This article covers what the agent does with a catering inquiry, what it will and won't tell a client, what you need to fill in to turn it on, and where the lead lands when it's done.
Catering is optional. If you don't turn it on, nothing about your current setup changes.
Catering works differently from private dining
Private dining is structured. You have listings, minimums, and guest count ranges, so the agent's job is to match a booker to the right offer.
Catering is usually bespoke. There's often no listing to match to, and your events team will flex to make an event happen. So instead of trying to fit the client into a package, the agent's job is to learn what the client wants and hand your team a brief they can build an offer around.
That's the core difference: for catering, the agent captures rather than matches.
How it works
The agent works out what kind of inquiry it is from where the conversation started plus what the client actually says.
This is why a client never hits a dead end. Someone who starts on your private dining flow and then asks about a drop-off lunch for 40 doesn't have to go back and start again — the agent switches lanes mid-conversation.
What the agent will and won't say
Catering details are nuanced and varied, so the agent is deliberately conservative here.
It only shares menus, pricing, tiers, or minimums that you've put in your knowledge base. You control how much or how little goes in.
It never confirms or denies pricing on its own. If a client pushes on cost and you haven't provided it, the agent defers to your events team.
It never tells a client something isn't possible unless you've explicitly excluded it. If a client asks about something unusual, the agent routes the inquiry to your team rather than closing the door.
What lands in your inbox
Nothing new to learn here. A catering lead submits exactly like a private dining lead.
The lead carries an Event Style value — Catering or Private Dining — so your team can tell at a glance what kind of inquiry it is.
It flows to the destinations you already use: your email inbox or your event management system
Same workflow, same destination, same follow-up process.
Turning catering on
Catering is opt-in and takes a small amount of setup on your side. Work through these three steps with your Ande contact.
Complete the catering survey section. Two fields matter most: the areas you serve and your cutoff (how far in advance you need an order). You'll also upload any catering menus here.
Test it on your test token. Run a few inquiries yourself and check the agent is saying what you'd want it to say.
Go live and check your first real lead. Confirm it arrives in the right place with the right details.
FAQs
We already use EZCater and Tripleseat. Does this replace them? No. The agent works upstream of both — it's the intake layer. It picks up the inbound inquiry, qualifies the shape of the event (area, headcount, budget, service style, dietary, date), captures anything the client flags off your menu, and hands your events team a brief they can build a proposal from.
Will the agent quote prices to my clients? Only what you've put in your knowledge base. It never confirms or denies pricing on its own — it defers to your events team.
What if a client asks about something we don't do? The agent won't say no unless you've explicitly excluded it. It routes the inquiry to your team so someone can answer properly.
What if we don't fill out the catering section? Catering stays off. Clients stay in the private dining flow and nothing breaks.
Can a client switch between catering and private dining in one conversation? Yes. The agent follows the conversation, so a client can raise either without restarting.