Which hospitality software do you actually need?

Hospitality software is an umbrella term for a whole range of different systems. A till, a scheduling app, bookkeeping software and catering software are all sold under that same label, even though they solve completely different problems.

If you google "hospitality software" to get your paperwork onto a computer, you quickly end up with the wrong type of system. In this article we set out the main categories, so you know which hospitality software fits what you actually want to solve.

Four main categories, four different problems

What most hospitality owners call "hospitality software" splits into four types of system. They're often mentioned in the same breath, but each solves something different:

• Till systems (POS): taking payment at the table or the till, sending orders through to the kitchen, processing payments.
• Staff scheduling: building rosters, scheduling casual staff, logging hours.
• Bookkeeping and invoicing: sending invoices, handling VAT, keeping the books.
• Catering and event software: putting together quotes, building menus, planning staff and purchasing around an event or a changing schedule.

A hospitality business often uses several of these categories side by side. It only goes wrong when you expect one system to solve all four problems, or when you search for "hospitality software" without knowing which of the four you actually need.

Till systems: for the counter or the table

A till system is meant for businesses with continuous, walk-in sales: a cafe, a lunchroom, a restaurant with a fixed menu. It's about taking payment quickly and getting orders straight to the right kitchen station.

For a catering business or event venue that works with quotes and menus agreed in advance, a till system solves the wrong problem. There's no ongoing walk-in sales to take payment for, and the amounts are already fixed before the first guest arrives.

Staff scheduling: rosters that match how busy you are

Staff scheduling is specifically about who works when. Building rosters based on expected footfall, calling in casual staff when someone drops out, logging hours for payroll.

For a hospitality business with a varying weekly schedule, this is usually a system alongside another type of software, not instead of it. The real question is whether the hours you plan here also show up elsewhere, or whether someone has to type them in a second time.

Bookkeeping and invoicing

Bookkeeping software handles the financial side: invoices, VAT returns, the annual accounts. This kind of system isn't built for hospitality specifically, but it's used by almost every business.

For caterers and event venues, the question is rarely whether they need bookkeeping software. The question is whether their invoicing lines up smoothly with the quote and the planning, or whether they have to type amounts in twice.

Catering and event software: where Catermonkey fits in

The fourth category is built for businesses that work with quotes, changing menus and events rather than ongoing walk-in sales. Catering businesses, event venues, hotels with a food and beverage department, food trucks that run on pre-orders.

Here it's not about a till at the counter, but about the whole journey from enquiry to invoice: putting together a quote, locking in the menu and numbers, planning purchasing and staff around it, and invoicing afterwards. Catermonkey is built for exactly that, with separate angles for catering businesses, event venues and hotels.

Which type fits your business?

If you mainly have ongoing walk-in sales at the table or the counter, you're first and foremost looking for a till system. If you mainly work with quotes, menus agreed in advance and changing events, like a catering business, event venue or hotel with a banqueting side, you're looking for catering software.

Staff scheduling and bookkeeping are, either way, an addition rather than a replacement. The question then is mainly whether they connect well with your main system, so you're not retyping data between separate systems.

Frequently asked questions

Does a catering business need a till system?

Usually not as the main system. A catering business works with quotes and amounts agreed in advance, not ongoing walk-in sales at a counter. If you also run a fixed venue or a food truck with walk-in sales, a till system makes sense there separately.

Can one system cover all four categories?

Some providers try, but in practice each type of software is strongest in its own category. More important than cramming everything into one system is that the systems you use connect well with each other, so you never have to enter anything twice.

Is catering software also suitable for a hotel?

For the food and beverage side of a hotel, such as breakfast, banqueting rooms and group packages, yes. For the room bookings themselves you need a separate hotel system (PMS), which handles something quite different from catering software.

Why does a till system comparison site often rank higher for "hospitality software"?

Because till systems are the biggest and most-searched category within hospitality software: almost every hospitality business with walk-in sales needs one. That doesn't make it the right category for a catering business or event venue, it just makes it the most-searched term.

Which hospitality tools do I need when I'm just starting out?

Start with the problem costing you the most right now. If you sell at the counter, that's the till. If you send quotes, that's catering software. The rest comes later, because you won't use a system you don't need yet anyway.

What does hospitality software roughly cost?

Almost everything in this market is priced per month and per user or per location. Also look at the one-off costs for setup and hardware, because with till systems that's often the biggest part of the bill.

Catermonkey is the catering software category: from enquiry to invoice in one place, so you don't track the quote, the purchasing and the staff for the same event across three separate systems.

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