Software package

Catering enquiry package

An enquiry form that captures the event properly, menu packages with the per-head prices you set, quotes with versions that clients accept online, tasting bookings the kitchen can see, a dietary matrix and staffing plan per event and a deposit-and-balance schedule with reminders, ready to set up around your menus.

Custom build Concept demo

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Who it is for

Built for

A good fit

Event caterers, corporate caterers and small contract caterers, from a two-person outfit doing weddings and private dinners to a team with an office, two chefs and a pool of casual waiting staff running several events a weekend. It suits owners who want to see the pipeline from enquiry to balance paid, sales staff who build quotes several times a day, chefs who want the dietary sheet and the schedule on one page, and operations people who have to know who is working which event.

Not the right fit

It is not for restaurants or cafés taking same-day orders, nor for food trucks that mainly need a pitch calendar. Caterers that mostly need a website with a menu and a contact form are better served by a simpler site, and anyone who needs recipe costing and purchasing should expect to keep those in their existing tools, as the package does not attempt them.

The operational problem it solves

How it runs, step by step

Monday morning.

The sales lead opens the enquiry board: four new enquiries over the weekend, each already showing the date, guest count, venue, service style and a first dietary breakdown because the form asked.
One is a corporate lunch for eighty in six weeks.
She picks the buffet package, adjusts two lines, adds a service charge and sends quote version one; the client gets a link, not a PDF.
On Tuesday the client asks for a hot option; version two goes out from the same screen and the first version is marked superseded.
On Wednesday the client accepts version two online and pays the deposit through the link, and the event moves from quote to confirmed with the deposit recorded.

The client books a tasting from the dates the kitchen has opened; the head chef sees it on the same calendar as the events and prepares the samples.

Three weeks out, the dietary link the client was sent has been filled in by the office manager: six vegetarians, two gluten-free, one nut allergy, and the chef sees the matrix update as it is typed.
Operations sets the staffing requirement at one chef, four waiting staff and a driver, and the plan flags that one of the regular waiters is already on another event that day.
The balance reminder goes out automatically on the schedule the owner set.
On the morning of the event the chef prints the day sheet: schedule, venue access notes, the frozen dietary matrix and the final guest count.
On Friday the owner sees the pipeline, the deposits held and the two quotes still waiting on an answer.

Features

What the package does

The package ships as modules that follow the event: enquiry and quoting, tasting and confirmation, the event record with its dietary matrix and staffing plan, and the payment schedule. Each module below lists what it does; the comparison table shows which package variant includes it.

Forms and requests

Structured enquiry formCaptures date, guest count, venue, service style and a first dietary breakdown, so each enquiry arrives ready to quote.

Content and editorial

Menu package libraryPublish menu packages with per-head prices and service charges set by you.

Documents and cases

Quote builder with versionsBuild quotes from packages or line items, issue new versions, and let the client view and accept online.
Contract documents with signingIssue contract documents and have them signed alongside the quote.

Bookings and diary

Tasting appointment bookingClients book a tasting from dates you open, on the same calendar as your events.
Staffing requirements and clash checksSet the staff an event needs, assign people, and see clashes where someone is already on another event.

Workflow and tasks

Event record and day sheetEach event holds its schedule, venue notes and delivery or on-site flag, ready to print for the day.
Dietary and allergen matrixClients enter guest requirements through a link until a freeze date, and the chef sees the matrix update.
Casual staff loginsCasual staff confirm shifts and see event details from their own logins.

Billing and payments

Deposit and balance scheduleTake the deposit and balance through a payment link with reminders sent on the schedule you set.
Contract sites with standing ordersHandle standing weekly orders for contract sites against a menu cycle.

Package variants compared

Website
Business Software

Which features each package variant includes
Feature	Website	Business Software
Structured enquiry form	Included	Included
Menu package library	Included	Included
Quote builder with versions	Optional	Included
Tasting appointment booking	Included	Included
Event record and day sheet	Not in this variant	Included
Dietary and allergen matrix	Not in this variant	Included
Staffing requirements and clash checks	Not in this variant	Included
Deposit and balance schedule	Optional	Included
Contract sites with standing orders	Not in this variant	Optional
Casual staff logins	Not in this variant	Optional
Contract documents with signing	Not in this variant	Optional

Roles and permissions

Who does what

Owner
- Set menu packages, per-head prices, service charges and the deposit and balance schedule
- See the pipeline from enquiry to balance paid and deposits held
- Open tasting dates and set the dietary freeze rule
- Manage staff accounts and the casual staff pool
Sales
- Work the enquiry board and qualify new enquiries
- Build quotes from packages or line items and issue versions
- See which versions were viewed and accepted
- Convert an accepted quote into a confirmed event
Chef
- See confirmed events, tastings and guest counts on one calendar
- Watch the dietary matrix per event update as clients enter it
- Print the day sheet with schedule, access notes and matrix
- Record kitchen notes against an event
Operations
- Set staffing requirements per event and assign people from the pool
- See clashes across events on the same day
- Record venue access, timings and the delivery or on-site flag
- Mark an event as delivered
Client
- Submit a structured enquiry with date, guests, venue and dietary breakdown
- Review quote versions and accept online
- Pay the deposit and the balance through the link
- Enter guest dietary requirements before the freeze date and book a tasting

Example screen

Concept demo

Concept demo of a catering event record with quote version, live dietary matrix, staffing assignments with a clash warning and a payment schedule.

The event record two weeks before a corporate lunch: accepted quote version pinned at the top, the dietary matrix updating from the client's link, staffing shown as four of five assigned with one clash flagged, and the balance due date on the payment schedule.

Scope and options

What is included and what is extra

In the base package

Structured enquiry form with date, guest count, venue, service style and dietary breakdown
Menu package library with per-head prices and service charges set by the caterer
Quote builder with line items, versions, client view and online acceptance
Tasting appointment booking on a shared calendar
Event record with schedule, venue notes and delivery or on-site flag
Dietary and allergen matrix per event with a client entry link and freeze date
Staffing requirement and assignment per event with clash checks
Deposit and balance schedule with reminders

Common add-ons

Contract sites with standing weekly orders against a menu cycle
Casual staff logins to confirm shifts and see event details
Contract documents issued and signed alongside the quote

Needs custom work

Recipe costing or purchasing connections
Connection to a specific accounting or payroll system
Bespoke margin reporting per event type

See the custom development service

Ownership, maintenance and pricing

After the build

Deployment and ownership

The package runs on your own hosting or on hosting we manage; the office uses a browser and the kitchen a tablet or a printed day sheet. You own the code and your data in either case. Enquiries, quotes, event records, dietary matrices and payment history can be exported at any time in standard formats, and nothing stops you moving the system to another provider.

Maintenance

Maintenance is optional and scoped separately. When taken, it covers security updates, monitoring of the enquiry form, quote links, payment callbacks and reminders, backups, and a monthly window for small changes such as a new package or a changed deposit rule. Anything larger is quoted as a change request against the original scope.

Pricing model

Priced per proposal.

Sold as a one-off setup and customisation with optional monthly maintenance and hosting as separate recurring lines. The setup figure depends on the size of the package library, whether online acceptance and payments are switched on, the payment provider, the staffing pool, the add-ons chosen and how many open quotes and future events are migrated. Each line is itemised in the proposal so recurring costs are never hidden in the setup.

Also used in

Software package

Custom build Concept demo

Variants

Structured enquiry form with date, guest count, venue, service style and dietary breakdown
Menu package library with per-head prices and service charges set by the caterer
Quote builder with line items, versions, client view and online acceptance
Tasting appointment booking on a shared calendar

Priced per proposal. A written proposal is the only binding figure.

Get a quote for this package Prefer a fully custom build?

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can we quote from scratch rather than from packages?

Yes. A quote can start from a package, from a previous quote or from a blank line-item list, and the per-head and fixed lines are yours to set. Packages just make the common cases faster.

What happens when the client changes their mind after accepting?

A new version is issued and the previous accepted version is kept with its acceptance record. The event shows the current version and the history, so there is no doubt about what was agreed and when.

How are dietary requirements collected?

The client gets a link to enter requirements against their guest list before a freeze date you set. The chef sees the matrix update live and it locks at the freeze date, after which changes are recorded as exceptions. The package records what you and your clients enter; deciding what is safe to serve stays with the caterer.

Does it schedule our casual staff?

It sets a requirement per event, assigns people from your pool and flags clashes on the same day. With the casual staff add-on, people confirm their shift and see event details on their phone. Payroll stays in your existing tool.

How does the deposit and balance schedule work?

The owner sets the rule, for example a deposit at acceptance and the balance a set number of days before the event. The system creates the dates for each event, sends reminders and records payments through the connected provider or as bank transfers you confirm.

Is this a finished product I can see running?

Not yet. The readiness badge shows the real state: the package is a custom build assembled from our enquiry, quoting, scheduling and payment modules for each caterer, and the screen on this page is a labelled concept demo rather than a live client system. Anything beyond the listed options is scoped as custom catering software development.

Get a quote for Catering enquiry package

Tell us about your locations, the people who will use it and the add-ons you need. We reply with a clear, competitive proposal.