In this episode of Restaurant Catering Smarts, Michael Attias welcomes Kelly Grogan, Founder & CEO of CRUMBS, a platform helping restaurants grow through smarter local store marketing, online ordering, and catering strategies.
With a background in both hospitality and tech, Kelly shares how CRUMBS empowers restaurants to grow incremental revenue channels—especially catering—by simplifying systems and leveraging community connections. She dives deep into how to build a catering-friendly menu, why simplicity always wins, and how local presence and smart marketing can supercharge your catering sales.
This episode is packed with real-world takeaways on menu design, customer communication, and team-driven growth. Whether you’re launching a catering program or looking to scale one, Kelly’s practical advice and sharp insights will help you drive results.
🎙️ Restaurant Catering Smarts is sponsored by CaterZen Catering Software.
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✅ Simplicity Sells: Guests don’t want to do food math. Offering per-person pricing and bundled packages makes ordering easier and increases conversions.
✅ Menu with Intention: Not every item needs to be on your catering menu. Focus on what travels well and scales easily.
✅ Build Catering Into Your Culture: Success starts inside your four walls—with signage, team training, and consistent messaging.
✅ Local Store Marketing Works: Knowing your community—like school teams, coaches, or local offices—drives repeat business and referrals.
✅ Activate Your Team’s Network: Use “Who Do You Know?” worksheets to uncover hidden leads from staff connections.
✅ Sales and Ops Must Align: One bad delivery can undo weeks of prospecting. Systems and checklists are essential.
✅ Invest in People: A great catering salesperson without tools is like sending someone to battle without armor. Set them up for success.
✅ Follow-Up Marketing is Key: Staying top of mind with past customers is low-cost, high-return—but often ignored.
✅ Use Food as a Sales Tool: Free tastings and samples can open doors. Your product is your best salesperson.
✅ AI Can Help—but Authenticity Still Matters: Use AI to streamline follow-ups, but keep the human touch in your messaging.
🔹 “People don’t want to do math. Make it easy. If you make them guess, you lose them.”
🔹 “Just because you sell a lot of quesadillas in-store doesn’t mean they belong on your catering menu.”
🔹 “Your team members are sitting on a goldmine of community connections—ask them who they know!”
🔹 “Guests aren’t just buying food—they’re buying the confidence that it’ll show up on time and right.”
🔹 “Catering is a thankless job until something goes wrong—then it’s your reputation on the line.”
🔹 “If your catering salesperson is working from a broom closet with a broken laptop, that’s not setting them up for success.”
🔹 “Marketing isn’t just clever ads. It’s every touchpoint—from signage to the delivery driver.”
🔹 “AI is a great tool, but follow-up still needs a human touch.”
🔹 “Don’t discount the first order—send a gift card. The person placing the order wants something for themselves.”
🔹 “Your food is your best sales tool. Get it in people’s mouths.”
