Catering websites: menus, minimums and event types

A catering website does its best work when it answers the planning questions hosts usually save for a phone call: which menu suits my event, how many people do you need before you will take the job, is it drop-off or full service, who serves, what about plates and tables, and can we taste first. Put those answers on the site and inquiries come from people who already know you are the right size and style.

Menus organized by event, not by ingredient

A long list of every dish you can make is hard to plan from. Hosts plan by event, so group sample menus the same way:

Breakfast and brunch: pastry platters, egg dishes, fruit, coffee service
Office lunches: boxed lunches, sandwich and salad trays, hot entrée buffets
Cocktail parties: passed and stationary appetizers, with a suggested number per guest
Buffet dinners: two or three entrées, sides, salad, bread, dessert
Plated dinners: three or four courses with choices
Family-style meals: shared platters at each table
Holiday menus: Thanksgiving dinners to take home, holiday party packages

For each sample menu, give the dishes in plain words and say what can be swapped. "Choose two entrées: herb-roasted chicken, braised short rib, mushroom risotto (vegetarian)" shows the shape and invites a conversation.

Write menus as normal text on the page rather than a PDF. They are easier to read on a phone, easier to update, and Google can read them. Seasonal menus should carry the season: "Fall and winter 2026 menu".

Headcounts and minimums

Many caterers have a minimum: a number of guests, a minimum order for delivery, or a minimum spend for full-service events, especially on Saturdays in wedding season. Not saying so causes the worst inquiries for both sides: a family planning a dinner for 12 and a caterer who only takes events of 75 or more.

Put minimums plainly where people will see them:

"Drop-off catering for 10 guests or more."
"Full-service events from 50 guests. Saturday events in May to October have a higher minimum; ask us."
"Boxed lunches: minimum order of 8."

If you are flexible for weekday or off-season events, say that too. Also say how final headcounts work: when the guest count must be confirmed, whether it can go up after that, and whether you charge for the confirmed number or the actual number.

Drop-off, buffet or full service: explain the difference

Hosts often do not know what level of service they need, and the word "catering" covers all of them. A short section that explains each one helps people choose:

Drop-off. Food arrives hot or chilled in disposable trays, sometimes with chafing dishes and sterno. The host sets it out and cleans up. Good for offices and casual parties.

Delivered and set up. You deliver, arrange the buffet, and leave. Someone may come back for equipment.

Staffed buffet. Your team sets up, keeps the buffet full, clears plates and cleans up. The host does not lift a finger during the event.

Full service. Servers, sometimes a captain or event lead, plated or family-style service, coordination with the venue and the timeline, and breakdown.

For each level, say what is included (serving utensils, plates and napkins, staff, cleanup) and what is not. Then say how staff are charged, by the hour or included in a per-person price, and whether there is a service charge, so the final bill is no surprise.

Rentals, bar and extras

Hosts usually have to arrange tables, linens, glassware and bar service somewhere. Tell them what you handle:

Disposable versus real china and glassware
Linens and tables: provided by you, through a rental partner, or not at all
Bar service: whether you provide bartenders, whether you can serve alcohol or the host must supply it, and what licensing or venue rules apply (ask your attorney or local licensing office if you are unsure what you may say)
Cake cutting, coffee service, late-night snacks
Venue coordination: whether you have worked at their venue and know the kitchen

Dietary needs and allergies

Every event now has guests with dietary needs. Say what you can handle: vegetarian and vegan dishes, gluten-free options, nut-free preparation, dairy-free, halal or kosher-style menus. Be honest about the limits of your kitchen. "We prepare gluten-free dishes separately, but our kitchen handles wheat, so we cannot promise there is no cross-contact" is the kind of line people with allergies trust. Ask for dietary needs on the inquiry form and say how meals for those guests are labeled at the buffet.

Tastings

Wedding couples and large-event hosts often want to taste before they commit. Explain how it works on your site:

Who gets a tasting: booked clients, clients above a certain size, or anyone who pays a fee
Whether the fee is credited if they book
How many dishes, for how many people
Where and when tastings happen

Deposits, timing and changes

Lay out the business side in a few plain lines: how much notice you need for each kind of event, the deposit that holds the date, when the final payment is due, and how cancellations work. You do not have to give exact figures on the site, but the shape should be clear. For writing this kind of section, see writing a page for financing or payment options, and for a full list of the pages a catering site needs, what a caterer website needs.

This week's checklist

Group your sample menus by event type, as text on the page.
Write your minimums and headcount rules where hosts will see them.
Explain drop-off, staffed buffet and full service in a few lines each.
Say what you handle for rentals, bar and extras.
Add dietary and allergy information that is honest about your kitchen.
Describe tastings on the wedding page.

If your catering site leaves hosts guessing and you would rather not rework it yourself, you can see your site rebuilt first with your current menus and photos.