A catering website has one job: to turn a visitor into an enquiry you can quote. These are the eight things clients look for before they get in touch, based on running a catering business through more than 300 events.
A client checking a caterer is usually comparing several at once. The site should answer their first three questions without them having to ask.
Your menus as text on the page, grouped by type of event. Sample menus are fine. Photos of the food as it is served at events help more than styled shots.
Say plainly which events you take: corporate lunches, weddings, private parties. Give the guest numbers you can handle, smallest to largest.
Per-head prices shown as "from" figures, and your minimum spend. Clients can check you fit their budget, and you get fewer enquiries that go nowhere.
The number of events you have catered, the kinds of clients you have worked with, and reviews with a name and an event type.
Which diets you cater for and how you handle allergens. Corporate bookers are often asked this by their own team before they can confirm.
The areas you cover and whether travel is charged. This also helps you show in searches for caterers in those places.
Date, guest numbers, venue and budget. With those four you can send a real quote the same day. A bare contact form means two or three emails before you can price anything.
A pricing pack as a PDF, with your per-head packages, what is included and your terms. Planners often need a document to forward to whoever signs off the spend.
The Bookings Website for caterers covers all eight: a private events page, a quote request form and the Corporate Pack, for £600 one-off. Smaller caterers can start with a one-page site at £200. See the website cost guide for how that compares with other routes, or use the free quote calculator to set your per-head prices.
A guide price helps. "From" prices per head and a minimum spend let clients check the fit before they enquire. The detail goes in the quote.
A small caterer can do it in one page. A caterer who wants corporate and wedding work usually needs up to five pages plus a private events page.
Date, guest numbers, venue and budget as a minimum. Event type and dietary requirements are useful additions.
No. Clear photos of real events are enough to start, and they can be replaced later.