Measure what happens to catering inquiries

The decision this workflow supports

Counting inquiries alone does not show whether the catering team could use them. Track outcomes defined by the restaurant so staff can distinguish a useful lead, an unsuitable request and a guest who chose not to continue.

Put the review process in place

Choose a small set of outcome labels and have staff apply them after follow-up. Keep confirmed events separate from inquiries and quotations. Review examples behind the totals before drawing conclusions; an increase in requests does not by itself establish additional revenue.

Worked example for your team

A fictional review contains ten catering inquiries, several quotations and a smaller number of staff-confirmed events. Keep those stages separate rather than counting every inquiry as a sale. For a request that ended, record the stated reason only when the team actually knows it. Unknown is a valid outcome. Ask the reviewer to trace one count back to a real classification rule. The purpose is to understand the workflow’s results and where follow-up may improve, not to manufacture a revenue estimate from a list of conversations.

Sample wording to approve

“Staff review prompt: did this inquiry become a staff-confirmed event, remain under discussion, fall outside our scope, or end for another stated reason? Record the evidence for the chosen outcome.” This wording is a draft for the restaurant owner to approve before use.

Fields for the staff handoff

Staff need inquiry reference, follow-up performed, staff-confirmed outcome, reason if known, and reviewer. Mark uncertain details explicitly and keep the requested action separate from anything restaurant staff have already confirmed.

Acceptance tests before use

A quotation is not counted as a confirmed event. Unknown outcomes remain unknown. The review can trace each total to actual staff classifications. Record the observed result, assign any mismatch, and repeat the affected scenario after correction.

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