No attachments, no PDF menus.
What we did
Outreach at our proof restaurant
1 link
for every email: pick trays, see how many each feeds, pay online.
Our proof restaurant in Houston, from its own order and call records, October 2026. We are counting orders that come back from this list and will publish the result when there is enough to be honest about.
Our older guide on winning more catering and corporate orders covers the ordering page and search side. Find large orders lists local group opportunities.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- FTC: CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide for business - B2B coverage, address, 10 business days, read Oct 2026
- MustHaveMenus: increasing catering sales - venue and institution outreach, read Oct 2026
Questions owners ask
How do I get corporate catering clients for my restaurant?
Find the office managers within your delivery radius, send a short email with tray sizes and a one-link order page, and deliver on time. Repeat orders come from reliability.
Can I cold email businesses about catering?
Yes, within CAN-SPAM: an honest subject line, your postal address, and an opt-out you honour within 10 business days. The law applies to business email too.
How do churches and mosques order catering?
Usually through an events coordinator or a volunteer committee, for weekly gatherings, holidays and community events. Clear per-person cost and large trays matter most.
Do I need ezCater or a catering marketplace?
Marketplaces bring buyers but charge a commission on each order. Your own list and ordering link cost less per order but take work to build. Many restaurants use both.
Can AZ run this outreach for us?
Yes. We build the list, the ordering link and the phone intake around your menu, and you approve every message. No price list; start at the form on our home page.
Your restaurant, your numbers
Tell us what is hurting. We show you it working on your menu.
Same-day reply. No vendor commissions, so we recommend whatever fits, including a tool that is not ours.
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