Restaurant Catering Email template

Most guests do not know that their favorite restaurant caters or hosts private events until someone tells them. This template spells out what you offer, asks for the details you need and makes the first step as small as possible.

Goal: Collect catering and private dining inquiries from guests, offices and event planners.
When: Send it ahead of the seasons when people plan gatherings, such as early fall for holiday parties and early spring for graduations and summer events. A few times a year is enough.
Tones: Warm, playful, polished
Includes: HTML, plain text, SMS

Juniper & Salt · Inbox

Let Juniper & Salt cater your next gathering · From team lunches to family celebrations, we'd love to feed your people.

Customize with your details

Preview uses a fictional restaurant, Juniper & Salt. Every detail is yours to change.

Restaurant Catering Email subject lines

Warm

Let [Restaurant name] cater your next gathering
Hosting soon? We can help
Private dining and catering at [Restaurant name]

Preheader: From team lunches to family celebrations, we'd love to feed your people.

Playful

Throwing a party? We'll handle the food
Your next event needs a menu
Let [Restaurant name] cater the good stuff

Preheader: Team lunch, birthday or backyard party, we'll help you feed the crowd.

Polished

Private dining and events at [Restaurant name]
Host your next occasion with us
Catering from the kitchen at [Restaurant name]

Preheader: Private dining and catering, tailored to your occasion and your guests.

The catering and private events email copy

Words in braces are placeholders. The generator fills them in, and drops any line whose detail you leave blank. “Copy text” gives you [bracketed] placeholders to replace by hand.

Warm version

Let us feed your gathering

Hi {first_name}, did you know {restaurant} caters? We also host private gatherings, from team lunches and birthdays to family celebrations. We'd be honored to be part of yours.

Tell us the date, roughly how many guests and anything your group can't eat, and we'll put together a menu and a quote that fits. Questions? Call us at {phone}.

Right now we're offering {offer}.

{offer_terms}

Playful version

Your party, our kitchen

Hey {first_name}! Hosting something soon? {restaurant} caters and hosts private events, so you can spend less time cooking and more time enjoying your own party.

Send us the date, a rough headcount and any dietary needs, and we'll come back with a menu and a quote. Questions? Call {phone}.

The sweetener right now: {offer}.

Fine print: {offer_terms}

Polished version

Host your occasion with us

Dear {first_name}, {restaurant} welcomes private events and offers catering for occasions large and small. Our team would be pleased to help you plan an evening your guests will remember.

To begin, please share your date, guest count and any dietary requirements. We will prepare a proposed menu and quote. You may also reach us at {phone}.

As a courtesy to new inquiries, we are pleased to offer {offer}.

Conditions: {offer_terms}

Details you can add: Offer, Offer terms.

Tips for your catering and private events email

Ask for the details you need in the inquiry form: date, guest count, budget range and dietary needs. It saves a round of back-and-forth.
Say what you actually provide: delivery, setup, serving staff, a private room, a minimum spend. Be just as clear about what you do not.
Link to a dedicated catering or private events page with sample menus, not your everyday menu.
Answer inquiries quickly, ideally the same day. Offices and planners are often comparing several options.
Time the send for planning seasons: before holiday parties, graduations, wedding season and corporate year-end.
If you add an offer, such as a complimentary tasting, state who qualifies and the booking deadline in the email.

Mistakes to avoid

Offering no easy way to ask a question. A phone number and a short inquiry form beat a generic 'contact us'.
Promising what you cannot deliver, such as large headcounts or special diets. Be specific about your limits.
Sending the same message to every subscriber. Offices and event planners respond to a different message than casual diners, so segment if you can.

Matching SMS

{restaurant}: We cater and host private events. Request a quote: {cta_url} Reply STOP to opt out.

Text messages need their own, explicit opt-in. An email subscription does not cover SMS.

FAQ

Restaurant Catering Email questions

How do I promote restaurant catering by email?

Say what kinds of events you handle, ask for the date, guest count and dietary needs, and give one clear way to inquire: a button to a form plus your phone number.

What should a catering inquiry email include?

What you offer, a few sample events or menus, how to request a quote, how quickly you reply, and your postal address and unsubscribe link in the footer.

Who should I send a catering email to?

Start with subscribers who have booked parties or placed large orders before, and any business contacts who opted in. Send to the full list only occasionally.

When should a restaurant promote private dining?

Before the seasons when people plan gatherings, such as late summer for holiday parties and early spring for graduations and summer events.

New menu announcement

Introduce a new menu with a launch date, one hero dish and a short list of what's changing.

Weekly specials email

Share this week's specials with one featured dish, a short list and an end date.

Monthly newsletter

A short monthly roundup of one event, one featured dish and what's on the menu.

Part of our free kit for email marketing for restaurants.