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nexeai
AI assistant

The AI assistant for caterers

Saturday, a thousand canapes to plate before the guests arrive, and the phone buzzes with the third quote request of the morning. The assistant replies, asks for the guest count, the date, the venue and the type of service. You open a full brief between trays, not one more question to chase.

One sentence is enough. Nothing is sent, nothing is kept.

The agent
Example

Today, 9:41 AM

  1. The client : Hi, we're looking for a caterer for a wedding on 13 June, around 80 guests, a drinks reception. Are you free?
  2. The agent : Hello. 13 June is still open. To put a quote together, I need the venue and whether you'd like full table service or delivery only.
  3. The client : The venue has a kitchen on site, we'd like full service with staff.
  4. The agent : Noted: 80 guests, drinks reception, full service, kitchen on site. I'm passing the brief on, you'll get a first quote shortly.

A message thread, not an app to learn.

Text it. Call it. Email it.
The answer lands in the same thread.

  • By text message

    A couple texts on a Sunday evening about a wedding next summer, the assistant replies within minutes and asks for the date, the venue and the guest count. The exchange sits among their messages, next to venue photos and quotes from other caterers.

  • By phone

    A company calls on a Tuesday lunchtime about a working lunch for tomorrow, the assistant takes the call, notes the headcount and delivery time, and leaves you a written note to read between orders.

  • By email

    Event agencies write by email with a brief attached. The assistant pulls out the date, the venue, the guest count and the type of service, and drafts the reply that only needs your price.

Three channels already in use, no new login.

The challenges

What you cannot answer right away

The difficulties we encounter most often — and where AI delivers a quick win.

A wedding Saturday has no gap in it
Between setup, plating and service, nobody steps out of the kitchen to take a call. The couple chasing a last-minute confirmation hits voicemail instead, and rings another caterer before the phone stops ringing.
Every quote needs the same details, never in the same order
Guest count, date, venue, type of service, delivery or full service: the request rarely arrives complete. Chasing the missing half waits until after a shift, by which time half the brief has slipped from memory.
A quote left three days ends up with someone else
Between two events, writing a priced quote means digging out the brief, the rates and whether the date is even free. A couple with no reply within days books the caterer who answered first.
How AI can help

Concrete use cases

What we actually put in place, under human supervision and in full respect of your data.

Gather the quote details in order
Guests, date, venue, type of service, delivery or full service, equipment: the assistant asks for each one in turn, in the same order every time. You open a complete brief, never half a quote left for you to finish.
Say whether the date is already booked
When your diary is up to date, the assistant checks 13 June or 4 July before replying. The couple knows straight away whether the date holds, without waiting for you to open the calendar between shifts.
Draft a first quote and offer a tasting
Working from your menus and your rates, the assistant writes a starting price and sends your menu list. It also offers a tasting, with the date left for you to confirm.

Why a catering quote takes three days to write

A catering quote is never generic. A drinks reception for forty is priced nothing like a seated dinner for two hundred, and delivery only has nothing in common with full service with staff on site. Every request means starting the rates from scratch, between orders or after a shift that ran late.

The couple or company asking for that quote, meanwhile, is comparing several caterers at once. Whoever replies first with a complete brief keeps the edge, even without the lowest price. That's exactly where an assistant fits in: it gathers the details while you're elsewhere, and you only pick up the brief to set the price.

What the assistant doesn't do

It never answers a question about allergens or what's in a dish. That's a kitchen matter, not a switchboard one, and a wrong answer can put a guest at risk. The assistant logs the question and waits for someone in the kitchen to answer it.

It never sets a firm price or books a date. The figure it drafts stays a first pass on your rates, and any date it reports as free is still yours to confirm, along with a deposit or contract depending on how you work.

Frequently asked questions

Can the assistant answer questions about allergens or what's in a dish?

Never. What goes into a dish is checked in the kitchen, not from a phone or a keyboard. The assistant passes the question on as it stands and waits for your answer or your chef's, and never guesses on their behalf.

Is the quote it drafts final?

No. It's a first price based on your rates and menus, meant to be checked before it goes out: a venue without a kitchen, awkward access or a late add-on all change the price. The final call stays yours.

Can it confirm a date without you?

No. It only says whether your diary shows the date free, nothing more. A firm booking needs your agreement, and a deposit or contract depending on how you work.

How long before it can answer in my place?

Allow two to three weeks: one to go through your menus, rates and the questions you get most, one to tune it to how you phrase things, then a stretch where you check every quote before it goes out on its own.

And for your own business?

We start from your real requests, not from a template: two weeks are enough to know what an agent takes on and what it leaves to you.

See the NexeAI offer

Got an AI project in mind?

Let's discuss your challenges in a first conversation, free and with no commitment. Together we identify the use cases with the strongest impact for your organisation.