Catering Timeline: When to Order for Any Event

Catering timelines depend on one variable above all others: how many people you are feeding. A pizza order for 15 people requires almost no advance planning. An order for 150 people requires weeks of coordination. The reason is simple — our dough ferments for 48 hours, and we can only fire so many pizzas per hour through our stone oven. Here is the exact timeline for every event size, plus what to confirm at each stage.

When Should You Order Pizza Catering?

For pizza catering, order at least 24 hours ahead for groups under 20, one week for 20-50 guests, and two or more weeks for groups over 100. These timelines ensure the kitchen can prepare enough dough, schedule oven time, and coordinate delivery. Ordering earlier always helps — it gives the kitchen more flexibility and guarantees your preferred date and time.

What Is the Catering Timeline for Small Events (Under 20 Guests)?

Small events under 20 people are the easiest to cater. You need 5-7 large pizzas, which any pizzeria can produce in a single batch. At Forni, we can handle same-day orders for groups this size with 2-3 hours of notice. A 24-hour heads-up is ideal because it guarantees we have enough dough in our 48-hour fermentation cycle.

1. Same day or 24 hours before: Place the order. Specify pizza types, quantities, and pickup or delivery time.
2. 2-3 hours before the event: Confirm the order if you placed it the day before.
3. 30-45 minutes before serving: Pick up or receive delivery. Pizza is best within 20 minutes of leaving the oven.

What Is the Catering Timeline for Medium Events (20-50 Guests)?

Medium events require 8-18 large pizzas, which means the kitchen needs to plan dough production and oven scheduling. For a group of 50, we are making pizzas continuously for 45-60 minutes. That needs to fit into the day's production schedule without delaying other orders.

1. 5-7 days before: Contact us to place the order. Confirm headcount, pizza selection, dietary needs, and delivery time.
2. 2-3 days before: Finalize the order. Last chance to adjust quantities without affecting dough production.
3. Day before: Confirm delivery address, contact person, and timing.
4. Day of (1-2 hours before): We begin firing your order. Pizzas are made fresh — not pre-made and reheated.
5. 15-30 minutes before serving: Delivery arrives or you pick up.

What Is the Catering Timeline for Large Events (50-100+ Guests)?

Large events are a logistics project. One hundred guests need 30-35 large pizzas. Two hundred guests need 60-70. At this scale, we are dedicating significant oven time and dough production to your order, so advance planning is essential.

1. 2-3 weeks before: Initial contact. Discuss headcount, budget, menu preferences, and delivery logistics.
2. 10-14 days before: Finalize the order. Lock in pizza types, quantities, sides, and drinks. Receive a custom quote.
3. 1 week before: Confirm all logistics — delivery address, access instructions, contact person, setup time.
4. 2 days before: We begin dough production for your order (48-hour fermentation).
5. Day of (2-3 hours before): Production begins. Large orders are staggered so the last pizza is as fresh as the first.
6. 30-60 minutes before serving: Delivery in batches or all at once, depending on event logistics.

What Should You Confirm at Each Stage?

• At booking: Total headcount, date, time, and location. Rough budget and dietary restrictions.
• At finalization: Exact pizza types and quantities. Sides and drinks. Delivery vs. pickup.
• Day before: Contact person's phone number. Delivery address and access instructions. Any last-minute headcount changes.
• Day of: Nothing — the order is locked. Relax and focus on the event.

The biggest catering mistake is waiting too long to order. We have never had a client say they ordered too early. We have had plenty say they wished they had called sooner.

Order Catering from Forni

We cater events from 5 to 500+ guests from our kitchen at 5800 Seminary Rd in Falls Church. For groups under 25, order online or call us. For groups over 25, call us directly and we will build a custom order. Our 100% halal kitchen means every item works for diverse groups, and our 48-hour fermented dough means every pizza — whether it is the first or the fiftieth — meets the same quality standard.

Need help figuring out how many pizzas to order? Read our portion calculator guide →

Planning a large group order? We have a dedicated guide. See our large group ordering guide →