How an AI Agent Handles Catering Requests From Start to Finish
A catering request comes in through your website, Facebook, text or phone, and it often gets lost between two services. Here is the full path, from the first reply to the customer who comes back, with Kai, the Orvel AI assistant for restaurants and caterers. Kai prepares and follows up; you decide and approve.
One place for every request
Catering and group requests arrive through several doors: your website, Facebook, text messages, the phone. Without a central place, a request can sit unanswered during a busy service. Kai gathers them into a single file per customer, with the conversation, the date, the headcount and the occasion.
It can also answer common questions (menu, hours, parking) and, when nobody can pick up the phone in the middle of service, take the reservation according to your capacity and booking rules, confirm it by text and record it in the file. For a complaint, it hands the conversation over to your team.
Step 1: the request comes in and gets a first reply
As soon as a file is created, the planned rule is to reply the same day. Kai prepares the acknowledgment: it says thanks, then asks for the date, the number of guests, the location and any allergies or restrictions to note. From that first message it states that this information is recorded in the file, but that the kitchen cannot guarantee the total absence of an allergen.
The 'type of request' field steers what follows: a table booking is confirmed quickly, while catering or a wedding goes through a quote. The details collected (date, service time, location, occasion, stated budget) then feed the quote, the calendar and next year's follow-up.
- Reply within the day, asking only the useful questions.
- Record allergies exactly as declared, without interpreting them.
- Never guess the budget: ask for it or take it as stated.
Step 2: the catering quote and its follow-ups
A quote depends on the number of guests, the date, the location, the package and the extras. Instead of rebuilding it by hand every time, Kai prepares the draft: chosen package, quantities, delivery and deposit terms. You read it, adjust it and send it.
Three days after the file moves to the quote stage, a follow-up task is created: did the customer have time to look at the quote, any questions about the package? The template message is short and offers to adjust the menu. If the quote goes unanswered for seven days, Kai prepares a final courteous check-in asking whether the date is still wanted; with no reply, the date is released for other customers.
Step 3: the deposit, the confirmation and the execution sheet
When the deposit is marked as received, Kai prepares the email confirming the reserved date and announcing a check-in about a week before the event. It also suggests blocking the date on the calendar and preparing the execution sheet: menu, time, location, headcount, declared allergies and an on-site contact. That sheet keeps the kitchen, the service staff and the delivery team aligned.
The deposit and cancellation policy is inserted into the quote and the confirmation, and the customer's acceptance is kept in the file. A week ahead, Kai asks for the final headcount, any allergies to note and the balance due. A text reservation reminder then invites the customer to confirm or report a change.
Allergies: what Kai never does
Kai never says a dish is allergen-free. Only your kitchen knows its recipes and its cross-contamination risks. When a customer asks, Kai passes the question to your team and the customer receives the answer from your team.
A declared allergy is a sensitive field: it is used to prepare the meal, not to send promotions. Every quote and every confirmation reminds the customer that the absence of an allergen cannot be guaranteed.
After the event: reviews and repeat customers
Two days after the event, Kai prepares a thank-you with a Google review request. The message is neutral: no gift or discount in exchange, and the request goes to every customer, not just the happy ones. You approve it before it goes out, and Kai drafts a reply to each review, negative ones included.
For repeat customers, a rule spots those you have not contacted in about 330 days and suggests writing to them to rebook the same type of event before the dates fill up. That message is promotional: it is only prepared if the customer's consent is valid, and every message identifies your business and offers a way to unsubscribe.
The path runs through seven stages, from request to repeat customer, and Kai handles the repetitive follow-ups so your team keeps its time for the kitchen and the service. Allergies, complaints and decisions stay in your team's hands.
General information, not legal advice. Check with your professional order or the official source.
Questions
Can Kai send a quote without my approval?
No. Kai prepares the draft and the messages; you read, adjust and approve them. Decisions about price, menu and date stay with you.
What does Kai do if a customer asks whether a dish is peanut-free?
It never answers that the dish is allergen-free. It passes the question to your team, which knows its recipes and cross-contamination risks, and the customer receives the answer from your team.
Does Kai follow up with all of my past customers?
No. Last year's follow-up is a promotion: it is only prepared if valid consent is recorded in the file, with your business identified and a way to unsubscribe.
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