Catering beyond the dining room
Turn your kitchen into a catering operation without the chaos of running it off sticky notes.
Restaurants running off-premise events and large-party catering are operating two businesses out of one kitchen. The dining room has a POS and a reservation system - but the catering arm lives on sticky notes, text threads, and a folder of emailed menus. We give that second business its own organized home, built around the menu you already have and the clients who keep coming back.
Core workflows in one place
System, inquiry to payment
Spreadsheets required
Any device, anywhere
What makes restaurant catering hard
Juggling service and catering out of one kitchen
When a large catering order lands on the same day as a full dining room, priorities clash and something slips. Without a clear record of what's committed for catering versus what's reserved for dinner service, prep planning turns into guesswork at the worst possible time.
Quoting large or off-menu orders fast
A guest calls asking to feed eighty people at their office next Thursday. You know the food and you know your prices - but building a clean, itemized quote on the fly from memory or a printed menu takes longer than it should, and it's easy to miss a line item that costs you margin.
Deposits, pickups, and delivery logistics
Getting a deposit before you commit the prep, communicating a pickup window or delivery time, and then collecting the balance - each step is simple in isolation, but when you're managing a dozen catering orders alongside daily service, the details pile up in ways that sticky notes were never designed to handle.
Build catering quotes from your existing menu
Pull items directly from your menu catalog and set quantities for the headcount. No retyping dish names or prices - your restaurant menu is already the starting point for every catering proposal. Add off-menu or custom line items where the event calls for something different.
Large-order and off-menu line items
Catering orders often include items you don't put on the regular menu - custom platters, set-up labor, serving equipment, or dishes you'll build specifically for the event. Add them as custom line items so the proposal is complete and nothing is priced verbally and forgotten.
Deposits and balance collection
Collect a deposit when the client confirms the order so you're not prepping on faith. Track the remaining balance on the event record and collect the final payment before pickup or delivery - all online, without a check chasing back-and-forth.
Pickup and delivery scheduling
Log the pickup window or delivery address and time on the event so your kitchen team has the schedule without calling you. If a client switches from pickup to delivery at the last minute, update the record and everyone is working from the same information.
Repeat and house-account clients
The corporate account that orders lunch for their team every month, the family that books your food for every holiday - repeat catering clients are the backbone of the operation. Keep a record per client with their full order history, preferred items, and any standing pricing arrangements.
Everything off the sticky notes and into one activity log
Every call, every update, every deposit - logged on the event record with a timestamp. When a client says they told you about the change last week, you have the record. When you need to hand off an order to your catering coordinator, there's a complete history to hand off instead of a pile of notes.
From inquiry to repeat business
Inquiry
Log the client, event date, headcount, and any special requests the moment they call or email. Nothing gets lost while you're in the middle of dinner service.
Quote from your menu
Pull items from your existing menu catalog, set quantities, add any off-menu items or setup fees, and send a clean proposal link - in minutes, not an hour.
Deposit
When the client confirms, collect a deposit online. The event is committed and the kitchen can plan prep around a real number.
Prep, deliver, and rebook
Execute with the delivery window and balance due logged on the event. When the same client calls next month, pull up their order history and rebuild the proposal from your menu in minutes.
What changes when catering is organized
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Quote a big party without leaving the line - pull from your menu and send in minutes.
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Stop losing catering orders in the POS - every order has its own record, separate from restaurant service.
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Get the deposit before you prep - collect online when the client confirms, not the day of pickup.
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Turn regular clients into house accounts - order history, preferred items, and standing pricing all in one place.
Restaurant catering questions
Can I reuse my restaurant menu for catering quotes?
Yes. Your existing menu catalog is the starting point for every catering proposal. You pull items, set quantities for the headcount, and the prices flow in automatically. You can also add custom or off-menu line items for anything the event requires beyond your standard offerings.
How does pickup versus delivery work?
Each catering event has a delivery type - pickup or delivery. For pickup, you log the window the order will be ready. For delivery, you record the address, time window, and any access notes. Your kitchen team sees the schedule on the event record so there's no ambiguity about when and where.
How do I collect a deposit before prepping the order?
When a client accepts the proposal, you can require a deposit before the event is confirmed. The deposit is collected online and recorded on the event. The remaining balance is tracked as outstanding until you collect it - before pickup or delivery, not after.
Can I manage house accounts for regular catering clients?
Yes. Each repeat client has their own record with a full order history, preferred items, and any standing pricing arrangements. When a regular client calls, you can see everything they've ordered in the past and rebuild the new proposal from your menu in minutes - no digging through emails.
Ready to run catering the modern way?
Sign up free and send your first proposal this afternoon. No card, no setup, no contract.