Caterers already have a functioning booking process — it's just informal, running through Instagram DMs, WhatsApp, and referrals from past events. The pitch that works isn't "get found online," it's "stop losing bookings to slow replies and missing menu info."
The Real Objection: "I Get Booked Through Instagram and Referrals"
Most independent caterers book their calendar through a mix of past-client referrals and Instagram DMs — someone sees a food photo, messages "how much for 50 people," and a back-and-forth starts. This works, but it's slow and it leaks leads: DMs get missed during active event days (when caterers are least available to reply), and every inquiry starts from zero because there's no menu or pricing anyone can check first.
The real cost isn't visibility, it's response time. A caterer juggling three events a week can't answer every DM within the hour, and event planning is time-sensitive — a bride or corporate planner who doesn't hear back in a day moves to the next name.
Pitch a website as something that answers the first three questions (what do you serve, roughly what does it cost, are you available) before the DM ever needs to happen.
What a Caterer's Website Actually Needs
- Menus organized by event type (wedding, corporate, small gathering) rather than one long list — people self-select the relevant menu
- Real event photography, not stock food photos — plated dishes and real setups from actual jobs build far more trust than generic imagery
- A multi-step inquiry form (event details → food preferences → contact info) rather than one long form; caterers report this converts noticeably better than a single "message us" box
- An availability indicator or simple calendar — even a basic "check availability" step reduces the double-booking risk that makes caterers hesitant to reply fast
- Testimonials from named events — "catered our 200-guest wedding at [venue]" carries more weight than a star rating
Dietary filtering (vegan, halal, gluten-free tags) is a nice-to-have that's worth mentioning in the pitch — it's a specific, concrete feature that shows you understand their business rather than templating a generic site.
Realistic Pricing
Catering is an event-driven business with decent per-job margins, so budgets are workable once the ROI is framed around one additional booked event.
| Package | What's included | Typical price (Nigeria) | Typical price (US/UK) | |---|---|---|---| | Menu + gallery site | Menus by event type, photo gallery, contact form | ₦120,000 – ₦220,000 | $500 – $900 | | Booking-ready site | Above, plus multi-step inquiry form and availability calendar | ₦220,000 – ₦380,000 | $900 – $1,600 | | Full event site | Above, plus package builder / custom quote calculator | ₦380,000+ | $1,600+ |
Frame the price against a single average event's value — most caterers' per-event revenue comfortably exceeds the cost of the booking-ready tier, which makes it an easy comparison to make out loud in the pitch.
Where to Find Caterers With No Website
- Instagram and Facebook — search catering hashtags and location tags; wedding and event vendor directories often list caterers with only a social profile linked
- Google Maps — "catering services" + city; caterers without a storefront often still have a Maps listing from delivery or past client reviews
- Event planner and venue vendor lists — event centers and hotels often keep a preferred-vendor list; caterers on those lists but without a website are efficient targets since they're already proven busy
- Wedding/event Facebook groups where planners ask for recommendations — active caterers surface fast in these threads
Runvax's Catering Services category searches Google's business index directly and flags no-website listings automatically, saving the manual cross-check between Instagram and Maps.
The Pitch That Works
Reference the response-time problem specifically, since that's the actual pain point behind the Instagram-only setup:
"I noticed [Catering Business] doesn't have a website — with your bookings coming through DMs, I'd guess some inquiries slip through on busy event days. A simple site with your menus and an inquiry form would let people check pricing and availability instantly, even when you can't reply right away."
Runvax's AI proposal generator is worth mentioning at this stage of the pitch too — once a caterer says yes, sending a fast, formal proposal matters. See how AI-generated proposals close more deals, faster for how that step works.
Next in This Series
Coming from the trades? Read how to pitch construction and contractors for a website. Heading into community-based organizations next, see how to pitch churches and ministries for a website. Or start from the full ranked list of industries to pitch.
Find No-Website Caterers Faster
Runvax searches the Catering Services category in any city and flags which ones have no website — plus generates a personalized outreach message for each. Start free, no card needed.