10 Ways to Promote Your Restaurant Catering Without a Big Advertising Budget

Ten low-cost ways to promote catering, each with what to do, why it can help and a practical first step.

Caterly Team· October 1, 2026· 5 min read

You do not need a large advertising budget to promote catering. You do need some time and consistency.

The ten tactics below cost little or nothing in money. Each one does take effort, and none guarantees results on its own. Used together over a few months, they can make your catering far more visible to the people most likely to order.

Each tactic includes what to do, why it can help, and a practical first step.

1. Add Catering to Your Website

What to do: Give catering a clear place on your website, ideally a dedicated page with your packages, service options, delivery area, and a way to request catering. Add it to your main navigation.

Why it can help: Many people check a restaurant's website before ordering. If catering is hidden or missing, they may assume you do not offer it.

First step: Look at your website as a customer would. Can you find catering in under five seconds? If not, add a "Catering" link to the main menu.

2. Promote Catering In-Store

What to do: Use your dining room, counter, and takeout area to remind customers you cater. Table cards, counter signs, and flyers in takeout bags all work.

Why it can help: Your in-store customers already like your food. Many of them organize office lunches, team meals, or family gatherings.

First step: Put one simple sign at the register: "Feeding a group? Ask about catering," with a link or QR code to your catering page.

3. Use QR Codes

What to do: Add QR codes that lead directly to your catering page on table cards, receipts, flyers, and packaging.

Why it can help: A QR code turns a passing thought into an immediate action. Someone can see your packages and request catering on the spot.

First step: Create a QR code for your catering page, not your homepage, and test it on a few phones before printing. Add a short line explaining it, such as "Scan for catering packages."

4. Contact Nearby Businesses

What to do: Introduce your catering to offices, clinics, dealerships, and other organizations in your delivery area.

Why it can help: Businesses often order catering repeatedly for meetings and events. Being known before they need food puts you first in line.

First step: List ten nearby businesses. Visit or email two of them this week with a short introduction and a link to your catering page.

For more on this audience, read how to get corporate catering customers.

5. Use Existing Customer Relationships

What to do: Talk to your regulars about catering. Train staff to mention it naturally, especially to customers ordering for several people.

Why it can help: Trust already exists. A regular who loves your lunch may arrange food for their workplace.

First step: Brief your team on one simple line, such as "Did you know we cater group lunches?", and a place to point people.

6. Post on Social Media

What to do: Share catering content regularly: photos of real orders, a breakdown of what a package includes, or seasonal reminders. Always link to your catering page.

Why it can help: Social media keeps catering in front of people who already follow you, so you are remembered when the need arises.

First step: Schedule one catering post a week for the next month. Start with a photo of a package and a short description of who it is for.

7. Email Your Customers

What to do: If you have a customer email list, send occasional catering emails, such as a package introduction or a seasonal reminder.

Why it can help: Email reaches people directly and lets you explain your offer in more detail than a social post.

First step: Write one short email introducing your catering packages, with a clear link to your catering page. Send it to your list once, then plan the next one around a seasonal moment.

8. Run Seasonal Promotions

What to do: Create focused offers around predictable busy periods, such as holiday parties, graduations, sports seasons, or back-to-school events.

Why it can help: Seasonal moments give people a reason to order now, and a focused package is easier to promote than your whole menu.

First step: Pick the next seasonal moment in your area. Create one package for it and start promoting three to four weeks ahead. A seasonal promotion does not need to be a discount; a well-designed package is often enough.

9. Encourage Referrals

What to do: Ask happy catering customers to recommend you, and make it easy for them to share your catering page.

Why it can help: A recommendation from a colleague or friend carries more weight than any ad.

First step: After each successful order, send a short thank-you note. Ask if they know anyone else who might need catering, and include a link to your catering page.

10. Build Partnerships and Community Connections

What to do: Connect with organizations that serve your ideal customers: event venues without in-house food, office building managers, sports clubs, and community groups.

Why it can help: Partners can introduce you to customers you would not reach on your own, and their recommendation carries trust.

First step: Identify one venue or organization nearby that regularly hosts groups. Introduce yourself and offer your catering information.

Making It Manageable

Ten tactics can feel like a lot for a busy restaurant. You do not need to do them all at once.

A practical sequence:

Fix your website and add in-store signage. These work continuously once done.
Add QR codes so in-store interest has somewhere to go.
Start a weekly social post and a monthly outreach session.
Add email, seasonal offers, and referrals as you build momentum.

One Destination for Everything

Every tactic above works better when it points to the same place: a catering page where customers can see your options and request catering. That way, every effort builds on the others, and you can see which ones bring inquiries.

Where Caterly Helps

Low-budget marketing still takes time. Caterly reduces that time by building your catering page and giving you ready-to-use materials, such as social posts, emails, flyers, and QR codes, that all point back to it.

You choose what to use, adjust it to your voice, and spend your time on the outreach only you can do.