The Direct Catering Playbook: How I Built a 6-Figure Profit Center Without Paying 30% Commissions

Catering should be the single most profitable segment of your restaurant. The tickets are significantly larger, the revenue is predictable, and the margins on bulk production are inherently healthier than à la carte service.

But I see the same fundamental error time and time again: restaurants treat catering like a passive side hustle, bleeding profits by letting marketplaces take 20% to 30% (or more!) off the top of every single order.

Let me set the record straight: Catering is not just extra revenue; it is an engine for growth. But to capture that growth, you have to own the channel and execute relentlessly.

If you're looking to grow your catering, I want to share what's worked for us. Not everything will apply to your restaurant, but I hope these hard-won lessons help put you on the right track.

The #1 Barrier to Catering Growth: Obscurity

Before I dive into tactics, we need to address the fundamental problem that kills most catering programs before they ever start.

Your customers don't know you cater.

You can create the perfect catering menu, but still fail because not enough customers know it exists. I see restaurants do this all the time—then they think catering “didn’t work” for them.

Think about it: A regular customer who orders from you twice a month for dinner may have no idea you can handle their office's 40-person lunch meeting. That office administrator or corporate event planner who orders weekly will still default to big chains for catering if they don’t know you offer it.

If people don't know you cater, nothing else matters. Your catering offerings must be impossible to miss across every single customer touchpoint. And yes, it will take work.

Now, let me show you why solving that visibility problem is so worth the effort.

Why Catering Is So Valuable for Your Restaurant

Before we dive into the tactics, let me explain why catering has been such a big deal for our business. It's not just about bigger tickets—though that's part of it. Catering changes how your restaurant makes money and grows.

Here are the four reasons catering has become so important to us:

1. Catering gives you massive exposure to new customers

Catering tickets are typically 5x to 10x larger than regular orders ($200+ vs. $20). But the real value is exposure.

This Monday we delivered 57 pizzas—a $2,000 order. If I run the math, that's about 150 to 200 people who got to try our food and ask, "Oh, where is this from?"

It has this compounding effect. The more catering you do, the more catering you'll get. A person from another department might attend that lunch, and then they'll call for their event. They may also become regulars. A percentage of people will do that. It's the initial transaction, but also the ripple effects that are really beneficial.

2. Bulk orders have much better margins

The labor to make one $500 order is way less than making 50 individual $10 orders. You're making food in bulk, which is more efficient. You're not dealing with 50 different transactions, phone calls, or delivery runs. It's one order, one delivery, one transaction.

3. Corporate clients don't haggle on price

Corporate clients behave differently than regular customers. They do not nickel and dime as much. They don't look for discounts the way regular customers always want a combo or a specific deal. It's often the company's money, not their own.

We do try to work with people's budgets—and that goes a long way. But these customers aren't expecting deep discounts.

They're used to catering lunch from Panera or Chipotle. That's easily going to be $12 to $15 per person—and I'm talking San Antonio prices. Companies ordering catering can handle local businesses at those prices.

4. Catering fills your slowest days

Corporate catering demand often peaks Monday through Wednesday, perfectly filling your slowest dine-in days.

Pre-booked catering orders also let you manage inventory and staffing more accurately. You know what's coming instead of guessing at walk-in traffic.

My 9 Go-To Tactics to Grow Your Direct Catering Business

Now let's get into the specific tactics you can use to promote your catering, bring in more orders, and turn one-time customers into repeat buyers.

1. Build a direct, commission-free ordering experience

Using marketplaces is expensive. Shifting to direct ordering has made a big difference for us.

Let's do the math. Moving $10,000 a month in catering from a marketplace to your website instantly adds $2,000–$3,000 back to your bottom line. That is up to $36,000 a year saved on the exact same sales volume.

The margins alone are reason enough to shift more catering orders to a direct online catering system. But the benefits don’t end there.

The other big reason is owning your customer data. If you don't have a customer’s email and phone number, they aren't your customer. Marketplaces hoard this data to remarket other restaurants to your clients.

Direct ordering ensures you capture the data needed to drive repeat business.

But here’s the catch: You have to get a few important details right to make direct catering orders work for your restaurant. We’ll cover those in the next sections.

💡 Enga’s tip: Forms vs. online ordering

As much as I advise using a direct OLO for catering, it’s worth asking: Do forms have a place?

Yes, they certainly do. For events like weddings, large-scale private parties, or highly customized menus requiring complex requirements. For those events, a form might be necessary.

But here’s what I’ve learned: using forms for standard corporate catering creates a bottleneck.

For the bulk of corporate catering—the daily office lunches and routine events—forms are a bottleneck. Office administrators prioritize speed and certainty. They do not want a long email back-and-forth for a 20-person lunch. Relying solely on forms increases labor costs and loses those customers.

2. Engineer a menu that travels and sells

Catering menus aren't just larger versions of your regular menu. They need to work for bulk production, travel time, presentation, and how corporate buyers think.

Here are the steps I would take:

Gear your menu around a “per-person” budget

Here's something that's made a huge difference for us: Always ask for the per-person budget, not the total budget.

Every customer has a budget. When you ask for the total budget, people might say, "$100 to feed 150 people." But when I say, "What's your per-person budget?" They say, "Oh, $6 to $10 per person."

You see how that changes? There’s a reason I ask for the per-person budget and not the total cost. People know you can't go to McDonald's and get something for less than $10 to $12 per person. Realizing this helps resets what clients think is reasonable.

You should frame your menu this way, too. Structure your offerings using a "Good/Better/Best" tiered system. Display the price per person alongside the total price and servings.

For example, we have a half tray of pasta for $45 that feeds 12 people. $45 divided by 12 comes out to $3.75 per person. When I package it with Caesar salad and breadsticks, that's a full meal.

"A person gets salad, pasta, and breadsticks for $8 per person." That's a no-brainer. And I make it sound like a no-brainer.

Don’t be shy about sharing per-person recommendations

But here's something that might surprise you: I actively try to get customers to reduce variety.

Too much variety increases food waste for the client and hurts kitchen efficiency.

When customers call asking for fettuccine Alfredo, spaghetti meatball, lasagna, and two different salads, I respond: "We'd be happy to serve you what you would like. However, I strongly recommend we reduce the variety. That will cost less per person and you'll have far fewer items thrown out."

Most customers respond: "Oh, that's great. Good to know." They recognize you as the expert.

So don't shy away from persuading the customer. You're not being pushy—you're giving a recommendation to help their budget go further.

💡 Enga’s tip: Don’t default to discounts

When clients say their budget is tight, even on a per-person basis, I don’t immediately offer a discount. Here’s what I do:

Trim quantity: Guests often tell us, “I want five of this, three of that, seven of this, and my budget is this.” From there, I realize they’re trying to order too much food. Sometimes trimming it down is enough to get them in-budget—especially for lunch, when people eat less.

Suggest alternatives: Instead of the Molto Meat pizza (meat lovers), if we get Pepperoni pizza, it still is meat, but it’s a dollar per pizza cheaper. We’re not quick to give discounts, but we work with people’s budgets.

Nail the presentation and logistics

In catering, the packaging is the plating. How the food looks when opened represents your brand. In short: these little details are “your brand” in a customer’s mind.

Here’s how I make the little differences count:

1. Invest in quality

If possible, use high-quality, sturdy black-bottom containers with clear lids or premium aluminum trays. The investment signals quality and justifies the price point.

2. Be prepared with supplies

Always maintain a dedicated inventory of catering supplies. You need to have in stock paper plates, disposable utensils, and napkins. You also need half trays and large trays.

You need to be ready for the opportunity when it comes. You don't want to make the customer jump through hoops or tell them they should have given you notice.

3. Adapt your menu for travel

Engineer the menu for durability. For salads at the restaurant, we serve it with a 2-ounce cup of dressing on the side. For catering orders, we realized that wasn't efficient. If it's 200 people, giving 200 cups is too much.

We make a vinaigrette in-house, but for catering orders, we buy branded dressing packets. The salad gets soggy, so you need to account for the fact the food may sit. You want to have options like ranch and vinaigrette for people, and we buy packets for those.

4. Offer (the right) catering-specific items

Consider items that only make sense in bulk. We have brownies that are not on our regular menu. We keep them in the freezer because we needed to offer a dessert option.

We can't keep brownies fresh for individual in-store sales. We need to have trays in stock to be able to service orders that may come up. If we can't fulfill it, we persuade them to get another dessert that we may have.

5. Don’t treat dietary restrictions as an afterthought

There is usually somebody in the office with a dietary concern. For catering especially, you must clearly label allergens. And you need to account for the fact that there is a percentage of people who are gluten-free or dairy intolerant.

We win those orders because we have those options: gluten-free pizza, cauliflower crust, and salad with chicken. You need to make sure you have variety for different dietary needs, and have both family-style trays and individual options, like lunch boxes.

💡 Enga’s tip: Get the kitchen details right

Use your POS system to prevent errors.

There’s always a kitchen name and a POS name. When an order is placed, what prints in the kitchen is the kitchen name. I add instructions on the catering items in the kitchen name because we don’t get them that frequently.

The kitchen crew might wonder if the large tray comes with 90 breadsticks or 60. I put it in there. It says in parentheses, “60 breadsticks.” That makes it almost impossible to get it wrong. When the ticket prints in the kitchen, there’s no ambiguity.

In the catering menu online, I’ll say a large tray of breadsticks comes with 60 breadsticks and serves 40–60 people. Or a large tray of pasta serves 20.

The more you can proactively answer people’s questions and help them save time, the better.

I like to add this to the menu and at the store level, too. When the customer calls, team members can just grab the menu and answer questions even if they aren’t fully trained.

3. Combat obscurity at every customer touchpoint

Now let's talk about making your catering visible. Your catering capability needs to be obvious everywhere your customers are. This takes effort across multiple channels.

In-store visibility – the foundation for orders

If customers don't see catering promoted in your restaurant, they assume you don't offer it. Full stop.

For one, I want to make sure we have a poster at the restaurant so people know we cater. Try to use high-quality posters featuring your best catering setup photos at the register. Include a clear headline ("We Cater! Offices • Events • Parties") and a QR code linking directly to your catering OLO page.

I'm currently refreshing our posters with a QR code. Previously, it would go to a basic inquiry form, but now it goes directly to ordering.

Beyond posters, I recommend these tactics for raising awareness in your physical locations:

Physical catering menus: A physical catering menu present at the store is important. Keep printed catering menus at the POS and on tables. These serve two purposes:

• Customers browsing while waiting for takeout can grab one
• Staff answering catering calls can reference it immediately, even if they aren't fully trained

Cards or flyers in every single order: Every takeout bag should include a catering flyer or menu. Your regular customers are your best source of catering leads.

Train staff to mention it: When appropriate (e.g., a customer ordering for a group), staff should mention: "Just so you know, we also handle catering for offices and events."

Digital visibility – where the search begins

Most catering research starts online. Your website and digital presence must immediately communicate that you offer catering, and that it’s going to be a great experience for the customer.

Put it on your homepage: A catering CTA ("Order Catering Now" or "Cater Your Next Event") must be above the fold on your homepage. Ideally, in your sticky navigation. Don't bury it!

Update your Google Business Profile: Your GBP is often the first thing potential customers see. So let’s make sure they know you offer catering with these updates.

• Category: Add "Catering" or "Caterer" as a secondary service category
• Direct linking: Link the "Order" button directly to your catering OLO page, not your homepage
• Visual proof: Frequently post photos of catering setups. Use Google Posts to announce seasonal packages

Publish a landing page for catering: Build dedicated pages optimized for the exact phrases administrators search. (Note: Owner does this for you automatically.)

4. Get proactive to drive new corporate customers

Restaurant SEO helps you capture people who are already searching for catering. But proactive outreach lets you reach businesses that aren't actively looking yet—they might not even realize they need you.

This is about targeted, direct contact. These tactics work because you're reaching corporate clients where they are, not waiting for them to find you.

Here are a few of my favorite approaches:

The "Sponsored Lunch" strategy

This strategy generates goodwill, social proof, and huge value over time. Here's a breakdown of how it works:

1. Targeting

Identify local businesses with significant office staff. Look for banks and credit unions, medical offices and dental practices, car dealerships, energy companies, insurance agencies, distribution centers (FedEx, UPS, etc.), and so on.

Drive around your delivery area and make a list. Use Google Maps to find businesses within 3-5 miles. You want companies with at least 25+ employees where people gather for lunch.

2. The pitch (via cold email)

I have a team member in charge of cold calling and cold emailing. The way we get our foot in the door is we say:

"We randomly select a few businesses every single week to sponsor their lunch. We usually give out three pizzas for free that serve about 12 people. We would love an opportunity to serve you. Our only ask is if you please come pick it up and share a picture of the team enjoying the food."

Keep it simple. Don't oversell. You're a local restaurant down the road that wants an opportunity to serve them. The key is making it feel like they're being selected, not sold to.

3. The economics of the offer

The offer is generous (three pizzas, ~$40-60 food cost), but I'm saving delivery labor by requiring pickup. This keeps the cost manageable while still giving them real value.

More importantly, this isn't a cost—it's an investment in customer acquisition. You wouldn't think twice about spending $50 on Facebook ads that might not work. This gets your food directly in front of multiple decision-makers and employees.

4. The immediate upsell

Usually, people say, "Okay, well we actually have 25 people in the office. How many more pizzas is that?" They say, "Okay, we'll pay for those and come pick it up."

That happens more often than you might think. The free sampler frequently converts into an immediate paid upsell that covers or exceeds my initial investment. Even when it doesn't, I've accomplished the critical goal: exposure to the entire office.

5. The result

For the cost of three pizzas, we now have:

• Authentic content to post across social media
• Exposure to the entire office (yesterday, a whole team of people ate our food and I have this picture for social media)
• A relationship with the decision-maker
• A high probability of future orders

Even if they don’t place a follow-up order, this initial investment usually pays off. That’s how you have to think with catering: make small investments today for a much larger, long-term payoff.

💡 Enga’s tip: Free samples work wonders

One company has spent over $10,000 with us—and it all started with a cold email offering free pizza.

We’ve made $10,000 from a single company because we sent them a cold email offering three free pizzas. They accepted, and from there we’ve fulfilled multiple 150-person caterings for them. It’s thousands of dollars each time.

Why do they keep coming back? Because we’re on time, people are happy with the food, and it’s easy to eat.

That’s why those free samples are worth it for growing catering orders. One corporate account can easily be worth $10,000+ over time. You can afford to be generous upfront because the long-term value is huge.

Manager field visits (the "admin drop")

During slow hours (2 PM to 4 PM), have a manager or trusted staff member visit nearby offices.

Identify the decision-maker (Office Admins, Executive Assistants, HR coordinators), and have them bring:

1. A physical catering menu or one-pager with a QR code
2. High-quality samples (A free taste is almost always more effective than a coupon)

Make it brief, professional, and friendly. Introduce yourself as being from the restaurant down the street and hand them the materials.

Sow seeds for seasonal demand

Especially during Q4, plant the idea of appreciation meals during every interaction. When we drop off food for standard orders, we say:

"Hey, if you want to show appreciation to your team with food, we're happy to serve you."

This plants the idea in their head. They might realize they forgot about those team-based or end-of-year events and decide to order. You can sow that seed. It costs nothing and creates seasonal urgency.

Loyalty focused on the main buyer

Reward the person ordering the food, not just the company.

Tell the administrator: "Order via your personal account to earn points toward your own personal food." This personal incentive creates a powerful motivation to choose your restaurant repeatedly, locking in the account.

They have to expense the order in either case. This way, they’re getting loyalty program points that they personally benefit from.

5. Understand catering seasonality: When to push hardest

Catering demand follows predictable seasonal patterns. I've learned to prepare for these peaks and adjust my marketing accordingly.

Here are the main seasons I look out for:

November & December (peak season)

This is your highest-revenue period for corporate catering. As a company, you are obligated to show appreciation to your team.

End-of-year team appreciation meals aren't optional for most businesses; they're culturally expected. I focus all my corporate outreach and email campaigns during Q4.

Thanksgiving week (retail surge)

While our regular restaurant sales may be slow during Thanksgiving, retailers experience a surge.

We have a FedEx distribution center, Walmart, and other retailers close to us. They will order big for their team around Thanksgiving week because they're overworking their people during the holiday rush and want to show appreciation.

May (graduation season)

Expect high-volume family orders for graduation parties. These are typically weekend orders for trays and large pizza quantities.

Plan your inventory, staffing, and marketing campaigns around these patterns. In Q4, my focus is entirely on corporate outreach and sowing seeds for appreciation lunches.

6. Build your playbook to convert marketplace orders

If you use marketplaces for initial discovery, that's fine. But you must have an aggressive plan to move those customers to your commission-free channel.

You can't just hope for customers to find your direct channel. You have to incentivize the switch. Here are the tactics I use to nudge these orders over to direct channels:

Add a direct order flyer

This is your best conversion tool. In every catering order delivered (especially those ordered via 3rd parties), include a high-quality marketing flyer, card, or sticker.

• Placement: Attach a high-quality sticker directly to the top of the main food boxes so the organizer cannot miss it, if possible. Or, place the card or flyer attached to a small thank-you note or on the receipt so customers are less likely to miss it.
• Message: Keep it direct: "Love our food? Save money by ordering direct next time." Make sure your website link or a QR code is present so guests can take action.
• Offer: Provide a strong, exclusive incentive for their first direct order. A percentage discount (10-15%) or a free item (e.g., gallon of iced tea, dessert tray) often performs better than a flat dollar amount. Use a unique promo code or QR code to track conversion.

Make changes to your prices

If marketplace terms allow, make your prices slightly higher on those platforms to cover the commission. This naturally positions your direct channel as the most cost-effective option.

Follow up with customers directly

Identify the company and the administrator from the marketplace order information. Follow up directly to thank them, ensure the order was perfect, and introduce your direct channel.

(Note: Always check marketplace terms of service regarding customer communication).

7. Drive repeat orders through flawless execution

The #1 reason corporate clients return is reliability. Catering requires a significantly higher level of operational discipline than standard restaurant service.

Mistakes here are costly and often permanent. Here’s what to look out for:

Punctuality is everything. Obsess over it.

Being on time is the most important part of meeting a customer’s catering expectations.

A late delivery isn’t just late—it embarrasses the organizer in front of their colleagues. This loss of trust is permanent, even with a refund.

The order must be on time. These customers probably worry less about the money, because it wasn't their money in the first place. They worry more about, "You were on task for this, and the food showed up late. It's your fault."

💡 Enga’s tip: Use “split delivery” as a fail-safe

“Split delivery” is my fail-safe system: If a large order is running late, prioritize getting some food to the client exactly by the deadline.

Even if the order has 10 pizzas and we only have five ready, we get them on the road and send the next five later.

The customer has got to have something to eat at 11:00. If we need to send another driver, we send them out.

We’re not going to have them without food because they will lose trust and not order with you again.

The "never say no" policy (mastering last-minute orders)

Large, last-minute requests are extremely common in catering.

We try to never say 'no' because I don't want them to go to another restaurant and lose their future catering orders. Here’s how I keep these orders without lowering our standards or putting my staff in an impossible position:

The "Yes, and" pivot

We may say no to what they're asking, but we'll say, "We can't do that, but we can do this."

For example, they might want lasagna. Well, I can't produce lasagna in an hour and a half for you. But we can pump out pizzas. I can send you breadsticks and salad with this. We are always looking for what we can do.

Negotiate the time vs. the order

We also always try negotiating the time. If it's going to hit our lunch rush, we ask, "Is it okay if delivery is at 11:00?" We know that from 10:00 to 11:00 the kitchen is not busy, so we can pump the order out.

Often, delivering earlier (when our kitchen is less busy) works for the customer.

Monitor catering orders closely

Your team needs to know when a 25-pizza order is inbound. That's why we obsessively look at what orders are scheduled. When the team arrives, they check if we have any scheduled orders.

If we have a large order waiting that can’t make the current timeline, we call the customer and offer the “split delivery” approach: "Hey, I can have 10 pizzas ready for you at 11:00. Then we will have to send another 20 in the next 30 minutes. Will that work?" Most people say yes.

The professional touch and operational rigor

I’ve already mentioned that your typical catering customer cares about the experience over cost. Corporate customers aren’t even spending their own money. But the experience reflects on them personally—whether they’re paying or not.

So you must get the following parts of experience right:

• Driver demeanor: Make sure a driver looks presentable and their demeanor is professional. Yes, this is tough to influence with 3P drivers. With your own team, remember they're not just dropping things off. Catering orders have bigger tips, so the driver better offload everything and set things up.
• Recipes and admin support: Be prepared to quickly provide digital copies of receipts/invoices. Sometimes folks need to send it to their finance department. We go into the back end, find that receipt or invoice, and email it to the customer.
• The 24-hour call: For high-value orders (e.g., over $300), a brief phone call from the manager the next day makes a huge difference. You get to ensure everything went smoothly, build a stronger relationship, and get feedback if mistakes were made.

8. Use your customer list to drive reorders

If you took my advice to focus on direct catering orders, the data you’ll capture via these orders will be so useful to stay top-of-mind and drive reorders during key periods.

You own this channel, so let’s use it strategically. Here’s where to start.

Try the Monday morning email

Timing is everything. Corporate catering is heavily weighted toward Monday through Wednesday.

So try sending a Monday morning email prompt: "Need a last-minute lunch meeting catered this week? Order direct by 10 AM." You’ll catch guests who put off placing the order they need for a party later in the week.

Don’t forget seasonal prompts

Use seasonality of catering to your advantage. In Q4 (peak season), send emails reminding businesses to book their holiday and end-of-year appreciation lunches.

You need to sow that seed. Many companies will realize they forgot and book immediately.

Make it clear you’re capable

Your email list is also a great channel to showcase how well you deliver for catering customers. When you complete a large event (e.g., a 250-person lunch), send an email highlighting it, featuring photos taken during the event.

After we successfully handle a larger order or event, I'm going to make sure people know. This combats the perception that a local restaurant can’t manage large volumes. It also  creates the impression that "everybody's ordering" from Mattenga's.

Use SMS drops—selectively

Use SMS sparingly for high-urgency, limited-time offers (e.g., "Free delivery on catering over $200 this Wednesday") to drive immediate demand on slow days.

9. Create a 30/60/90 day growth plan for catering

We’ve covered my best advice on setting your catering marketing strategy. And while strategy is great, execution is everything.

So let’s get practical. As our final step, I strongly recommend you structure your catering efforts with clear timelines and metrics so you make real progress.

Let’s walk through how to do that, step by step:

Days 1–30: Get the foundation right

• Get your platform ready: Launch your online ordering for catering, implementing the hybrid approach (OLO for standard orders, forms for custom). And remember, prioritize a commission-free platform.
• Optimize your catering menu: Start using headcount-based bundles and "per-person" pricing. Schedule professional photography specifically for your catering spreads.
• Set up catering logistics: Integrate your delivery partners, if needed. And be sure to stock up on high-quality catering supplies and packaging.
• Train your team: Designate and train a "Catering Captain" on the key principles (be obsessive about on-time delivery, use the "Yes, And" pivot, optimize your POS, use split-delivery tactics).
• Set up basic 3P conversion: Start using the "Direct order flyer" in all marketplace orders.
• Get the SEO engine rolling: Launch an SEO-ready catering landing page to get in front of local customers and update your GBP to include a link for catering.

Days 31–60: Generate more demand

• Keep combatting obscurity:
  
  • Install prominent catering posters at POS with QR codes
  • Print and distribute physical catering menus at the restaurant
  • Add bag stuffers to every single takeout order
  • Train all staff to mention catering capability when appropriate
• Remarket to catering customers: Automate the Monday morning "catering day" email prompt to your growing list.
• Run a proactive sales playbook: Begin aggressive proactive outreach using the "10x efforts" approach:
  
  • Start the "Sponsored Lunch" cold email strategy (Target: 20 emails/week)
  • Manager office visits during slow hours (Target: 5 visits/week)
  • Begin the "sowing seeds" script during all catering deliveries‍
• Launch your first social proof campaign: Post photos from catering events on social media and email with messaging that showcases volume capability.

Days 61–90: Scale and refine your processes

• Raise the bar for service: Start using the "24-hour call" for all orders over $300.
• Refresh your catering menu: You should now have much more data on catering menu. So take a second look to Refine bundles, pricing, and packaging based on performance. Identify which per-person price points convert best.
• Begin VIP account management: Introduce VIP perks or tiered pricing for top corporate accounts. Reach out personally to thank them and ensure they know they're valued.
• Prepare your seasonal push: If you're entering Q4 during this phase, launch holiday-specific campaigns emphasizing end-of-year appreciation meals.
• Keep tabs on performance: On a regular basis, review your direct catering revenue, Marketplace Conversion Rate, Catering Reorder Rate, and Average Order Value (AOV). Adjust tactics for the next quarter based on what's working.

💡 Enga’s tip: Set specific goals for catering

State a clear, measurable goal for your first 90 days. Even if you don’t reach 100% of your goal, having a specific finish line both clears your path and pushes you to work toward a specific outcome.

Example goal: “Move 30% of marketplace orders to direct and reach $25K/month in direct catering revenue within 90 days.”

Managing your own psychology is just as important as the goal itself. Use the goal to move catering growth from a ‘someday, maybe’ item to a top priority you spend time on each day.

Catering requires a mindset shift

No single guest will ever order $10,000 from your restaurant. But one corporate account can easily spend that much, and then do it again and again. 

That means you can afford to spend more to win them—like giving away three free pizzas—than you would for a regular customer. That's also why professional photography, premium packaging, and being obsessive about on-time delivery matter so much for catering.

Catering is not a side hustle. It's a strategic profit center that compounds over time through exposure, repeat business, and referrals. Your catering offer needs to be visible everywhere and needs to be treated as an extension of your core business.

Follow this playbook, and you won't just add incremental revenue. You'll build a six-figure profit engine on top of your current restaurant sales—without giving 30% to a marketplace.