🍽️ Catering with Slerp

What is “Catering” in Slerp?

In Slerp, Catering typically refers to large pre‑orders placed in advance, usually by:

• Offices and companies ordering for their whole team
• Customers organising events (meetings, workshops, parties, special occasions)
• Groups planning a shared meal (e.g. platters, sharing trays, boxes)

These orders:

• Are scheduled for a future date and time (not ASAP)
• Have a higher order value and often multiple items/platters
• Need reliable preparation and delivery to a specific time window

Slerp helps you capture these high‑value orders directly and ensures that, when delivery is enabled, the order is booked with a suitable courier partner to arrive within the agreed time slot.

Why focus on Catering?

Many partners see some of their highest average order values and repeat business from catering.

Benefits include:

• Higher spend per order – Offices and events often order for 10–100+ people.
• Predictable demand – Orders are placed in advance, giving you time to plan.
• Brand visibility – Food is shared by a group, often leading to new customers.
• Better use of capacity – You can schedule large orders around your kitchen and staffing.

By setting up a specific Catering Menu and Store/Location, you can design an experience optimised for large groups instead of standard single‑customer orders.

Setting up a Catering store/location

For most partners, we recommend creating a dedicated Catering store/location in Slerp rather than mixing catering with everyday orders.

Key Elements:

• Separate Catering store/location

  • Lets you control lead times, opening hours and delivery rules specifically for catering.
  • Reduces the risk that a very large order appears as a short‑notice same‑day order.

• Ample pre‑order lead time

  • Set your pre‑order settings so customers must order in advance (e.g. 24–48 hours ahead, depending on your operation).
  • This gives you and your team time to:
    • Plan production
    • Order additional ingredients / packaging
    • Schedule extra staff if needed

• Clear delivery time slots

  • Use realistic time slots (often 1 hour) so your kitchen and drivers are not over‑promised.
  • Align these with your delivery radius and local traffic patterns.

Designing a Catering menu that works

Your Catering menu does not need to include every product you sell. In fact, it’s usually more successful when it’s curated and simple.

Consider:

• Best‑sellers plus sharing options

  • Start with your most popular items, then design sharing platters, trays or boxes that groups are likely to order.
  • Think: “What would 10–20 people sharing lunch be happy to see on the table?”

• Balanced selection

  • Mix of mains, sides, drinks, desserts if relevant.
  • Include vegetarian/vegan or dietary options clearly labelled.

• Catering‑friendly products

  • Favour dishes that:
    • Travel well
    • Are easy to portion and share
    • Can be prepared in batches

• Packaging and labelling

  • Use packaging that works for large orders (trays, big boxes, etc.).
  • Clearly label allergen information, contents, and where relevant, reheating or serving suggestions.

Delivery for Catering orders

When delivery is enabled for your Catering store, Slerp ensures the order is booked with an appropriate courier partner to meet the chosen time slot.

• Orders are treated as pre‑orders with a scheduled window, not as last‑minute ASAP.
• Slerp uses our integrated courier partners (cars, vans, cargo bikes) depending on your configuration and the nature of the order.
• The goal is to:
  • Secure a driver in advance of the time slot.
  • Deliver the order within the agreed delivery window, so your corporate or event customers get the best possible experience.

Other set-up to consider

Minimum order values & pricing

• Set a higher minimum order value for catering (for example, around £150+ or the value of an order that realistically needs a car and extra prep).
• Service and packaging fees (optional)
  
  For very large or complex orders, you may want to add:
  • A service fee (e.g. for setup/handling).
  • A packaging fee for premium or extra packaging required for big platters and trays.

These can help cover the extra labour and materials involved in catering compared to standard orders.

Cancellations and Reschedule

• • Outline how far in advance customers can cancel or change a catering order, and what you recommend operationally (e.g. 48 hours notice for major changes).