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Catering Menu Setup: Separate Menu, Lead Times, Deposits

Configure catering as its own ordering flow — different menu, forced lead times, deposits at booking. The full workflow.

Last updated: 7 min read

Catering is its own beast — different menu items (party trays, family packs), different pricing (per-person vs. flat), different lead times (24–72 hours instead of "now"), different payment flow (deposits at booking). Eatsy treats it that way.

Decide: separate menu or shared with catering pricing

You have two choices:

Separate catering menu. Items only available for catering — 30-person trays, family packs, half-pans of birria. Doesn't appear in the regular online ordering. This is the default for most operations.

Shared menu with catering pricing. Same items as your regular menu, but at catering-tier pricing for orders above a quantity threshold. Example: regular taco price is $4 per piece; in orders of 50+ pieces, the price drops to $3.50 per piece. Cleaner if your catering items are essentially "more of the same."

You can do both — a dedicated catering section plus catering-tier pricing on shared items.

Configuration steps

  1. Open Catering → Menu

    Toggle on the catering module. Pick "separate menu" or "shared with catering pricing" (or both).

  2. Add catering-only items

    For each item: name (EN + ES — EatsyAI writes), description, party-size pricing tiers (e.g., serves 10-15 / 25-30 / 50+), included sides, allergen info.

  3. Configure shared items with catering pricing

    For items in your regular menu, set quantity-based pricing. Example: 1–9 tacos = $4 each, 10–24 = $3.75 each, 25+ = $3.50 each.

  4. Set lead-time rules

    Per item or category. 24 hours minimum for small orders (10–25 people), 48 hours for medium (25–50), 72 hours for large (50+). The system blocks customers from booking inside the window.

  5. Set capacity caps

    Max servings per day. Example: 200 servings of birria available daily, no more. Once a date hits the cap, it's grayed out for new bookings.

  6. Set blackout days

    Days when catering is closed (Mondays, holidays, owner's vacation). Regular ordering can stay open.

  7. Configure deposits

    Default: 25% deposit at booking. Adjust per item or category. Some operators charge 50% on large orders, no deposit on small ones.

  8. Set cancellation policy

    E.g., "Full refund if canceled 72+ hours out, 50% refund 24–72 hours, no refund inside 24 hours." Eatsy enforces this automatically — refunds process through your configured payment gateway (Shift4 or NMI).

What customers see

The catering page is at /catering on your microsite (or your domain). Customers fill the request form with: date, time, party size, item selections, delivery or pickup, special notes. The system runs all your rules in real-time — if they pick a date inside the lead window, the system shows the next available date instead.

Once submitted, deposits charge automatically and the order appears on your production schedule.

Production schedule view

Your kitchen sees Catering → Production Schedule. Calendar view by day/week/month. Color-coded by status. Filter by location. Helps the kitchen plan ahead — buy ingredients on Tuesday for Thursday's 100-person order, schedule extra staff for Saturday's wedding, etc.

See also: Corporate Accounts (Net-30), IHD Delivery Setup.