Catering booking workflow: from inquiry to confirmed booking

Where catering inquiries get stuck (and why it matters)

Most catering jobs don’t fall apart because the food is bad. They get stuck in the space between the first message and a confirmed date. Someone asks, “Are you available?” and the next few days turn into partial answers, missing details, and last-minute clarifications.

The stall points are usually boring and predictable:

• The inquiry arrives through DM, voicemail, and email, and no one owns it.
• Key details are missing, so someone guesses and sends a quote that isn’t real.
• The client thinks they’re “booked,” but the deposit and terms were never agreed.
• Menu changes happen in side conversations, so the latest version is unclear.
• Status is vague (“in progress”), so follow-ups are late or duplicated.

When details are missing, quotes get risky. If you don’t know guest count, service style, delivery window, dietary needs, or venue rules, you either underprice and scramble later, or overprice and lose the job. Then the surprises arrive: extra staff, missing equipment, a tighter setup time than planned, or a menu item that can’t be produced at that scale.

A simple catering booking workflow fixes this by turning random messages into one clear path: capture essentials, confirm availability, send a quote based on real constraints, collect a deposit, then lock the booking with one source of truth for menu and logistics.

This matters most for owner-operators who wear every hat, sales teams juggling many leads, and coordinators who need clean handoffs to the kitchen and drivers.

Example: a client emails about a 60-person corporate lunch “next month.” Without a clear flow, you might quote too quickly. With a clear flow, you get the date, building access rules, drop-off time, budget range, and dietary counts first, then quote with confidence and avoid painful rework later.

Clear statuses that keep your team aligned

Bookings feel messy when people use different words for the same thing. One person says “confirmed” when the client only liked the menu. Another says “booked” when the deposit is still missing. Clear statuses fix that fast.

A simple status pipeline most teams can live with:

• New inquiry: request received, details incomplete
• Qualified: date, headcount, and location fit your capacity
• Quote sent: pricing and terms were actually sent
• Tentative hold: you’re holding the date until a deadline
• Confirmed: deposit received (or PO approved) and the event is on your calendar

Make the rules as clear as the labels. Decide who can change each status and what triggers it. “Quote sent” shouldn’t mean drafted. It should mean the message went out.

Keep two side statuses separate so the main pipeline stays clean:

• Payment status: Unpaid, Deposit paid, Paid in full
• Menu status: Draft, Approved, Changed, Locked

Example: a client approves the quote but wants to swap two sides. The booking can stay Tentative hold or Confirmed (depending on your deposit rule) while Menu status moves from Approved to Changed.

If you build this in a no-code tool like AppMaster, make these statuses simple dropdown fields with permissions so changes stay consistent and easy to track.

Event details to collect in the first 10 minutes

Fast replies win catering work, but speed only helps if you capture the details that make your quote accurate. Think of this as the bare minimum brief: enough to price correctly, confirm you can deliver, and avoid a long email chain.

Start with what drives cost and staffing: guest count (allow a range like 45-55 and ask when it will be final), date, service window (setup time and serve time), and the exact venue address.

Then lock down service style and food constraints. Drop-off, buffet with attendants, plated, passed apps, or full-service changes labor and equipment. Ask about dietary needs and how they want them labeled.

A short intake checklist helps everyone collect the same info:

• Event basics: date, times, venue address, guest count range
• Service plan: style, staffing expectations, rentals (if any)
• Menu needs: dietary restrictions, allergens, must-have items
• Buyer details: decision-maker, best contact method, approval timeline
• Site constraints: parking, load-in, kitchen access, building rules

Two questions reduce back-and-forth more than almost anything:

• “What budget range should we design to?”
• “What are the must-haves vs nice-to-haves?”

If people hesitate, offer simple options: “Are we closer to $25, $40, or $60 per person?”

Example: A client says “lunch for 60.” You confirm it’s 50-70, drop-off vs staffed buffet, vegetarian and gluten-free counts, the admin assistant is the decision-maker, and the building requires COI and 20-minute loading slots. Now your first quote can be right the first time.

How to build a quote that matches what you can deliver

A good quote isn’t a menu with prices. It’s a clear promise of what you’ll provide, under specific conditions, for a specific total.

Turn event details into line items

Translate the request into billable parts so it’s easy to adjust later without rewriting everything.

Most quotes include some combination of:

• Food and beverages
• Staffing (setup, service, breakdown)
• Rentals
• Delivery and setup (or pickup terms)
• Service fees and taxes (if applicable)

Use per-person pricing when portions scale with headcount. Use flat fees for things that stay the same (delivery within a set radius, a minimum staffing block, specific rentals). If you mix both, label them clearly, for example “$28 per guest x 60” plus “Delivery flat fee.”

Sanity checks and approvals

Before you send the quote, do a quick reality check:

• Labor hours: how many staff, for how long, including cleanup
• Travel time: loading, driving, parking, venue access rules
• Minimums: food minimum, staffing minimum, weekend minimum
• Timing: can you deliver and serve within the requested window

Add a quote validity window (often 7-14 days) and spell out what can change after it expires, like ingredient costs, staffing availability, and headcount.

Then make approval unambiguous. Capture the customer’s “yes” and the key assumptions: event date and times, guest count (or range), menu version, service style, and what’s included vs not included. This prevents the later “I thought that was covered” moment.

Step-by-step: inquiry to approved quote

Your goal is simple: confirm the basics fast, price the right thing, and capture approval in a way anyone on your team can find later.

1) Confirm details while the client still has their calendar open

Read the inquiry once, then reply (or call) with only the missing pieces: date and start time, guest count range, address, service style, dietary needs, and any must-have items.

If the client is unsure, lock in assumptions you can quote against (for example, “priced for 35 guests, drop-off, disposable setup”) and put them in writing.

2) Build the quote so it’s easy to approve

Approval happens when the client can understand the quote in about 10 seconds. Itemize food, service, rentals, delivery, taxes, and a clear total. Add short notes for what’s included and what’s not.

Keep this checklist tight:

• Menu items with quantities or per-person pricing
• Service and delivery fees (and what triggers changes)
• Taxes and required minimums
• Key assumptions (guest count, timing, access, dietary notes)
• Expiration date

3) Send, schedule follow-up, and record approval

When you send the quote, schedule a follow-up right away (for example, 48 hours). If the client replies “Looks good” or signs acceptance, save that approval where your team can see it.

Example: A corporate lunch request comes in for next Thursday. You confirm it’s 12:00 pm for 40 people, drop-off, vegetarian options needed. You send an itemized quote with a 3-day expiration, then log the email reply as approval.

Once approved, move the booking to Pending deposit and send the deposit request immediately.

Deposits and confirmation without awkward follow-ups

A clean deposit step removes most of the back-and-forth. Everyone should know what the client agreed to, what money has been received, and what happens next.

Make deposit rules visible and consistent: the deposit amount (fixed or percentage), the due date, and what it reserves. Simple language works best: “We’ll hold your date and menu for X days. Your booking is confirmed once the deposit is paid.”

When the deposit arrives, something should change immediately. One practical setup is:

• New inquiry
• Quote sent
• Pending deposit
• Confirmed
• Closed (completed or canceled)

Keep payment records inside the booking record, not in someone’s inbox. Capture the payment method, receipt or reference number, deposit amount, remaining balance, and who marked it as received.

Set the final payment due date when you log the deposit, then schedule reminders you’ll actually send (for example, 7 days before, 3 days before, and the morning of the due date).

Example: a client agrees to a $2,000 quote for a 40-person lunch with a 30% deposit due in 48 hours. Until that $600 is recorded, the status stays Pending deposit and the date is only held. Once paid, you move it to Confirmed and lock the plan for the kitchen.

Tracking menu changes so nothing gets lost

Menu changes are normal. What breaks catering teams is when changes arrive in five places (texts, calls, email threads) and nobody can tell which menu is current.

Treat every meaningful edit as a new version: Menu v1, v2, v3. Add a timestamp and keep older versions read-only. Then when someone asks, “What did we agree on?” you can answer in one sentence: “We’re on v3, approved Tuesday at 2:10 PM.”

For each change, log the same basics every time: who requested it, why it changed, what changed, and the impact on price, staffing, rentals, or prep time.

When the menu changes, update the quote right away. If v2 adds a gluten-free dessert and increases headcount from 80 to 95, the line items and total should change with it. Send the updated quote labeled with the same version number so the client can match menu and price without guessing.

Set a cutoff date for changes (for example, 7 days before the event) and add a clear status like Menu locked. After that point, new requests become a separate order or a paid change order, not a casual “one more thing.”

Communication and handoffs that stay organized

A workflow falls apart when updates live in five places: email threads, texts, a notebook, someone’s head, and a folder of photos. Pick one home for the booking record and keep everything there: messages, notes, and files like floor plans, contracts, dietary notes, and inspiration photos.

Keep status visible and current. When it changes, the next person shouldn’t have to read the full history just to understand what’s happening.

Message templates that prevent chasing

Most client communication repeats. Short templates help every client get the same clear info, and they keep your team from rewriting the same message under pressure.

Useful templates include: quote sent, deposit due, menu approval, event-week check-in, and final confirmation. Add a simple reminder at the top: “Update the fields below before sending,” so you don’t reuse an old date or address.

Handoffs that don’t drop tasks

Treat internal work as part of the booking record, not side conversations. Turn each handoff into a task with an owner and a due date.

Keep the task list focused: kitchen prep plan (menu version, portions, allergens), rentals and disposables, staffing plan, delivery and access notes, and event-week confirmations.

Example: a client emails a new floor plan on Tuesday. You attach it to the booking, update the layout status, and assign “Confirm loading dock access” to the lead for Thursday.

Common mistakes that create rework and unhappy clients

Most catering problems aren’t food problems. They’re workflow problems: a detail was assumed, a message got buried, or someone marked a booking “confirmed” too early.

One common trap is holding a date without a deposit. You tell a client the slot is theirs, turn away other leads, and then they go quiet. Now you’re left with a hole in the calendar and a team that planned around a booking that never existed.

Another rework factory is quoting before you lock the basics: guest count and service style. “50 people” can mean boxed lunches, buffet with staff, plated service, or a mix with rentals. Each option changes labor, equipment, timing, and price. If you quote early, you’ll either eat the cost later or ask for more money, which feels like a bait-and-switch.

Menu changes are another place good bookings go sideways. If changes live in scattered texts and calls, you end up with multiple “final” versions. The kitchen preps one menu, the client expects another, and your team scrambles on event day.

Also: payment status and booking status shouldn’t be the same thing. A booking can be date held while payment is deposit pending. When those get mixed, staff assume it’s confirmed, purchasing starts, and you lose leverage to collect the deposit on time.

If you want fewer errors, require a few checkpoints before a job moves forward:

• Deposit received (or a due date agreed in writing)
• Guest count range and service style confirmed
• One menu record with date-stamped versions
• Booking status separate from payment status
• Logistics reconfirmed 48 to 72 hours before the event

Quick checks before you mark a booking Confirmed

“Confirmed” should mean your team can execute without guessing.

Verify contact and location details first: the right person, a day-of phone number, the full address, delivery instructions, parking notes, and building access. If it’s a venue, confirm the on-site contact.

Next, lock the numbers that drive cost and staffing. If the guest count isn’t final, record a clear range and the date the client will confirm it. Do the same for service style.

Menu approval needs one clean version. Make it obvious what was approved (and when), and tell the client the cutoff for changes. For example: “Menu v3 approved Tuesday. Changes allowed until 5pm Friday.”

A short confirmation checklist:

• Primary contact, day-of phone, and full location details verified
• Guest count and service style final (or a documented range and deadline)
• One approved menu version saved, with a clear change cutoff
• Deposit received and payment record filed
• Internal tasks created (staffing, rentals, prep timeline, delivery times)

Example workflow: corporate lunch from first email to deposit paid

A local company emails: “Corporate lunch for 60 people, next month, around 12:30.” The workflow starts by capturing the basics while the client is still engaged.

Within the first call (about 10 minutes), you log the date and delivery window, address and access notes, headcount and dietary needs, service style, budget range, the decision-maker, and any must-have items.

Status moves from New inquiry to Qualified.

You build a quote the same day with clear line items: 60 boxed lunches (two menu options), salad tray, cookies, drinks, disposable cutlery, delivery, and setup. You include the practical rules (lead time, cutoff for changes, and what’s included vs optional). Status becomes Quote sent.

Two days later, the client replies: “Can we switch half the lunches to a vegan option and add coffee?” You update the menu selection, add coffee service, and move to Menu v2 with an updated quote. Status becomes Quote sent (updated).

The client approves v2 the same afternoon. You send the deposit request immediately: 30% due within 48 hours to hold the date. When payment arrives, the booking flips to Confirmed and the kitchen gets a prep task.

The day before the event, your “at a glance” view should read something like:

• Booking: Confirmed
• Payment: Deposit paid (balance due on delivery)
• Menu: Locked
• Production: Scheduled
• Delivery: Driver assigned

On one screen, the team can see the event summary, headcount, latest menu version, dietary counts, delivery notes, contacts, payment status, and the prep checklist.

Next steps: turn the workflow into a simple system your team uses

Start by writing down your statuses and the exact info you need to move a job forward. The goal is one clear workflow that anyone on the team can follow without guessing.

For each status, define two things: required fields and the next action. “New inquiry” isn’t done until date, headcount range, service style, and location are captured. “Quote sent” isn’t done until the quote version is saved and an expiration date is set.

Keep standard templates for the steps you repeat: intake questions, quote format, deposit request, and menu approval tied to a specific version.

If you’re ready to put this into one shared system, a lightweight internal tool can replace the spreadsheet-plus-inbox setup. AppMaster (appmaster.io) is a no-code platform you can use to build an inquiry-to-confirmed-booking app with a real database, status logic, and Stripe deposits, so approvals, payments, and menu versions stay tied to the same record instead of scattered across messages.