Short answer
Most catering and private event inquiries are lost for the same three reasons: they arrive during service when nobody can talk, they need a dozen details before anyone can quote, and once the quote is sent nobody follows up. An AI intake agent fixes the first two by answering at any hour and collecting the date, headcount, budget, menu preferences and dietary notes against a checklist you write; your team still prepares the quote and handles allergies. Follow-ups are where the rules matter: in Canada, a quote the client asked for needs no prior consent, and an inquiry gives implied consent for six months; in the US, marketing texts fall under the TCPA. Below: the checklist by event type, the rules to write first, the follow-up plan and the legal points, with official sources. Not legal advice.
The short answer
An AI intake agent is not a quoting engine. Its job is to make sure every catering or event inquiry reaches your events lead complete, the same day, instead of as a voicemail that says “call me back about a party.” It asks the questions on your checklist, applies your minimums and lead times, logs everything in your CRM and follows up after you send the quote.
What stays with people: pricing anything outside your packages, every allergy or medical diet question, complaints, and the final contract.
The intake checklist, by event type
The same twelve questions do not fit every event. Write one short list per event type, so the agent asks what your team actually needs to quote.
| Event type | Details to collect | Usually handed to a person |
|---|---|---|
| Office lunch or drop-off catering | Date, delivery time, address, headcount, budget per person, service style (boxed, buffet), dietary notes, billing contact | Allergy questions, recurring contracts |
| Private dining or semi-private room | Date, time, headcount, occasion, set menu or à la carte, budget, AV or decor needs | Room buyouts, menus outside your packages |
| Full buyout | Date, hours, headcount, budget range, food and beverage minimum awareness, company or host name | Every buyout, after intake |
| Wedding, rehearsal or shower | Date, venue (yours or theirs), headcount, ceremony and reception timing, service style, tasting interest | Tastings, custom menus, contract |
| Corporate event off-site | Date, venue address, access and setup times, headcount, staffing needs, rentals | Staffing quotes, rentals, permits |
ZeniTech example checklist, not an industry standard. Adapt the fields to your menu and your service area.
Rules to write before you automate anything
- Minimum headcount and lead time for each event type, and what the agent says when a request is below the minimum or too close to the date.
- Service or delivery area, so the agent does not collect a full request you cannot serve.
- Packages and price ranges the agent may share, and the sentence it uses for anything custom (“our events lead will send a quote”).
- Deposit policy and cancellation terms, written once and quoted word for word.
- Handoff triggers: allergies, medical diets, budgets above a set amount, complaints, media or celebrity events.
- Disclosure: the agent introduces itself as your restaurant’s assistant, not as a staff member.
Allergies and dietary notes: collect, never confirm
Catering multiplies allergy risk: one order, many guests, food that travels. The agent should collect dietary notes as part of intake and pass them to your team, and it should never tell a client that a menu is free of an allergen.
For reference, the FDA lists nine major food allergens in the United States: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame (sesame since January 1, 2023, under the FASTER Act). In Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency lists eggs, milk, mustard, peanuts, crustaceans and molluscs, fish, sesame seeds, soy, sulphites, tree nuts, and wheat and triticale as priority allergens.
Sources: FDA, “Food Allergies” (content current as of March 11, 2026); CFIA, food allergens (modified August 12, 2026).
Follow-up after the quote: what the rules allow
In Canada, Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) bans commercial electronic messages, texts included, without express or implied consent (s. 6(1)), with exceptions. A message that only provides a quote or estimate the person asked for is exempt from the consent requirement (s. 6(6)(a)), and so is one that only facilitates, completes or confirms a transaction the person already agreed to (s. 6(6)(b)). An inquiry or application made to your business creates implied consent for six months (s. 10(9)(a) and 10(10)(e)); a purchase in the previous two years does too (s. 10(10)(a)). Every commercial message identifies the sender, gives contact information and includes an unsubscribe mechanism (s. 6(2)).
In the United States, marketing calls and texts are governed by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and state laws. The FCC ruled on February 8, 2024 that AI-generated voices are “artificial” under the TCPA, and telemarketing robocalls require prior express written consent. Check your consent language with counsel before sending promotional texts, and keep follow-ups on a quote tied to the client’s own request.
- Quote the client asked for: send it.
- Follow-up on that quote within your plan: Canada, implied consent for six months after the inquiry.
- Seasonal catering offer to past clients: Canada, implied consent if they bought within two years; US, check TCPA consent first.
- Every message: your business name, a way to reach you, a way to opt out.
CASL (S.C. 2010, c. 23), Justice Canada, current to September 21, 2026; FCC news release, February 8, 2024. General information, not legal advice.
Deposits, privacy and disclosure
- Deposits: state the policy at intake, track it in the CRM, and send a payment link from your own payment provider rather than asking a client to type a card number into a chat or a text.
- Privacy in Canada: PIPEDA applies to private-sector organizations collecting personal information in commercial activity; Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec have their own substantially similar laws. Collect what the quote needs, and treat dietary and medical notes as sensitive.
- Disclosure in California: Business and Professions Code s. 17941 makes it unlawful to use an undisclosed bot online to mislead someone about its artificial identity to incentivize a sale; a clear, conspicuous disclosure avoids liability. Introducing the agent as your assistant covers this everywhere.
Pricing and timeline with ZeniTech
Kai is billed as a one-time setup, then a monthly plan with reasonable usage included; exceptional volumes are agreed in advance. The full price list is on zenitech.dev/en/pricing.
| Item | Detail | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Timeline | 1–2 weeks; 3–4 weeks with CRM, calendar and follow-ups | Delivered remotely, in English or French |
Features from zenitech.dev/en/ai-agents/restaurants-caterers, checked October 2, 2026. Prices are published on zenitech.dev/en/pricing.
What Kai does
Kai is ZeniTech’s AI agent for restaurants and caterers. According to its page, it answers by phone, text and on your website, day and night; collects the event date, number of guests, budget and menu preferences before a catering request reaches you; can follow up with the client after you send the quote; tracks group and catering deposits; and takes table reservations within your capacity. It never guarantees that a dish is free of an allergen, hands complaints to a person, answers from your documents and rules, and every conversation can be reviewed.
Frequently asked questions
Can an AI handle catering inquiries for a restaurant?
Yes, for intake and follow-up. An AI agent can answer at any hour, ask the questions on your checklist (date, headcount, budget, service style, dietary notes), apply your minimums and lead times, and pass a complete request to your events lead. Your team still prepares the quote, answers allergy questions and signs the contract.
What questions should a catering inquiry form ask?
At minimum: event date and time, location or delivery address, headcount, budget per person or total, service style, menu preferences, dietary and allergy notes, and the decision-maker’s contact details. Add event-specific fields: setup and access times for off-site events, room and AV needs for private dining, ceremony timing for weddings.
Why do restaurants lose private event inquiries?
They arrive during service when nobody can talk, they need many details before anyone can quote, and sent quotes are rarely followed up. An intake agent answers right away, collects the details against a checklist and follows up on the quote within the rules you set.
Can an AI tell a client that a catering menu is allergen-free?
It should not, and Kai never does. Catering multiplies cross-contact risk. The agent collects dietary and allergy notes and passes them to your team, who confirm what the kitchen can safely provide.
Is it legal to follow up on a catering quote by text in Canada?
Usually yes. Under CASL, a message that only provides a quote the person asked for is exempt from the consent requirement, and an inquiry to your business gives implied consent for six months for related follow-ups. Each commercial message must identify your business and include an unsubscribe mechanism. General information, not legal advice.
What about texting catering clients in the United States?
Marketing calls and texts in the US are governed by the TCPA and state laws, and the FCC has confirmed that AI-generated voices count as “artificial” voices under the TCPA. Keep follow-ups tied to the client’s own request, and check your consent language with counsel before sending promotional texts.
Should an AI take catering deposits?
It should track them, not collect card numbers in a conversation. State the deposit policy at intake, send a payment link from your own payment provider, and let the CRM record when the deposit arrives. Kai tracks group and catering deposits.
How much does an AI catering intake agent cost?
With ZeniTech, Kai is billed as a one-time setup, then a monthly plan with reasonable usage included; the full price list is on zenitech.dev/en/pricing. It goes live in 1 to 2 weeks, or 3 to 4 weeks when connected to your CRM, calendar and follow-ups.
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- Justice Canada: Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (S.C. 2010, c. 23), s. 6 and 10
- FDA: Food Allergies (nine major food allergens)
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency: food allergens
- FCC: AI-generated voices in robocalls (February 8, 2024)
- California Business and Professions Code, s. 17940–17943 (bots)
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada: PIPEDA in brief
- ZeniTech: Kai, AI agent for restaurants and caterers
- ZeniTech: pricing (CAD)