By trade5 min read

How to get more catering and event catering clients

Catering is sold on trust, presentation, and the recommendations of venues and planners who've worked with you. Here's how to build a diary of corporate, wedding, and private event work.

Quick answer

Catering clients come from three places: venue and event-planner recommended-supplier lists (highest converting), corporate account relationships for recurring meetings and events (the steadiest revenue), and Google searches for specific event types ('wedding caterer [city]', 'corporate lunch catering'). Specialising — by event type, cuisine style, or audience — beats generalist catering. Strong caterers earn £40,000–£200,000+ working 100–250 events a year.

Step-by-step

Niche by event type or cuisine

Generalist 'we cater anything' caterers compete on price. Specialists earn premium rates and build referral-driven businesses. Top niches: wedding catering (£3,000–£15,000+ per event), corporate event catering (recurring relationships, predictable revenue), private dining and intimate dinners (premium per-head fees), specific cuisine specialists (Italian, Mexican, Indian, vegan, BBQ — clear brand identity), street food catering (festivals and outdoor events). Pick a primary niche based on your strongest cooking, your target margin, and which client type you want to serve. Niche-down across your website, Instagram, and venue conversations.

Build venue and planner relationships

Wedding venues, corporate event venues, and event planners are your highest-converting referral source. Build relationships with 8–15 venues and planners: deliver flawlessly at one event with them (this usually gets you on their recommended-supplier list), follow up with photos and a thank-you, attend their showcases. A working venue network produces 40–60% of bookings for established caterers and is the easiest channel to expand into.

Build corporate account relationships

Corporate catering is the most predictable revenue in the category — recurring orders for client meetings, team lunches, board events, training days, Christmas parties. Build relationships with 10–20 corporate accounts via local marketing agencies, accountancy firms, financial advisors, tech startups, and law firms. A single corporate account can produce £5,000–£25,000+ of annual orders. Build 5 strong corporate accounts and you have £30,000–£100,000 of recurring revenue baseline. Approach via direct sales (LinkedIn outreach to PAs and office managers) and networking events.

Make your website convert event enquirers

Six things matter on a caterer's website. Mouth-watering portfolio photography from real events (your own work — not stock). A clear menu structure with sample menus and starting prices per head (vague pricing kills enquiries from quality clients). Real-client testimonials with event details ('Anna's 50th birthday dinner for 35 guests'). Service area and minimum-order detail. A clear enquiry form asking event date, headcount, type of event, and budget per head. Process explanation ('You book a free tasting, we deliver a full quote, balance paid 14 days before the event'). Adviita generates this kind of structured site in minutes.

Run free tastings as your conversion engine

Tastings are the single highest-conversion sales tool in catering. Offer free tastings for quality enquiries (full quotes attached, with one or two booking commitments by event end). Free tastings convert at 50–70% to bookings vs 20–30% for quote-only processes. Run group tastings monthly at your kitchen so you batch the cost and create event-feel. Couples and clients leave tastings with an emotional commitment that text-and-quote processes can't replicate.

Build review and content systems

Reviews drive both local Google ranking and direct booking trust. Build a system: after every event, send a follow-up the day after thanking the client and asking for a Google review and Instagram tag. Aim for 30+ Google reviews within 12 months. On Instagram, post every event with great photos. Within 12 months you'll have a content library of 100+ event shots that fuels your marketing for years.

Tips & best practices

▸Allergen handling is critical at scale. Build an allergen-aware kitchen process and surface it clearly on your website — it's a competitive advantage AND legal protection.
▸Take a hero photo of every dish, table setup, and event environment. Caterers without strong photography lose bookings to caterers with weaker food but better visuals.
▸Deposits are non-negotiable. 30–50% upfront secures the date; balance 14 days before. No-deposit clients cancel mid-cycle and refuse to pay — every caterer learns this expensively.

Common questions

How much can a caterer realistically earn?

Solo caterer doing 50–100 small events a year: £25,000–£60,000. Established catering business doing 100–250 events with 1–5 staff: £80,000–£300,000+ owner take-home. Wedding-focused caterers with 30–50 weddings a year at £4,000–£10,000 per event: £100,000–£400,000+.

Should I focus on weddings or corporate?

Most successful caterers do both. Weddings are higher per-event revenue but seasonal; corporate is steadier, recurring, year-round. The strongest businesses build a corporate baseline and add weddings on top. Solo caterers often start with one niche and add the second once they have systems.

How important is having my own kitchen?

Critical at scale. Home catering caps at small-volume events; commercial kitchen access (rented commissary, dedicated space, or shared commercial kitchen) unlocks larger events and corporate work. Most caterers move into commercial space within 18 months of starting.

What's the biggest mistake new caterers make?

Underpricing weddings. Couples shopping for caterers trust higher-priced caterers more; underpricing to win bookings creates burnout and bad reputations from cut corners. Set premium pricing with confidence — your work justifies it, and serious couples respond to confidence.