Referrals happen at the event
A catering business wins most of its bookings at other people's events. A guest likes the food, asks who catered, and a week later tries to remember the name. If the number on the table card is easy to recall, that guest calls you and not the caterer they found online.
CATER says exactly what you do. FOOD and EATS are shorter and easier to find. Taco carts and food trucks that cater often use TACOS.
Where to put it
- Table cards and buffet signs at every event.
- Van and trailer wraps. Caterers are parked outside venues for hours.
- Proposals and invoices, so corporate clients rebook for next year's holiday party.
Corporate and private events
Corporate clients book the same events every year, such as the holiday party, the summer picnic and training lunches. Private clients book once for a wedding or quinceañera and then refer friends. A memorable number serves both.
Calls and texts
Calls ring the phone you already carry, and missed calls go to your normal voicemail, which matters when you are serving an event. Texts arrive as email, a handy way for clients to send dates, guest counts and venue addresses. Four-letter words such as FOOD and EATS are much easier to get locally than CATER.
Which of these words you can get
The shorter the word, the more numbers can spell it. Toll-free is one national pool, so a word that is taken in your area code can still be free there.
| Word | Letters | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| CATER | 5 | Harder to find. Up to 100 per area code. A neighbouring area code or toll-free often has one. |
| FOOD | 4 | Usually available. Up to 1,000 per area code, though popular trade words go first. The live results above show what is free today. |
| EATS | 4 | Usually available. Up to 1,000 per area code, though popular trade words go first. The live results above show what is free today. |
| TACOS | 5 | Harder to find. Up to 100 per area code. A neighbouring area code or toll-free often has one. |
| EVENT | 5 | Harder to find. Up to 100 per area code. A neighbouring area code or toll-free often has one. |
Why catering pick a number that spells something
The same three things every business gets, in the words your customers use.
Keep your phone
Calls forward to the line you already answer. Nothing to install.
Live in a minute
Pay and the number is active. Put it on the sign tonight.
$9 a month
100 minutes included, then 5¢ a minute. Toll-free adds $3. Cancel any time.