The short version
- People hire a caterer weeks ahead, so your page has to look busy and booked before they ever call.
- Post the deadlines: when you stop taking graduation orders, holiday parties or wedding dates.
- Event recaps and crew photos answer the big worry, which is whether you'll show up and get it right.
- 3 posts a week is enough: one menu or deadline, one behind the scenes, one finished event.
Someone is planning a retirement party for 60 people, and they've got 2 caterers on their phone. They check both Facebook Pages. The one with a post from this week gets the call.
These catering social media post ideas are built around how your customers plan: far ahead, with a budget and a lot of worry. Change the [brackets] and post them as they are. Cafes and restaurants run into some of the same questions, so our restaurant post ideas are worth a skim too.
What makes catering posts work
A catering page sells trust first and food second. The person booking you can't taste anything yet. They can look at your last 10 posts and decide if you're organized.
- Show full trays and set-up tables, not only close-ups of one plate.
- Name the kind of event: office lunch, grad party, funeral reception, rehearsal dinner.
- Put a booking deadline or a minimum order in the post so planners can act.
- Tell people how to reach you, in the post, with a number or a message link.
- Use real photos from real jobs. Planners can tell a stock photo of a buffet.
Still deciding what belongs on the page at all? What to post on your business Facebook Page covers the basics before you pick from this list.
Event recap and finished job post ideas
A recap is proof. It says you've done this before, at a place like theirs, with food that got eaten. Ask the host first, and skip photos of guests unless they're fine with it. How to take good photos for your business page helps with lighting and angles.
Set-up shot
Ready for [first name]'s retirement party at [venue]. 80 guests, 3 hot dishes, a salad bar and a dessert table. Thanks for trusting us with your big day.
Photo: The finished buffet line before guests arrive.
Empty trays
The best photo we take is the one at the end of the night: empty pans. Thank you, [family name], for letting us feed your people.
Photo: Stacked empty pans in the van.
A kind note
A thank-you note came in this week from [first name] about the [event]. Notes like this go on the walk-in door. Thank you!
Photo: The handwritten note on the kitchen wall.
Venue spotlight
We've catered at [venue] more than [number] times, so we know the loading dock, the kitchen and the best table layout. If you've booked there, ask us for a walk-through.
Photo: Your set-up in the venue, wide shot.
Kitchen, crew and prep day post ideas
The kitchen at 5am is a good story. It shows planners that real people are chopping, labeling and loading for their event.
Prep day
4am on a Saturday. 40 pounds of chicken, 12 hotel pans and a very loud radio. We're feeding [number] people at [time] today.
Photo: A prep table covered in labeled pans.
Meet the crew
This is [name], our lead server. [He/She] has worked [number] weddings with us and knows how to keep a line moving. If you see [name] at your event, you're in good hands.
Photo: The crew lead in the black work shirt.
Label everything
Every tray leaves our kitchen with a label: what it is, how to heat it and whether it has nuts, dairy or gluten. It takes us a few extra minutes. It saves you a headache at the party.
Photo: A label being placed on a tray lid.
The van load
Our van load list for a 100-person lunch: 14 trays, 6 chafing dishes, 2 drink dispensers, extra napkins. We pack a spare of everything. Because something always shows up.
Photo: The open back of the van, packed.
A tasting day
Tastings are open to couples booking for [season]. Bring your guest count and your budget. We'll talk through the menu and what we'd cut. Message us for a time.
Photo: Small sample plates lined up.
Answers to the questions planners ask you
How much food?
How much food do you need? A rule we use: plan for a little more than your head count when it's a drop-in event. Tell us the guest count and the time, and we'll size the order.
Photo: A half-served buffet.
Deposits
We ask for a deposit to hold your date. It covers ingredients and keeps your day on our calendar. The details are on our booking page, or message us.
Photo: A calendar page with a date circled.
What's in the price
A per-person price should tell you what's in it. Ours includes the food, serving pieces and set-up. Delivery and staff are listed separately so you can see them.
Photo: A printed quote with a pen.
Replies matter as much as posts. If you're not sure how to answer a quote request in the comments, read how to reply to Facebook comments as a business.
A simple week of catering posts
3 posts a week
- MonMenu or deadlineA seasonal menu, a last call, or an open date.
- WedBehind the scenesPrep day, the crew, labels or the van.
- FriFinished eventA set-up or an empty tray, with permission.
Booking spikes around graduations, weddings and the holidays, so match the plan to the calendar. Holiday post ideas for small business has dates worth planning around. Slow in January? Try the ideas in slow season marketing.
Do
- Post booking deadlines before they pass.
- Show real set-ups from real events.
- Ask the host before you post a recap.
- Say how people can reach you in every post.
Don't
- Post guests' faces without their OK.
- Promise allergen-free food you can't guarantee.
- Leave a holiday menu up in March.
- Quote prices in public that you can't hold.
