What is catering software? The complete guide for caterers

Catering software is software that handles the day-to-day side of a catering business: quotes, planning, buying, staff and invoicing in one place, instead of spread across Excel, your inbox and notes on the counter.

This guide covers what catering software actually does, when it becomes worth it, and how to make the right choice for your business.

What exactly is catering software?

Catering software is a program built around the way a catering business actually works, instead of general planning software you first have to bend into shape yourself.

In practice that comes down to one place to build quotes, track guests and numbers, plan buying and stock, schedule staff per event, and invoice once a job is finished. What starts with a quote ends with an invoice, without you retyping the same data two or three times.

The difference from a calendar app or a spreadsheet is in the parts that are already built in: menu prices that move with the guest count, buying lists that adjust to the planning, and an invoice that rolls straight out of the quote.

What you can do with it: the main features

The core of almost every catering package has five parts: quotes and requests, planning per event, buying and stock, staff scheduling, and invoicing.

Some packages, Catermonkey included, bundle in customer management, so you can look up regular clients and their preferences without digging through old emails.

How many of these you need depends on your business. A small caterer mostly doing private parties gets the most out of fast quotes and simple buying. A business running large corporate events gets more out of solid staff planning and figures per event.

Customer management and communication

A large part of a caterer's job isn't the cooking, it's dealing with the customer: sending a quote, following it up, handling changes and asking afterwards how it went.

Catering software keeps that history per customer. On a new request you see at a glance what someone ordered before and what was agreed.

That saves the most with regular clients, such as companies that run a drinks reception every quarter. You don't have to ask again about allergies, preferences or the invoice address.

Stock and buying under control

Buying from a standalone spreadsheet works fine until you're running several events at once. After that it gets hard to see how much you need in total, what's already been ordered and what's still missing.

Catering software adds up the buying for all your planned events in one go, so you order once instead of per event. And you can see straight away whether your stock still covers an upcoming event.

That saves money two ways: bigger orders with the same supplier, and fewer crates going into the container after the weekend anyway.

Invoicing without double work

Once a quote is accepted, you shouldn't have to build an invoice from scratch. Good catering software turns the quote into an invoice, including VAT splits and any changes made along the way.

That saves time, and above all it stops a gap opening up between what you agreed and what you end up billing. That gap is exactly what customers call about.

Catering software versus Excel or a general calendar

Excel and a shared calendar cost little and are often enough for a small business with a few events a month.

The line gets crossed as soon as you're planning several events at once. Then you have to track by hand which buying belongs to which event, who's scheduled where, and which quote has already been followed up.

Catering software takes that number crunching off your hands. It helps most exactly where a spreadsheet gets cumbersome: recalculating prices when the guest count changes, or seeing at a glance which staff are on which event.

How to choose the right catering software for your business

Start with your biggest time drain, not a list of features. If you lose the most time building quotes, look first at how fast and how personal you can make quoting. If the pain is in buying and stock, pay attention to how the package adds up several events together.

Also ask for a trial period. A package that can do everything on paper still has to feel good in the kitchen for you and your team.

Check too whether it grows with you. Software that's a perfect fit for five events a month can get clunky at fifty. If you're unsure, ask how other caterers your size use the package, and whether you'll have outgrown it in a year.

Switching over: what it costs and what it gets you

Switching to catering software mostly costs time at the start: moving over customer data, setting your standard prices, and giving your team a bit of time to get used to it.

Most caterers earn that back within a few weeks, because quotes go out faster and buying and invoicing are no longer disconnected from each other.

Want to see how Catermonkey fits together? Check out the solutions by area or the pricing, or connect your existing accounting package through the integrations.

Frequently asked questions

Is catering software also suitable for small businesses?

Yes. Even at a few events a month it saves time on quotes and buying, and it grows with you as your business grows. Most providers, Catermonkey included, don't set a minimum number of events.

Can catering software connect with my accounting package?

Most catering software connects with well-known accounting packages, so an invoice carries through without entering it twice. Ask the provider which connections exist for your accounting package.

How long does it take to switch to catering software?

Reckon on a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on how much customer data and standard pricing you need to move over. Most caterers send their first quote from the new program within a week.

What does catering software roughly cost?

Almost every provider charges a monthly fee, often based on the number of users or events. Compare that against the hours you're currently spending on quotes and buying in, because that's the comparison that matters. Catermonkey's pricing are right there on the site.

What is the difference between catering software and restaurant software?

Restaurant software is built around a fixed menu and a fixed location, such as a till system and table management. Catering software is built around changing locations and numbers: quotes per event, buying that moves with the planning, and staff scheduled per venue.

Catermonkey is one such catering package: your quote, your buying list, your planning and your invoice all come from the same data, so a change in guest numbers carries through everywhere without you forgetting it somewhere.

Try it free