How to Handle Large Catering Orders as a Small Restaurant

A 100-person catering order lands in your inbox. Your first instinct might be excitement — that's a $1,500-$2,500 order. Your second instinct might be panic — your kitchen normally serves 50-seat dine-in and you've never prepped for 100 people at once.

Don't say no. Large catering orders are the highest-margin opportunities your restaurant will see. You just need a plan.

Before you say yes: the capacity check

Before accepting a large order, run through this checklist:

Kitchen capacity

• Can you prep this alongside normal service? If the order is for Thursday lunch, can your kitchen handle catering prep AND the Thursday lunch rush?
• Do you need to prep earlier? Most large orders can be prepped starting 3-5 hours before delivery. Some items (BBQ, braises, baked goods) can start the day before.
• Do you have enough equipment? Oven space, burner space, sheet pans, hotel pans, cooling racks. A 100-person order might need 10-15 hotel pans.

Staff

• Do you need extra hands? A 100-person order typically needs 1-2 extra staff for 3-4 hours of prep and packaging
• Who handles delivery? If it's a delivery order, someone needs to load, drive, unload, and potentially set up

Supplies

• Packaging — do you have enough catering containers, lids, utensils, napkins, labels? Order extra with at least a week's lead time
• Ingredients — can your suppliers deliver the extra volume? Place the order early
• Transport — do you have containers/bags large enough? A 100-person order might fill an entire vehicle

Timing

• Lead time — don't accept a 100-person order for tomorrow. Require 48-72 hours minimum for large orders, ideally a week. If you use catering software, this is enforced automatically
• Day of week — a large order on your slowest day is much more manageable than on your busiest

If you can check all these boxes, say yes.

Step 1: Lock in the details early

Large orders need precision. Get every detail confirmed and documented at least 48 hours before delivery:

• Exact headcount — and plan for 10% overage
• Menu selections — every item, every quantity, every dietary accommodation
• Dietary restrictions — how many vegetarian, vegan, GF, allergies? List them out
• Delivery address and access — which entrance, which floor, is there an elevator, who's the on-site contact?
• Setup expectations — are you dropping off food, or setting up a buffet line?
• Payment — collected in advance for large orders. Always.

Use a written confirmation (email or your ordering system) so there's no ambiguity.

Step 2: Build a prep timeline

Work backwards from the delivery time:

Example: 100-person lunch delivery at 11:30am

Post this timeline where your team can see it. Everyone should know what happens and when.

Step 3: Use a packing checklist

For large orders, a printed packing checklist is non-negotiable. List every single item:

• Brisket — 3 hotel pans
• Mac & cheese — 2 hotel pans
• Green salad — 2 bowls
• Rolls — 120 count (2 bags)
• Butter portions — 100 count
• BBQ sauce — 4 squeeze bottles
• Serving utensils — 6 spoons, 2 tongs
• Plates — 110 count
• Napkins — 120 count
• Forks/knives — 110 sets

One person packs. Another person checks off. This catches the "we forgot the forks" problem before the truck leaves.

If you use catering software, packing lists are auto-generated from the order.

Step 4: Handle the delivery

Large order delivery has its own challenges:

Vehicle

• A 100-person order might weigh 100-200+ lbs and take up an entire SUV or van
• Use insulated bags or cambros to maintain temperature
• Secure everything so nothing slides during transport

Staffing

• Send two people for orders over 50 people — one to drive, one to help unload
• If setup is included, allow 15-30 minutes for a 100-person buffet setup

Communication

• Call the on-site contact 30 minutes before arrival
• Confirm the unloading location and any access requirements
• Have the contact's cell phone number (not just an office line)

Step 5: Price large orders correctly

Large orders should be priced to cover the extra logistics. See our full pricing guide, but key points for large orders:

• Don't discount heavily — volume discounts of 5-10% are reasonable; 25% off is giving away margin
• Charge for delivery — a 100-person delivery might take 2 hours round trip with 2 staff. That costs real money
• Require payment in advance — no exceptions for large orders. You're investing $400-$800 in food before delivery
• Add setup fees if applicable — $75-$150 for buffet setup with chafing dishes

At $18/person for 100 people with a $50 delivery fee, that's $1,850 in revenue with roughly $600 in food costs — a strong margin.

Step 6: Follow up and build the relationship

Large orders come from organizations that order repeatedly — corporate offices, schools, hospitals, event planners. One perfect 100-person delivery can become a $20,000-$50,000/year account.

After delivery:

• Same-day text/email to the on-site contact: "How did everything look?"
• Next-day follow-up email: "We hope the team enjoyed lunch! We'd love to cater your next event."
• Add to your CRM — track this customer in your catering software so they get automated re-order prompts
• Ask for a referral — "If you know anyone else who needs catering, we'd appreciate the recommendation"

The learning curve

Your first large order will feel hectic. Your fifth will feel routine. The key is building systems:

• Standardized prep timelines that your team follows every time
• Printed packing checklists for every order
• Delivery procedures with communication protocols
• Software that tracks everything so nothing lives in someone's head

Most small restaurants that successfully handle their first 100-person order never go back to saying no to large orders. The revenue is too good and the process, once established, is repeatable.