Catering pickup and delivery checklist

Make the last handoff specific

A completed kitchen order is not yet a completed customer handoff. The final check should identify what is leaving, who is taking it and where it is going. Use the same order reference as the kitchen and customer brief.

Decide which team member owns the release. Drivers, counter staff and catering managers should not have to guess whether someone else has already checked the order.

For a pickup order

Confirm the pickup name and contact number before the expected collection time. Prepare a container count and note any equipment that must be returned. Explain handling instructions using your restaurant’s approved procedures.

• Order reference and pickup name match.
• All containers, drinks, sauces and utensils are present.
• Payment status has been checked by the authorised staff member.
• The receiver knows which items or equipment are included.
• Collection time and the person releasing the order are recorded.

For a delivery order

Verify the delivery address, building entrance, parking or loading instructions and receiver before dispatch. An address alone may not be enough for a business venue. Clarify whether the customer expects a drop-off or a staffed setup.

Record dispatch and delivery confirmation according to your restaurant’s process. Note exceptions such as an absent receiver, missing access instructions or a changed delivery point. Follow your established food transport and temperature-control requirements.

If the receiver is unavailable, use an exception workflow

Before dispatch, name the receiving contact, a backup contact where available, and the restaurant person who can resolve a delivery exception. Agree on the handoff point and method. A street address, a driver’s arrival and a completed customer handoff are three different facts.

If the receiver cannot be reached, use the agreed contact method and notify the restaurant’s decision owner. Record the arrival point, contact attempts and unresolved issue in the dispatch log. Do not assume that a passer-by, reception desk or different entrance is an approved substitute. Confirm any changed receiver or location with the authorised decision-maker before treating the handoff as resolved.

Follow the restaurant’s approved food-transport procedures while the issue is handled. If a delivery platform is involved, follow that provider’s current workflow and support instructions. There is no universal wait time or unattended-drop-off rule in this checklist. The designated responsible person must handle safety, return and service decisions under the restaurant’s approved procedures and any applicable delivery provider’s current instructions.

• Match the order reference to the actual arrival point.
• Contact the receiving person and agreed backup; record attempts and replies.
• Tell the named restaurant decision owner what remains unresolved.
• Record the decision, who made it, and any changed receiver or handoff point.
• Keep arrival, attempted contact and confirmed receipt as separate entries.

Worked example: 12 trays arrive, but the receiver is not there

This is a fictional coordination example, not a CaterWoo customer story. A driver arrives at the agreed office entrance with 12 trays. The receiving contact does not answer. The driver records arrival and informs the restaurant’s decision owner; the order is not recorded as received merely because the driver reached the building.

The decision owner reaches the backup contact and confirms a different approved entrance. At that point the driver and receiver reconcile the 12-tray count and any accompanying bags or equipment, then record the handoff time and any exception. If one bag is missing, the record identifies that unresolved item rather than describing the whole handoff as complete. Any food-handling decision follows the restaurant’s established procedure.

Copy a short delivery-exception record

Keep this record with the order and share it only with staff who need it. Use the fields below in your existing dispatch log.

This is a manual operating checklist, not a claim that CaterWoo provides driver tracking, automatic notifications, delivery proof or an exception-management feature.

• Order reference, expected handoff point and window.
• Actual arrival point and time; receiving contact role.
• Contact attempts, replies and the unresolved issue.
• Decision owner, agreed action and decision time.
• Actual receiver, receipt time, container and accessory count.
• Unresolved items and the person responsible for follow-up.