Pizza is the default answer to “what should we order for the team?” It travels well, feeds a crowd, works for almost every dietary preference with a few smart choices, and nobody has to explain it. Office lunches, school events, youth sports, birthday parties and community fundraisers all run on it.
Yet many pizzerias treat those large orders as just bigger delivery tickets, routed through the same marketplace apps as a Friday-night single pie. That’s leaving the most profitable part of the business on someone else’s platform.
Why pizza catering is different from pizza delivery
A 15-pizza order for an office all-hands has almost nothing in common with a one-pie delivery, except the oven:
- It’s planned. Office managers and event organizers order a day or a week ahead, not 30 minutes before they’re hungry.
- It has a contact. A real person, often the same person every month, is responsible for that order arriving on time.
- It has a timing window that matters. A late lunch for 60 people is a much bigger problem than a late pie for one.
- It repeats. The school that orders for its fall fundraiser will order again in the spring. The office that likes you will put you in the rotation.
Marketplace tools are built for the opposite: anonymous, on-demand, one-off orders. That’s why pizza catering is the place where a direct ordering channel pays off fastest.
How to package pizza catering so it sells
Coordinators don’t want to build an order pie by pie. Make it easy to say yes:
- Sell by headcount. Bundles like “Team Lunch for 10,” “Office Party for 25” and “Event Pack for 50” remove the math and raise average order value.
- Round out the order. Salads, wings, garlic knots, desserts and drinks turn a pizza order into a full meal, and they’re where a lot of the margin lives.
- Label dietary options clearly. Vegetarian, gluten-free crust and dairy-free choices should be easy to find. One inclusive option often decides who wins the order.
- Include the extras. Plates, napkins, serving utensils and labels make you the easy choice for a busy coordinator.
For more on structuring menus that sell to groups, see How to Design a Catering Menu That Sells (and Scales).
Take pizza catering orders directly
Midland Pizza Factory is a good example of what changes when a pizzeria moves catering to a direct channel. Its catering program had existed only on third-party platforms, managed through phone calls, spreadsheets and manual follow-ups. After launching a branded catering menu on its own site with Nibble, it began generating an average of about $1,700 a month in direct online catering sales, revenue that didn’t have a direct channel before.
In co-owner Ruston Hicks’ words, the restaurant went from “completely reliant on third parties” to “essentially self-sufficient.”
Deliver catering like catering
Getting 20 pizzas to an office at 11:45 sharp is a different job than running single deliveries. The pizzerias that win repeat catering accounts treat it that way: catering-specific delivery windows, drivers who understand setup and timing, and confirmation messages that tell the customer exactly when to expect the food. Midland routes its catering orders to drivers pre-vetted specifically for catering, rather than treating them like standard takeout runs.
Turn one order into a standing account
The real value in pizza catering is the reorder. After every catering order, follow up within a day. Ask how it went, and offer to save the order for next time. Keep track of which accounts order monthly, which order for seasonal events and which have gone quiet. A simple catering CRM makes this a five-minute task instead of a guessing game.
Frequently asked questions
How many pizzas should I recommend per person for catering?
A common rule of thumb is two to three slices per adult, which works out to roughly one large pizza for every three to four people. Adjust based on whether sides and salads are included.
Should pizzerias offer catering minimums?
Yes. A clear minimum order or minimum headcount for catering protects your kitchen during peak hours and keeps catering orders profitable.
Can a pizzeria run catering orders separately from regular delivery?
With a dedicated catering ordering system, yes. Catering orders get their own menu, lead times, delivery windows and customer records, while everyday orders run as usual.
Ready to take catering orders direct? Book a demo of Nibble ONE and see how restaurants run direct catering ordering, CRM and delivery in one place.
