The figures and scenarios in this article are illustrative: adapt them to your margins and your own data. They are not EasyFid customer results. See how to measure your results.
A caterer doesn't run on the same rhythm as a high-traffic shop. Some customers come back every week for a corporate lunch tray, others order only once every two or three years, for a wedding, a christening or a corporate reception. This double timeline makes loyalty harder to build than in a café or bakery: how do you stay in touch with a customer whose next order might not come for eighteen months?
Yet a good chunk of a catering business's profitability rides on that exact question. A happy customer who reorders for a birthday, then for a farewell party at the office, then recommends you to a colleague getting married, is worth far more than a one-off customer never followed up with. The digital loyalty card becomes a tool for commercial memory as much as a reward tool: it keeps the connection alive between two orders, however far apart they are.
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Why loyalty is different for a caterer
In regular restaurants or food retail, loyalty relies on quick repetition: the customer comes back every week, sometimes every day. For a caterer, the buying cycle is much longer and far less regular. A couple who trusts you with their wedding might not order catering again until a christening two years later, or a housewarming party. A company that orders a buffet for its January reception might not order again until its next big occasion.
This long gap is exactly what makes loyalty strategic: without something to keep the connection alive, most one-off customers simply vanish from your radar. They forget your name, lose your business card, and when it's time to reorder, they search "wedding caterer" or "corporate caterer" on a search engine instead of coming back to you. A digital loyalty card, stored in the smartphone's Wallet, solves that simple problem: it stays visible, stays accessible, and reminds them of you at the right moment.
Practical tip: for a caterer, never lump your customers into a single group. A recurring "corporate" customer and an occasional "event" customer don't share the same expectations or the same order rhythm: tailor your perks and outreach to each profile rather than applying one single rule.
Two customer profiles, one strategy
Most catering businesses live with two very distinct customer groups.
- Recurring customers: works councils, law firms, associations that order lunch trays or buffets several times a month or per quarter. Their cumulative order volume is often the most profitable, but they're also the most price-sensitive and the most courted by competitors.
- Event customers: individuals booking a wedding, a birthday, a family reception. The average ticket is high, sometimes several hundred or thousand euros in a single order, but frequency is low and the connection fades fast if nothing is done to maintain it.
A well-designed loyalty card needs to speak to both profiles without mixing them up: points that build up quickly for companies' frequent orders, and more generous one-off tiers or perks to reward a big event for individuals, while giving them a concrete reason to come back for their next occasion.
How a digital loyalty card works for a caterer
With EasyFid, the principle stays simple to implement, even for a small business. You create the customer in the app with their first order, and they scan a QR code or receive a link so their loyalty card installs directly in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, with nothing to download on their end. With every order, the merchant adds points or checks off a visit from their own account, and the customer's balance updates live on their card, whether they're on the subway, at the office, or planning their next celebration menu.
This setup is particularly well suited to catering: even if the customer doesn't come back for a year, their card stays stored on their phone, with your name and logo visible every time they open their digital wallet for another card. You stay present with no need to send active follow-ups. The EasyFid app is available today on both the App Store and Google Play.
Loyalty mechanics suited to your services
Unlike a bakery where every purchase looks similar, a caterer's orders vary enormously in size: a €12-per-person lunch tray has nothing to do with a €45-per-guest cocktail reception. So the points mechanic needs to be calibrated on the real value of the order rather than the number of visits.
- Points proportional to the amount: award, for example, 1 point per €10 spent, so large event orders earn proportionally more than a simple lunch tray.
- A clear reward threshold: set it so a modest perk (a free drink or dessert) becomes reachable after a few recurring orders. For a customer who clearly spends more, you can also offer a more meaningful discount on a future event by hand, on top of the standard threshold.
- Welcome perk: a small gesture as soon as the card is created, to encourage the customer to install it on their phone right when they place their first order, while their interest is at its peak.
- Corporate offer: for recurring accounts like works councils, a dedicated perk for regular group orders that reinforces a sense of partnership rather than a plain transaction.
These mechanics are set up directly in the EasyFid app, with no technical development, and can evolve with the seasons: more generous ahead of the year-end holidays, for example, when requests for corporate buffets and cocktail receptions multiply.
Practical tip: for a major one-off event like a wedding, offer a perk usable on a smaller future order (a birthday, a family meal) rather than one only valid on another event of the same scale. This raises your odds of seeing the customer again within a reasonable time, instead of waiting for the next big milestone in their life.
Staying in touch without being pushy: turning one-off customers into regulars
Loyalty for a caterer doesn't stop at setting up a card: it's also about how you stay in touch between two orders. A few concrete pointers that make a difference over time:
- Track the points balance, not just the orders: a customer close to a reward tier has more reason to think of you for their next occasion.
- Keep a mental map of your customer base: know who your recurring corporate accounts are versus your event customers, to adapt the tone and frequency of your outreach.
- Capitalize on key moments: a card installed for a wedding remains a natural touchpoint for a christening, a wedding anniversary, or a corporate party organized by the same customer, years later.
- Treat every event as a calling card: for a caterer, the perceived quality at a milestone event (wedding, reception) strongly drives word of mouth; a digital loyalty card amplifies that effect by keeping a concrete trace of the relationship.
For merchants managing several staff members or a larger customer base, it's worth comparing the different approaches to merchant loyalty programs before choosing the plan suited to your business size.
Stay in Touch Between Two Events
A digital loyalty card that stays in your customers' pocket, even a year after their wedding.
App Store → Google Play →Frequently asked questions about caterer loyalty
Does loyalty make sense for customers who only order once every two years?
Yes, that's actually where digital loyalty adds the most value. Unlike a paper card that's quickly lost, an Apple Wallet or Google Wallet card stays stored on the customer's phone over time. It keeps your name visible and makes it easier to reconnect, even after a long gap between orders.
Do I need a different program for companies and for individuals?
It's best to adapt the perks rather than build two separate tools. A single loyalty card can offer points proportional to the amount spent, with reward tiers that speak both to a works council ordering every month and to an individual planning a wedding.
How much does it cost to set up a digital loyalty card for a caterer?
EasyFid's Starter plan is €9.99/month, up to 500 customers and 1 user, which suits a small business. The Pro plan, at €19.99/month, allows up to 1,500 customers with 3 staff accounts plus the admin account, suited to caterers managing several sales staff or an events team. Full details are on the pricing page.
Does the customer need to download an app to get their loyalty card?
No. Once you've created the customer, the card adds directly to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet from a simple QR code or link, with no dedicated app to install on the customer's side. It's the merchant who has an account to manage points and perks.
How do I encourage a wedding or event customer to reorder sooner than a year later?
Offer a perk usable on a smaller service (a family meal, a birthday, a cocktail reception) rather than one reserved for the same type of big event. This creates an opportunity for a faster return, without waiting for the customer's next life milestone.