Catering management software is a tool that makes running a business in the food industry much easier by simplifying the process of managing tasks like tracking inventory, sales and orders. This type of software typically helps with customer relationship management (CRM) by providing a way to record information about an individual’s order history and menu selections and payment details. It can also manage other aspects of a caterer’s operations including production planning and ordering and delivery management.
Integrated Catering Items and Menus
Caterers need to make sure that their catering items and menus are organized in a manner that is easy for customers to navigate, while keeping up with accurate pricing and availability information. This is where catering software can help by creating and organizing all catering items in a central resource database that can be easily accessed by both staff and customers. Caterers can then create custom menus and products by dragging and dropping individual items from the main list onto an event form and by modifying item descriptions on the fly. This streamlines data entry and ensures that only minimal alterations are needed in the event of price or availability changes.
Catering software can also help by offering comprehensive ordering and delivery management tools that include order entry, routing and packing slips and lists, equipment rental lists, event job sheets, planning reports, and kitchen schedules. This makes the process of taking and processing, and delivering orders much more efficient while helping to reduce the risk of errors that can lead to customer dissatisfaction and even costly food wastage.
Streamlined Catering Proposal Creation
Catering businesses need to be able to turn prospect inquiries into bookings as quickly and professionally as possible, which is why they need easy to use catering software that allows them to create detailed and professional-looking proposals in just minutes. This eliminates the need for pen and paper and Word docs and or Excel spreadsheets and can significantly increase the chances of winning new clients.
Staff Scheduling and Productivity Tracking
Catering companies need to be able to assign work to their teams at the touch of a button and track employee performance throughout each stage of an event or order, from the point of sale through food prep and delivery. The best catering software will provide managers with a range of tools that enable them to do this efficiently while ensuring that employees are always working at full capacity.
When choosing catering software and be sure to take the time to learn about and try all of its features. This can be done by requesting a demo or free trial, as most vendors offer these options for potential buyers. Moreover, you should consider how well the software will integrate with other systems that are used in your catering business, such as credit card processing and customer relationship management solutions. This is important because if you don’t have proper integrations and it can be difficult for your team to use the system and will slow down processes.
