Built for how you actually work
Everything you need to run your catering business - nothing you don't. Set up in an afternoon, grows with you from there.
Most catering software was built for large operations with IT departments, training budgets, and time to spare. If you're running a lean shop - one admin, one or two kitchen people, smaller parties - you need a system that gets out of the way and lets you focus on the food. The essentials are front and center. The advanced capabilities are there when you need them, not in your way now.
Core workflows in one place
System, inquiry to payment
Spreadsheets required
Any device, anywhere
What holds small caterers back
Tools designed for much bigger teams
Most catering software was built for hotel banquet departments and large catering companies with dedicated coordinators. If you're a three-person shop, you end up paying for - and wading through - features you'll never use, just to get to the parts that matter.
Admin that takes longer than the job itself
Quoting, invoicing, chasing payments, and tracking events across a mix of spreadsheets, email threads, and sticky notes can eat an entire morning. That's time you could have spent on prep - or on your family.
Looking less professional than you are
Clients judge you before they taste the food. A hand-typed quote in an email thread or a PayPal request sent after the fact doesn't match the quality of what you serve. A polished, itemized proposal tells clients you're serious before the first bite.
Client records in one place
Keep every client - their contact info, event history, dietary notes, and preferences - in one organized record. When a repeat client calls, you already know who they are and what they've booked before.
Proposals from your menu
Build your menu catalog once - items, categories, prices. Then pull from it every time you quote. No retyping dish names or prices, no copy-paste errors. A polished, itemized proposal goes out in minutes.
Events with a clear status
Every booking moves from inquiry to confirmed to completed. Nothing sits in a grey area. At a glance you can see what's on the calendar, what's pending a proposal, and what's been completed.
Collect payment online
Turn an accepted proposal into an invoice and collect a deposit or full balance online through Stripe. No chasing a check, no Venmo back-and-forth - clients pay at acceptance and you move on.
One menu, every proposal
Update an item price once in your menu and it's current on every future proposal. No hunting through old quotes to find what you charged last time. Your catalog is always accurate.
Works on any device
No app to download, no software to install. The full product runs in your browser - on the laptop at your desk, the tablet in the kitchen, or the phone in your pocket at an event.
From inquiry to paid, without the back-and-forth
Capture the inquiry
Log the client and event details the moment they reach out - name, date, headcount, any notes. Nothing gets lost while you're juggling prep.
Build and send a proposal
Pull items from your menu, set quantities, add any fees or service charges, and send a clean proposal link. The client can review and accept from any device.
Confirm and collect a deposit
When the client accepts, the event is confirmed and the deposit is collected online. No chasing, no ambiguity about what was agreed.
Deliver and collect the balance
Update any last-minute details, deliver a great event, and collect the remaining balance. The full history stays on the record.
What changes when you're organized
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Send a professional proposal in minutes - pull from your menu, not from memory or a spreadsheet.
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Collect deposits at sign-off - no chasing checks or sending payment requests after the fact.
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See every active booking at a glance - no hunting through email threads to find what's confirmed.
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Keep client notes and history - when the same family books again, you already know what they like.
Questions from small catering teams
Is this going to be too complicated for a small operation?
No. The core workflow is four steps: add a client, create an event, build a proposal from your menu, and send it. You can be fully set up and have your first proposal out the same afternoon you sign up. The more advanced capabilities - staff accounts, role controls, detailed reporting - are there when your business grows to need them, but they don't get in the way until you do.
How long does it actually take to get set up?
Most small caterers are up and running in an afternoon. Build your menu catalog, add your first client or two, and you're ready to send proposals. There's no IT setup, no data migration to manage, and no training session required - it's a web app that works like the tools you already use.
Do I need a tech background to use this?
Not at all. If you can send an email and fill out a form, you can use Catertoo. We built it to be straightforward because small catering teams don't have time to learn complicated software.
What if I grow and need more features later?
The features grow with you. Staff accounts, role controls, and deeper event management are already in the product. Right now they stay out of your way. When you hire a second admin or want to give your chef limited access, they're there - no upgrade required, no data migration.
What does it cost?
Catertoo is free to start, with flat Pro and Premium plans as you grow - no per-event fees and no setup. Taking payments is optional; when you collect through Catertoo you pay card processing at cost plus a small, capped platform fee. See our pricing page for the full breakdown.
Pairs well with
Ready to run catering the modern way?
Sign up free and send your first proposal this afternoon. No card, no setup, no contract.