How Does CaterKin Work? The Two Ways to Book Food for Your Event

Picture a Saturday in Dublin. You want someone to cook a four-course dinner for six in your own kitchen so you can actually sit down with your guests instead of sweating over a pan. Or it's a christening lunch for twenty and you need a caterer who'll handle the lot. That's the job CaterKin is built for, so how does CaterKin work once you've found your person?

You browse a host, then either request their listing directly or message them first to agree a custom quote in the chat. Either way you enter your card and a hold is placed, not a charge. You're only charged when the host accepts. If they decline or go quiet, the hold drops off and you pay nothing.

The thing most people want to know before they put a card number in is simple: when does the money actually leave my account? Fair question. So let's start there, then walk through the two booking routes and which one suits which job.

When does my card actually get charged?

This is the part people worry about, so here it is plainly. When you request a booking and enter your card, CaterKin places a hold on the card. A hold is not a charge. The money is still yours and it has not moved. The charge only happens when the host accepts your booking. If the host declines, or simply doesn't respond in time, the hold is released and you are never charged a cent.

Payments run through Stripe, the same company that handles card payments for a huge number of online businesses. Your card details go straight to Stripe and never touch CaterKin's own systems. That's the short version of why this is safe: your number sits with a payments company built for exactly this, not on a small marketplace's database.

Request a booking and a hold goes on. Host accepts and you're charged. Host declines or ignores it and the hold is released. You're never charged for a booking a host didn't accept.

Route one: request a listing and book it

This is the quick path, and it's the one to reach for when a host's listing already says what you need. You find a chef, caterer, class or experience, pick the package or the number of tickets, choose your date and send the request. The hold goes on your card at that point. The host gets your request and either accepts or declines. If they accept, you're charged and the booking is confirmed. If they don't, you walk away with nothing taken.

It suits the straightforward jobs. A cooking class with a set ticket price. A food experience for four. A chef whose package matches what you had in mind anyway. You're not haggling over anything, so there's no reason to go back and forth first. Read the listing, check the price, send it.

Route two: message the host and agree a custom quote

Some events don't fit neatly into a fixed package, and that's exactly what the chat is for. You message the host before booking anything, tell them what you're after, the date, the headcount, any dietary needs, and they put together a price for you. Once you both agree on it in the chat, you pay against that quote. Same payment flow underneath: a hold goes on, the host confirms, you're charged.

Reach for this when the job has moving parts. Maybe it's a caterer doing a dinner for thirty with a vegan table and a coeliac at the head of it. Maybe you want a chef to build a menu around what's in season rather than off a set list. A quick message sorts the detail before any money is involved, so you both know exactly what's being booked.

One small thing worth knowing here: only your first name and photo are shared between you and the host. Your email and phone are never handed over. You talk through CaterKin's in-app messaging the whole way. The host does get your event address, because they need it to turn up and actually deliver the service.

How to book a caterer in Ireland, step by step

If you've never done online catering booking in Ireland before, the order of events is the same for a caterer as it is for a chef, a class or an experience. Here's the whole thing start to finish.

1. Browse hosts and open a listing that looks right for your event.
2. Decide your route. If the listing already fits, request it. If you need something custom, message the host first.
3. For a direct request, pick the package or tickets, set your date and guest count, and send.
4. For a custom job, agree the price with the host in the chat, then pay against that quote.
5. Enter your card. A hold is placed at this point, not a charge.
6. Wait for the host. They accept (you're charged and confirmed) or they decline or don't respond (the hold is released, nothing taken).
7. Sort the final details with the host through in-app messaging, then enjoy the food.

What does it cost across the four services?

Hosts set their own prices on CaterKin, so treat the figures below as typical Irish ranges rather than fixed rates. Classes and experiences are priced per person, so the total is the ticket price times the number of people. Chefs and caterers price through packages and menu items instead, and some set a minimum order, which you'll see on their profile.

A worked example keeps it honest. A cooking class at €60 a head for eight people is €60 times 8, so €480. A private chef quoting a package at €75 a head for a dinner of six is €75 times 6, so €450 for the food before you factor in anything the host has set on top. Always check the individual listing, because the host's own prices and any minimum order are the real numbers, not these ranges.

What happens if I need to cancel?

Plans change, so it's worth knowing the refund rules before you book. Refunds apply to the service price only. The processing fee is not refundable. How much you get back depends on how far out from the event you cancel.

• 7 or more days before the event: 100% of the service price back.
• 3 to 7 days before: 50% back.
• 1 to 3 days before: 25% back.
• Under 24 hours before: nothing back.
• If the host cancels a confirmed booking: you get 100% back, including the fees.

That last line matters. If a host pulls out after confirming, you're made whole in full, fees and all. The tiered scale above only applies when you're the one cancelling.

How do I know a host is legit?

Every host is reviewed and approved by the CaterKin team before they go live. On top of that, each host completes Stripe's identity checks before they can get paid out, which is a real verification step tied to receiving money. You message hosts through the app, you can ask whatever you need before you commit, and your card is held rather than charged until the host actually accepts. If something feels off, you simply don't go ahead, and nothing has been taken.

Inventory is strongest in Dublin right now and growing in other cities. If you're booking outside Dublin, have a browse to see who's available in your area before you plan around it.