A tasting is the moment a client stops comparing quotes and starts imagining their event. It is also an afternoon of a chef's time, ingredients, and often a Saturday. Handled well it converts almost everyone. Handled carelessly it becomes a free lunch for people who booked elsewhere.
The difference is what happens before the tasting is agreed.
What clients ask
Clients usually ask whether tastings are offered, whether they are free, how many people can attend, how many dishes they will try, whether they can choose the dishes, whether dietary requirements can be accommodated, where and when tastings are held, whether they can bring parents or partners and how long it takes.
Charge, then deduct
The cleanest policy is a tasting fee that is deducted from the final invoice if the client books. It filters out people collecting free meals, costs serious clients nothing and removes any awkwardness about asking. Say it plainly on the website rather than negotiating it by message.
Qualify before agreeing
A tasting should follow a quote, not precede one. If the date, guest numbers and budget are already agreed in principle, the tasting is a confirmation step rather than a speculative one. Catering quotes need their own structure, as described in catering quotes that stall without guest numbers.
Example conversations
These scripts use information a caterer might publish. Your answers should come from your own pages.
Client: Do you do tastings? Assistant: Yes. The tastings page explains that they are held on the dates listed, for up to the number of guests shown, with the fee deducted from your final invoice when you book. Tastings usually follow an agreed quote, so could you share your event date, guest numbers and the style of menu you are considering?
Client: Can we bring my parents? Assistant: The page explains how many people can attend and the charge for additional guests, since each place is a full tasting portion.
Client: Can we choose which dishes we try? Assistant: Yes. The page explains that you select from the proposed menu, with the number of courses and options shown, and dietary requirements can be catered for with notice.
Group tasting events
Running scheduled tasting events for several couples at once is far more efficient than individual tastings, and it creates useful social proof. Publishing the dates and letting people book a place turns a cost centre into a sales event.
After the tasting
The follow-up matters as much as the tasting. Capturing feedback on each dish, adjusting the menu and sending a revised proposal within a day, while the experience is fresh, is what closes the booking.
Venue coordination
Tastings often happen alongside venue visits, and the same couples are booking both, as described in show round requests from engaged couples. Mobile caterers handle the same conversations, covered in private hire enquiries for food trucks at weddings and parties.
Booking mechanics
Whether tastings are booked through a calendar link or a captured request depends on how variable your dates are, a choice discussed in booking widget versus conversational requests.
Getting started
Publish your tasting policy, fee, dates and what is included, then capture event details at any hour. SpideyChat for event and catering businesses answers from your published pages. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about capture on the features page.