How to write a catering request that gets you an accurate quote fast

A good catering request is a short email that answers the questions a caterer would otherwise have to ask you. The difference between a quote that goes out in an hour and one that takes three days of back-and-forth is almost never the size of the order. It is whether the first message had the date, the headcount and the address in it. The same details are what make an order from my kitchen take minutes instead of a week of emails around the office.

The short answer: A catering request needs seven details: the date, the delivery time or window, the headcount, the full address, the kind of meal (lunch, dinner or a snack alongside other food), any dietary needs, and your phone number. Add the occasion and a rough budget if you have one. With those, most full-service caterers can send an accurate quote the same business day. At Maggie’s you skip the quote: the same details let you order chicken or pork tamales by the half dozen or dozen in our online store, choose delivery or pickup, and pay online.

Here is why each detail matters, a template you can copy, and how the same details turn into an order from my kitchen.

The seven details every catering request needs

I have organized these in the order a caterer reads them. If your email has all seven, a caterer can write your quote without replying with questions first, and if you are ordering from my kitchen, you will have everything the online store asks for.

1. The date. Obvious, and still the most commonly missing detail. Include the day of the week too; it catches typos.
2. The delivery window. When you want the food to arrive, not when the event starts. For a noon lunch, ask for 11:15 to 11:45. If you do not know, start from when people will eat and work back thirty to forty-five minutes.
3. The headcount. A range is fine: “about 40, could be 50.” Tamales are ordered in dozens, so an honest range beats a false precise number. My guide to how many tamales per person helps you turn people into dozens.
4. The full address. Street, suite or building, city, and any gate code or loading door. Allen, McKinney, Fairview, Frisco, The Colony, Plano, Murphy, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson and Far North Dallas are all in our delivery area, and each has its own quirks; a Plano business park and a Dallas high-rise need different notes.
5. The kind of meal. Lunch means two tamales per person, dinner means three, and a snack alongside other food means one or two. This single word changes the order more than anything else.
6. Dietary needs. Gluten, dairy, nuts, spice-shy guests, kids. Our masa is gluten-free corn and our chicken tamales use chicken breast; whoever you order from, know your guests’ needs before you do.
7. Your phone number. For the day-of contact, and because some things are faster to settle in a two-minute call than in six emails.

The details that make the quote better, not just faster

The seven above get you a quote. These three make it a good one.

The occasion. “Office lunch for a training day” and “rehearsal dinner in the backyard” both might be forty people, but one wants handheld food and boxed convenience while the other wants pans of tamales, rice, beans and a proper salsa station. Tell the caterer what the day is and a good one shapes the menu to it. Our parties and celebrations page shows what a family event usually looks like, and the office catering page shows the workday version.

The budget, roughly. Hosts hesitate to name a number, but it saves everyone time. If you have about $300 for tamales from my kitchen, that is five dozen, which is a lunch for thirty, so you know straight away whether it fits your headcount. At $60 a dozen the math is transparent, so there is nothing to lose by saying it to any caterer.

The service style. Buffet-style with serving spoons, salsas and crema, or individual boxed meals? Both are fine; caterers pack them differently. If you are unsure, describe the room and ask. With my kitchen, the tamales come by the half dozen and the dozen, and you set your own table.

A catering request template you can copy

Here is the request I wish every first-time host would send to a full-service caterer. Replace the details and paste it into their form or an email.

Hi, I would like a quote for a catered lunch on Friday of next week for our office in Plano. About 36 people, could be up to 42. Please deliver between 11:15 and 11:45 AM to 1200 Example Parkway, Suite 210, Plano; the loading door is on the north side. Buffet-style, tamales with rice, beans, chips and both salsas. Two people are gluten-free and a few prefer mild, so salsas on the side please. Our budget for the tamales is around $360. My cell is (555) 555-0100 and I will meet the driver. Thank you!

That is eight sentences, and it contains everything a caterer needs. Read it back and you will see all seven details and the three extras. From my kitchen, the tamale part is six dozen ($360) in the online store, or seven dozen if the 42 is likely, since $60 more covers six extra people and leftovers freeze well; the rice, beans and chips would be yours to add.

If your request is for a holiday, say so near the top. The weeks before Thanksgiving and Christmas fill first, and our holiday tamales page explains how to order yours ahead.

What a request looks like at different headcounts

Hosts often ask what their headcount translates to before they write, so here is the tamale part of the arithmetic at $60 per dozen. Any sides are extra, from whoever makes them.

If your number sits between rows, round up to the next dozen. The full tamale menu lists the half-dozen and the dozen, so you can sanity-check any quote against it.

Common mistakes that slow a quote down

• Asking “how much for catering?” with nothing else. No caterer can price a mystery. Even “about 30 people, lunch, Richardson, next month” is enough to start.
• Giving the event start time instead of the delivery time. If the party starts at 6 PM and you write 6 PM, the food arrives while guests are walking in. Say when you want the truck.
• Leaving out the city. Delivery times depend on it. Our Richardson and McKinney catering pages, for instance, cover two very different parts of our delivery area.
• Sending the request from an address you do not check. Most caterers answer within a day or two; if the reply sits unread for a week, the date may fill.
• Waiting until the headcount is exact. Send the range now and confirm the number later. I explain the whole sequence in my guide to ordering catering for the first time.

What happens after you send it

At a full-service caterer, your request goes to whoever prices events. They do the math, think about the room you described and write a quote with a menu, the delivery window and the total. Once you approve, the date is held, and the details of payment and any deposit come with the quote; I describe what that usually looks like in catering deposits and payment. At my kitchen there is no quote step: you place the order in our online store, choose delivery or pickup, and pay online, and the order confirmation is your record.

If you are comparing caterers, the same request works for all of them, and you can judge them partly by how they answer it. My list of questions to ask a caterer before booking is a good companion; a caterer who answers a clear request with a vague quote has told you something useful.

Ready to put your request to work?

Whether it is a lunch for twelve or a celebration for a hundred and fifty, the seven details above are all you need. With them, an order from Maggie’s takes a few minutes: choose chicken or pork, a half dozen or a dozen, delivery or pickup and the day, and pay online. Order online, or call or text (469) 888-8398 if you have a question first.

Frequently asked questions

What should I include in a catering request?

The date, the delivery window, the headcount or a range, the full address with suite and gate details, the kind of meal (lunch, dinner or snack), any dietary needs, and your phone number. Add the occasion, a rough budget and the service style if you know them. With those in one message, a caterer can usually send an accurate quote without asking follow-up questions.

How far in advance should I send a catering request?

As soon as you have a date and a rough headcount. For a party or office lunch, two to four weeks ahead is comfortable; for holidays and events over a hundred guests, earlier is better because those dates fill first. You do not need a final menu or exact number to write; send a range now and confirm the details about a week before the event.

Do I need to know the exact headcount before requesting a quote?

No. A range such as “about 40, could be 50” is more useful than a guess presented as a fact. Tamales are ordered by the dozen, so plan for the top of the range or add a buffer. A full-service caterer confirms the final number closer to the event. At Maggie’s you order the number you settle on in our online store, and you can add a half dozen or a dozen later with a second order.

Should I mention my budget in a catering request?

Yes. It saves a round of emails and lets the caterer propose a menu that fits. Our prices are simple, $30 a half dozen or $60 a dozen, so a budget of $300 is five dozen, a lunch for thirty. Saying the number to a caterer does not raise the price; it tells both of you right away whether the headcount and budget agree, and what to adjust if they do not.

How quickly can I order from Maggie’s?

Right away. There is no quote to wait for: you order in our online store for today or a date ahead, choose delivery or pickup, and pay online. Kitchen hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9 AM to 2 PM. Next day orders must be received and confirmed by us before noon the previous day. Only confirmed orders will be delivered as requested.

Can I ask questions by phone before I order?

Of course. Call or text (469) 888-8398 during kitchen hours, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9 AM to 2 PM. The order itself is placed and paid in our online store, so have the seven details ready and the rest takes a few minutes.