By business · Weddings and events

Instagram auto-replies for caterers

Instagram DM automation lets a caterer send menus, quote forms and tasting dates the moment someone comments or messages a word like MENU or QUOTE, even mid-service with gloves on. Below are the words that suit event, office and grazing-box catering, four set-ups with their first messages, and the questions, allergies above all, that should always reach a person.

Updated 6 October 2026

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Comment words for caterers

Ask people to comment one word in your caption or video. Each word sends something different.

MENU: Your canapé, buffet and sit-down menus with the price per head, the minimum numbers and what each includes.
QUOTE: A short quote form: date, guest count, venue, service style and whether there's a kitchen on site.
TASTING: The next tasting evening: the date, what's served, who it's for and how to reserve a place.
BOXES: Grazing and sandwich boxes for small gatherings: sizes, prices, delivery area and the order cut-off.
OFFICE: Breakfast meetings and working lunches for offices: the order form, the minimum order and how much notice you need.
DIETARY: How you cater for vegan, vegetarian, halal and gluten-free guests, and how to tell you about allergies.
BBQ: Summer barbecue packages: what's cooked on site, the equipment you bring and the minimum numbers.

4 set-ups to try

Each one shows the conversation it creates. After a comment, the first DM is plain text, as Meta requires, and the link follows once they answer.

Menus and prices from a canapé Reel
Someone comments on your post
MENU
Public reply under their comment
Menus and prices are in your DMs 🥂
First DM (plain text)
Thanks for watching. Our canapé, buffet and sit-down menus are in one guide, each with the price per head and minimum numbers. Would you like it? Reply and I'll send it over.Yes pleaseMenus and prices per headSee the menus
Food Reels attract two kinds of viewer: people who enjoy watching canapés being made, and hosts with a date. Minimum numbers on the card sort them politely. Turn on email capture too, since hosts often decide weeks later, and by then Instagram won't let you message them first.
Quote form for “how much for 80 people?”
QUOTEThanks for thinking of us. What's the date, roughly how many guests, and is there a kitchen at the venue? Those three change the price most, and the form below asks for each so I can send a proper quote.Ask for a catering quoteGet a quote
PER HEAD, PRICE and HOW MUCH can share this auto-reply. A venue without a kitchen means bringing ovens and more staff, so asking early saves a second round of questions. The number itself should come from you: food costs move, and a price sent by an auto-reply is hard to take back.
Tasting evening places from a Story
Replied to your story
TASTINGLovely, thanks for replying. Have you already booked with us, or are you still choosing a caterer? The page below has the tasting dates, what we'll serve and how to reserve your places.Tasting evening: dates and placesReserve a place
Tasting evenings have a fixed number of seats, and a Story is where you announce them. The answer tells you who's a booked client and who's still deciding, which matters if you charge for tastings before a booking and credit the fee back later. Say so on the page.
Grazing box orders from a packing Reel
Someone comments on your post
BOXES
Public reply under their comment
Sizes and prices are on their way to your DMs
First DM (plain text)
Thanks for the comment. The boxes come in three sizes, from four people to twenty, and we need two days' notice. Shall I send the sizes, prices and delivery area? Reply here and they're yours.Yes pleaseGrazing boxes and order cut-offsOrder a box
Boxes are a quick decision for birthdays and office treats, so speed counts. Once they reply, a product carousel can show each size with its price and its own order button. Naming the notice period in the first message means nobody expects a box tomorrow.

Freebies worth commenting for

A portion guide for drinks receptions, buffets and sit-down dinners, by number of guests
A guest dietary form to send out with the invitations, with a box for allergies
Drop-off, buffet or fully staffed: what each service style includes and how it changes the price
A grazing table size guide, from a board for 10 to a table for 100
A checklist for venues without a kitchen: power, water, prep space and where the bins go
An office lunch order sheet with cut-off times and the minimum order
A summer barbecue planner with quantities per guest, timings and a rain plan
A wedding food timeline: tasting, final numbers, table plan and the last date to change dishes
A canapé count guide by length of reception, from one hour to four

The questions that come before a quote

Catering enquiries are short and incomplete: “how much for 80?” rarely says when, where or what kind of food. Automate the parts with a fixed answer, and let the first message ask for what's missing, so the quote you write later rests on facts.

Message	Automatic reply	Hand to a person if
How much per head?	MENU, with prices and minimum numbers	They want a custom menu or a price for large numbers
Can you do 150 this Saturday?	QUOTE, which asks the date and venue	It's within two weeks: check staff and stock yourself
Do you do vegan or halal?	DIETARY, with what you offer	They mention an allergy, which always gets a personal answer
Our venue has no kitchen. Is that a problem?	QUOTE, which asks about kitchen access	The site needs a visit before you agree
Can we try the food first?	TASTING	They want a private tasting outside your evenings
Do you deliver to offices?	OFFICE, with the order form	It's a weekly order worth a contract

Tip: On the Growth and Business plans, AI replies can handle other questions from the business details you write. Add a line saying allergy questions go to a person, and it will pass them on instead of answering from a menu that may have changed since.

Posts that fill the catering diary

Hands piping, folding and plating canapés in close-up, with MENU. Film one tray from start to finish rather than a montage of ten.
A grazing table built in time-lapse, with BOXES for people who want a smaller version delivered.
“What 120 wedding guests ate” as a carousel, with quantities as well as photos, and QUOTE in the caption.
An office lunch spread laid out on a Monday morning, with OFFICE.
A Story announcing next month's tasting evening, with TASTING in the text.
A barbecue cooked on site, smoke and all, with BBQ for the packages.

Catering runs in seasons: wedding weekends from spring to early autumn, office parties and buffets in December, barbecues whenever the weather turns warm. In India, the wedding season falls mostly in the cooler months, so the busy stretch moves towards winter. Use a quiet month to film what you'll post in the busy ones.

From enquiry to final numbers

QUOTE collects the date, numbers, venue and service style. Write the quote yourself and email it with the menu attached.
Invite booked clients to a tasting through the TASTING Story, or offer a paid place to people still deciding.
Take the deposit, and confirm in writing the deadline for final numbers and dietary needs.
Ask the host to send your dietary form with the invitations, so the answers reach you in one list rather than scattered DMs the week before.
After the event, email the host a thank-you with a link to leave a review, and ask whether you can post photos of the food.

Tip: Catering from India? The DMFast store can give away the portion guide as a lead magnet for an email and phone number, and take bookings for a menu-planning call, free or paid through Razorpay. Food orders and event deposits stay on your own system.

Allergies, hygiene and photos

Allergy questions need a person and a written answer. Recipes and suppliers change, so no automatic reply should tell anyone a dish is safe for their allergy.
Allergen rules differ by country. In the UK and the EU, food businesses, caterers included, must be able to tell customers which of 14 listed allergens are in each dish. Check what applies where you cook.
Registration, inspection and hygiene rating rules vary too. If you display a rating or certificate, put it on the page the MENU card opens.
Ask before filming guests, and agree with the host what you can post. Plenty of weddings and company events are private.
BBQ is a word people use about their own weekend. Set it on barbecue posts only, so “bbq at mine on Sunday” under your other posts goes unanswered.
Meta allows one private reply per comment, within 7 days of it, and Instagram caps an account at 750 private replies an hour. DMFast stays below 700 and queues the rest if a canapé Reel takes off.

Messages to copy

Questions people ask

Can it answer “is this dish nut-free?”

It shouldn't, and you can make sure it doesn't. Keyword replies only send what you write, so leave allergy claims out of them. AI replies, on the Growth and Business plans, work only from your business details: say there that allergy questions get a personal answer, then reply yourself, in writing.

Can people order and pay for grazing boxes in the DM?

They can choose there and pay on your order page. Once they reply to the first message, a product carousel can show each box with its price and a button to your shop. DMFast's store is for digital products, lead magnets and call bookings in India, so food orders stay on your own checkout.

Most of our leads come from local Facebook groups. Can it reply there?

No. DMFast works with your Facebook Page's posts and its Messenger inbox, not with groups. When someone recommends you in a group, the next step is often a message to your Page, and that message can get a keyword reply.

Can I send this year's Christmas menu to everyone who asked last year?

Not through Instagram. Automated messages only reach people who wrote to you in the last 24 hours, and there's no official way to DM everyone at once. That's what the email list is for: export it as a CSV and send the menu from your email tool. A Story with MENU in it reaches the rest.

Someone commented MENU on last week's post. Is it too late?

Not if the comment is under 7 days old. On paid plans, DMFast can reply to older comments within the window Meta allows for a private reply. Past that, answer publicly and invite them to message you.

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Answer every MENU comment in seconds

Pick a post and the word. DMFast replies under each comment, sends the DM and follows with your link once they answer, day and night. It can collect emails on the way. Free plan, no card.

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