About the Position
We are seeking a skilled, experienced, and enthusiastic Culinary Sales Representative to help connect customers with catering experiences that fit their events, tastes, and budgets.
The ideal candidate will have a genuine passion for the culinary arts combined with a proven track record in sales, customer service, relationship building, and closing business.
In this role, you will be responsible for introducing prospective customers to our catering services, understanding their event needs, recommending appropriate catering packages and menu options, preparing or coordinating proposals, following up with leads, and helping turn inquiries into confirmed catering events.
This is an excellent opportunity for a sales professional who loves food, enjoys connecting with people, and understands how to turn a customer's vision into a catering experience they are excited to book.
Responsibilities
- As a Culinary Sales Representative, you will serve as an important connection between prospective customers and our catering team.
Your responsibilities may include:
- Responding professionally and promptly to new catering inquiries and sales leads.
- Speaking with prospective customers to understand their event type, date, location, guest count, budget, food preferences, service expectations, and special requests.
- Presenting and selling available catering packages, menu options, enhancements, and related services.
- Recommending catering solutions based on the customer's event needs and budget.
- Clearly explaining package inclusions, pricing, service options, and available upgrades.
- Guiding customers through the catering selection and booking process.
- Preparing, presenting, or coordinating customized catering proposals and quotes.
- Following up with prospective customers through phone, email, text, or approved communication channels.
- Maintaining consistent communication with leads throughout the sales process.
- Converting qualified inquiries into confirmed catering bookings.
- Identifying appropriate opportunities to upsell or cross-sell menu enhancements, premium packages, additional services, or event upgrades when they provide genuine value to the customer.
- Building strong relationships with new, existing, and returning customers.
- Developing opportunities for repeat business and customer referrals.
- Maintaining accurate records of customer conversations, proposals, follow-ups, bookings, and sales activity.
- Keeping customer and event information current within the company's designated sales or customer-management systems.
- Coordinating important booking information with culinary, event, and operations teams after a sale is confirmed.
- Ensuring customer expectations and agreed-upon services are clearly communicated before transitioning a confirmed event to the appropriate operations team.
- Staying knowledgeable about current catering packages, menus, pricing, promotions, service options, and company policies.
- Learning enough about menu offerings and culinary services to confidently answer customer questions and make appropriate recommendations.
- Representing the company with professionalism, warmth, enthusiasm, and hospitality throughout every customer interaction.
Sales & Business Development
The Culinary Sales Representative is expected to actively contribute to the growth of our catering business.
This may include identifying and developing opportunities with:
- Individuals planning birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings, and other celebrations.
- Businesses and organizations planning meetings, employee events, luncheons, conferences, and corporate functions.
- Event planners and event professionals.
- Wedding and event venues.
- Community organizations.
- Schools and educational organizations.
- Property managers and residential communities.
- Nonprofit organizations.
- Returning catering customers.
- Referral partners and other local businesses.
The Culinary Sales Representative should be comfortable developing relationships, nurturing leads, following up consistently, asking for the sale, and working toward established sales goals.
Qualifications
- Qualifications & Experience
The ideal candidate should have:
- Previous sales experience with a demonstrated ability to generate or close business.
- Experience in catering sales, restaurant sales, hospitality, event sales, food service, or a related field is strongly preferred.
- A genuine interest in food, hospitality, catering, and the culinary arts.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills.
- Excellent customer-service and relationship-building abilities.
- Confidence speaking with prospective customers by phone, email, text, video, or in person.
- Ability to identify customer needs and recommend appropriate solutions.
- Experience handling leads and following prospects through a sales pipeline.
- Strong negotiation and closing skills.
- Ability to professionally discuss pricing and overcome reasonable customer objections.
- Strong organizational and time-management skills.
- Ability to manage multiple customer inquiries and event opportunities simultaneously.
- Attention to detail when documenting event requirements and customer expectations.
- Basic understanding of catering menus, guest counts, portioning, dietary preferences, and event logistics is preferred.
- Ability and willingness to learn company menus, packages, pricing, and service standards.
- Experience using CRM, booking, sales, email, or customer-management software is preferred.
- A positive, dependable, professional, and hospitality-focused attitude.
Key Performance Areas
Success in this position may be measured through a combination of:
Sales Conversion — Effectively converting qualified catering inquiries into confirmed bookings.
Revenue Generation — Contributing to catering sales and overall business growth.
Lead Follow-Up — Consistently and professionally following up with prospective customers.
Customer Experience — Providing a helpful, welcoming, and knowledgeable sales experience from initial inquiry through booking.
Average Booking Value — Identifying appropriate opportunities for package enhancements and additional services.
Relationship Development — Generating repeat business, referrals, and long-term customer relationships.
Sales Accuracy — Ensuring customer requirements, pricing, packages, and event details are accurately documented and communicated.
Team Collaboration — Successfully transitioning booked events to culinary and operations teams with clear and complete information.
Pay: $40,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Flexible schedule
- Referral program
Work Location: Remote
