AI Agents for Catering: From Missed Inquiries to Confirmed Orders

Catering can be one of the most profitable parts of a hospitality business — recurring revenue, large check sizes, and predictable volume. But it’s also one of the easiest places to lose money through slow follow-up, missed details, and manual coordination.

Inquiries come from every direction:
• Forms
• Phone calls
• Social
• Delivery partners
• Corporate accounts

Your kitchen runs on precision; your catering sales shouldn’t run on chaos.

That’s why Hermetic AI built Mia — an AI agent that engages, qualifies, and coordinates catering leads automatically over text. She never misses an inquiry, never forgets a follow-up, and never leaves a customer wondering, “Did they get my message?”

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The Catering Sales Challenge

1. Too many channels, not enough time: Leads come from websites, DMs, phone messages, marketplace or delivery partners, and corporate portals. While your staff focuses on service, those inquiries pile up. A single missed response can mean hundreds — or thousands — of dollars gone.
2. Details that slip through the cracks: Catering requests are complex: guest counts, delivery times and addresses, dietary requests, setup, service, and cleanup preferences. Chasing all that information manually burns hours and invites mistakes.
3. Follow-up that’s hard to scale: Many catering leads start as “just exploring.” Without structured follow-up, those leads go cold — even if they were a perfect fit.

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What an AI Agent Does for Catering

Mia acts as your catering coordinator’s right hand — always on, always polite, and always moving leads forward.

1. Instant engagement via text: When a new inquiry arrives, Mia responds within seconds: greets the customer by name, confirms the occasion and date, and gathers essentials like headcount, delivery time, and location. Guests get a fast, friendly response that feels personal, not robotic.
2. Smart qualification and intake: Mia captures every detail you need upfront: event size, timing, menu preferences, dietary needs, logistics, and budget. She applies your operational rules — minimums, lead times, blackout dates — and flags only qualified opportunities for your team.
3. Smooth scheduling and coordination: For tastings, walkthroughs, or planning calls, Mia shares real-time availability, lets guests self-book, and sends confirmations and reminders automatically.
4. Reliable follow-up and nurture: After every inquiry, Mia stays on it: sending reminders before proposal deadlines, checking in after quotes or tastings, and reconnecting with lapsed leads ahead of holidays or annual events.

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How Operators Use AI Agents for Catering

Restaurants expanding into catering:
• Capture every inquiry instantly from websites or QR codes
• Qualify by guest count and menu style
• Route large or complex orders to managers

Hotels and venues:
• Handle requests for banquets, boxed lunches, and offsite setups
• Keep group contacts engaged with instant communication and clear next steps
• Collect event-day details automatically

Dedicated catering brands:
• Manage volume efficiently with AI-first response
• Automate intake, logistics, and follow-up
• Let human staff focus on execution and relationships

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The Hermetic AI Approach: Mia for Catering

With Mia managing your catering pipeline, you get:
• Instant engagement on every inbound lead
• Structured qualification using your real rules
• Automated scheduling and confirmations
• Reliable follow-up and nurture across SMS
• Visibility into conversion, timing, and response rates

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AI Doesn’t Replace Hospitality-It Scales It

Your team makes the food, sets the table, and delivers the experience. Mia just makes sure you get the chance.

By handling outreach, qualification, scheduling, and reminders automatically, Mia keeps your catering pipeline full and your staff focused on execution — not administration.

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