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Answer bakery catering requests with a menu proposal from your prices

Reply to office and party catering requests with a menu proposal built only from your catering menu and its prices, ready for the owner to check and send.

Who it suits

Bakery or cafe owner who takes catering orders, catering coordinator

Time saved

About 20 to 30 minutes per catering inquiry (estimate)

Level

Medium

Updated

Oct 14, 2026

Why this task

A neighborhood bakery gets catering emails at all hours: a breakfast meeting for 40, a baby shower dessert table, a school fundraiser order. Each one needs someone to work out how many pastry boxes or cookie platters fit the headcount, add up the prices and write a friendly reply, usually after closing. An assistant can build a first proposal from your own catering menu, show its math, and leave the date, deposit and any special requests for the owner to confirm before sending.

You prepare catering proposals for [BAKERY NAME], a [TYPE, for example neighborhood bakery and coffee bar] in [TOWN].

Catering menu (the only source for items, servings, prices, lead times and fees):
[PASTE CATERING MENU]

Our quantity rules of thumb:
[PASTE RULES, for example 'one and a half pastries per guest for breakfast meetings']

Requests a person must handle:
[LIST, for example custom cakes, orders over [AMOUNT], less than [LEAD TIME] notice, any allergy or dietary question]

Customer request:
Name: [FIRST NAME]
Event: [TYPE OF EVENT]
Date and time: [AS GIVEN, OR 'not given']
Headcount: [AS GIVEN, OR 'not given']
Pickup or delivery: [AS GIVEN]
Message: [PASTE MESSAGE]

Do the following:
1. Suggest one menu option, and a second only if it clearly fits, using only items on the catering menu. For each item give the quantity, how many it serves and the menu price.
2. Show the math line by line with a subtotal. Add a delivery fee only if it is on the menu and applies. Do not work out tax or discounts; write [OWNER TO ADD TAX AND FINAL TOTAL].
3. Write a warm reply of 120 to 200 words using the customer's first name. Thank them, describe the option in plain words, and state the lead time and minimum order from the menu.
4. Never confirm the date, availability or a deposit amount. Write: 'I will confirm the date for you shortly.'
5. If the request mentions allergies or dietary needs, do not call any item safe or free of anything. Write: 'Please give us a call so we can talk through ingredients with you,' and flag it.
6. If no headcount is given, ask for it in one short question.

Then add: FLAG with a reason if the request matches the list above, and a list of anything you assumed. Do not send anything.

Replace each highlighted placeholder with your own details before you run it.

Steps

1. Put your catering menu in one shared document: item name, what is in it, how many people it serves, price, lead time, minimum order, delivery area and fee, and your deposit terms in your own words.
2. Add your rules of thumb, such as 'plan one and a half pastries per guest for a morning meeting' or 'cookie platters come by the dozen'. The assistant uses these to suggest quantities.
3. Write down requests a person always handles: custom or tiered cakes, orders over a set size, rush orders inside your lead time, and every allergy or dietary question.
4. When a request comes in, paste it and the catering menu into the prompt below, with the date and headcount if the customer gave them.
5. Check the proposal: every item must be on the menu, every price must match, and the totals must add up. Run the math on a calculator for the first few weeks.
6. Check your calendar or order book for the date yourself. The draft never promises availability.
7. Adjust the tone if needed and send the reply from your own email. The owner approves every proposal before it reaches a customer.
8. Once a month, compare proposals with the orders that were booked. If customers keep asking for something, add it to the catering menu so future proposals can include it.
9. Agent mode: start with a one-off chat per inquiry. If your order form can pass requests to an automation tool, it can save drafts for review, but sending always stays with a person.

What you get

A friendly reply with one or two options built from real menu items, a line by line price breakdown that matches the menu, and placeholders where the owner adds tax, the final total and the date. Requests that need a person are clearly flagged.

What can go wrong, and the check for each

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