What to Ask a Corporate Caterer Before You Sign
You've been handed the job of choosing a corporate catering company, and you'll have to defend that choice if it goes wrong. Here are the questions that actually separate one caterer from another.
Why the usual questions don't help
Most corporate catering enquiries in Mumbai come down to three questions: what's on the menu, what does it cost, and can you do our date. Every caterer answers all three the same way, so you learn nothing.
The questions below are the ones that actually differ between suppliers — and they're the ones you'll wish you'd asked in month three, when the food is fine but the operation isn't.
1. Do you cook this yourself, or subcontract it?
This is the first question and it matters more than any other. A significant number of catering companies in Mumbai take the order and pass the cooking to someone else.
That's not automatically bad, but it means the person you signed with doesn't control the kitchen, the hygiene standards or the consistency. When quality changes between month one and month four, nobody can tell you why.
What to ask: Where is the food cooked? Is that kitchen yours? Can I see the FSSAI licence for that specific facility?
Our corporate catering is cooked in our own kitchen in Marol, Andheri East. Nothing is subcontracted, which is why quality doesn't drift between one month and the next.
2. Can we visit the kitchen before we sign?
The answer to this question tells you almost everything.
A caterer running a clean operation will say yes without hesitation, and most will suggest it themselves. Hesitation, delay, or "we'll arrange it after the contract" is an answer in itself.
You are about to feed several hundred colleagues every working day from a kitchen you have never seen. Twenty minutes is not a big ask.
What to ask: Can two of us come and see the kitchen this week?
3. What FSSAI documentation can you provide, and for which address?
Everyone claims FSSAI certification. The useful question is which facility the licence covers.
A licence for a registered office address is not a licence for the kitchen your food comes out of. Ask for the licence with the kitchen address on it, check the expiry date, and keep a copy on file — your own audit will want it eventually.
Also worth asking: staff health records and medical check schedules, pest control contract and frequency, and whether temperature logs are kept for transport and hot-holding.
4. Who is accountable on the day, by name?
When lunch is late for four hundred people at 1:15pm, you need one person who picks up the phone and fixes it. Not a call desk. Not a WhatsApp group where nobody answers.
What to ask: Who is my named contact? Who supervises on site? What happens when that person is on leave?
That last part catches a lot of suppliers out. A caterer who has genuinely thought about continuity will have an answer ready.
5. How much can the headcount move, and how late?
Office attendance is no longer predictable. Post-hybrid, the number on the payroll and the number in the building can differ by half, and it changes week to week.
A supplier who needs the final count seven days ahead will either leave you short or bill you for food nobody ate. Both cost money.
What to ask: What's your notice period for changing numbers? What happens if we're twenty over? Twenty under?
We work on 24 hours' notice for headcount changes on daily office catering, and plan a variance rather than a fixed batch.
6. How are dietary requirements actually prepared?
Every caterer will say yes to Jain and vegan. The follow-up question is where the truth lives.
What to ask: Are Jain dishes cooked separately, or made by leaving ingredients out of the regular preparation? Are separate utensils and oil used? What exactly do you exclude for vegan?
That last one is the test. Vegetarian is not vegan — paneer, ghee, curd, cream and butter run through most Indian menus, and a dish labelled vegan containing any of them is worse than no label at all. A supplier who can't explain the difference cleanly hasn't thought about it.
Our vegan catering and pure veg catering pages set out how each is prepared and labelled.
7. How does the menu rotate?
The most common reason Mumbai offices change caterers is not bad food. It's the same food.
A supplier without a planned rotation will drift toward the four dishes their kitchen finds easiest, and by month three your colleagues will have noticed.
What to ask: Show me a four-week menu cycle. How far ahead is it planned? Who reviews it, and how often?
8. Can we trial it before committing?
Any caterer confident in their operation will agree to a trial day or a trial week. It costs them a little and it removes almost all your risk.
It also gets your colleagues involved in the decision, which matters more than it sounds — a catering contract chosen without any staff input is a contract people complain about.
What to ask: Can we run one week before signing anything longer?
9. What are the exit terms?
Ask this while everyone is still being pleasant. Notice periods, minimum contract length, and what happens if service quality drops.
A supplier who wants a twelve-month lock-in with a ninety-day notice period is protecting themselves, not serving you. Reasonable terms are a sign of a supplier who expects to keep you on merit.
10. Building access — have you done this before?
If you're in a BKC or Lower Parel tower, this is not a small point. Vehicle passes, driver details, staff IDs and service lift bookings all take time, and some buildings need 24 hours' notice.
What to ask: Who submits the building paperwork — you or us? What's your process when the service lift is out?
A caterer who has worked in your building before will answer immediately. One who hasn't will discover the problem at your gate, on your delivery.
A short version to take into the meeting
- Where is the food cooked, and is that kitchen yours?
- Can we visit it this week?
- FSSAI licence for the kitchen address, plus staff health and pest control records
- Named contact and named on-site supervisor, plus cover arrangements
- Headcount notice period and variance handling
- How Jain and vegan are prepared, not just whether they're offered
- A four-week menu cycle, in writing
- A trial week before signing
- Notice period and exit terms
- Who handles building access paperwork
Ten questions, one meeting. The answers will separate your shortlist faster than any tasting.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to set up corporate catering in Mumbai?
From first conversation to regular service, usually one to two weeks — enough for a tasting or trial week, a menu cycle to be agreed and building access to be arranged.
Should we run a trial before signing?
Yes, and we'd encourage it. Most offices start with a single day or one week so colleagues can give feedback before anything longer-term is agreed.
Can we visit your kitchen?
Yes. Our kitchen is in Marol, Andheri East, and admin or HR teams are welcome to visit before any recurring contract begins. Most corporate clients do.
What FSSAI documentation do you provide?
The licence covering our Marol kitchen, along with staff health records and pest control documentation on request.
How much notice do you need for headcount changes?
24 hours for daily office catering, so food is cooked to the right number and nothing is billed for meals nobody eats.
Do you subcontract any of your cooking?
No. All corporate catering is cooked in our own kitchen in Marol, Andheri East.
What is the minimum size for a daily office contract?
Around 25 people upwards for a recurring programme. Below that, scheduled meeting or event catering usually suits better.
Corporate catering across Mumbai
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Putting a shortlist together? Send us your headcount, timing and location, and we'll answer all ten questions in writing — then you're welcome to come and see the kitchen.
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