Catering software keeps the jobs between an enquiry and a delivered event in one place: quotes, menus, orders and kitchen production. Event and off-site caterers should look at catering management tools, venues and hotels at sales and catering systems, and drop-off caterers at online ordering. Ten tools follow in no particular order.
A caterer's week is a chain of small jobs that all have to line up. An enquiry comes in, a quote goes out, the menu changes twice, the final numbers arrive late, and the kitchen still needs a clear order sheet on the day. Catering software is there to keep that chain in one place instead of spread across email, spreadsheets and a whiteboard.
The ten below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and each description comes from the vendor's own website. If you also run a counter or a cafe, my guide to the best POS systems for small business covers the till side.
Catering software at a glance
The free plan column comes from each vendor's own website, as of Oct 2026. Trial only means the page offers a free trial. Not stated means the page doesn't name a free plan or a trial, so you'll be booking a demo or asking the vendor.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caterease | Catering and event management software | Catering and event management in one hub | Not stated |
| CaterTrax | Online ordering for caterers | Online ordering built by caterers, single or multi-location | Not stated |
| CaterZen | Catering software | Catering CRM, sales, management and marketing | Trial only |
| Curate | Event planning software | Proposals, production and profitability for caterers and florists | Not stated |
| Event Temple | Hotel sales and catering software | Sales CRM, e-proposals and banquet event orders | Not stated |
| Perfect Venue | Event management software | AI-assisted messages and proposals for venues | Trial only |
| Planning Pod | Venue and catering management software | Venue and catering bookings on one platform | Not stated |
| Total Party Planner | Catering software | All-in-one catering and event management | Not stated |
| Tripleseat | Event venue management software | Proposals, contracts and BEOs for venues and restaurants | Not stated |
| Zuppler | Online ordering platform | Catering and online ordering from one dashboard | Not stated |
Ten catering tools in a line each
Caterease
Best for: Catering and event management in one hub, with kitchen display orders, e-signatures and an event portal.
CaterTrax
Best for: Caterers taking orders online, at a single location or several, on a system the vendor says was built by caterers.
CaterZen
Best for: Catering CRM, sales, management and marketing in one system, with mobile order taking.
Curate
Best for: Caterers and florists who want proposals, production and profitability managed from one pipeline, with a template library.
Event Temple
Best for: Hotels with event space that need a sales CRM, e-proposals and banquet event orders in one place.
Perfect Venue
Best for: Venues that want AI to help send messages and build proposals while keeping a personal touch.
Planning Pod
Best for: Venue businesses booking venue and catering events on one calendar, with floor plans, banquet event orders and tour scheduling.
Total Party Planner
Best for: All-in-one catering and event management for caterers, restaurants, food trucks, venues and corporate event organisers.
Tripleseat
Best for: Event venues and restaurants handling proposals, contracts, banquet event orders, payments and an inquiry inbox in one system.
Zuppler
Best for: Restaurants and caterers running catering and online ordering from one dashboard, with multi-brand and white-label setups.
Where does your order start?
The vendors sort themselves into three camps on their own pages, and the camp you're in matters more than any feature list.
- Event and off-site caterers: Caterease, Total Party Planner and CaterZen describe themselves as catering and event management software, and Curate talks about proposals, production and profitability for caterers and florists.
- Venues, restaurants and hotels with event space: Tripleseat, Perfect Venue, Planning Pod and Event Temple are built around venue sales, with proposals, contracts and banquet event orders.
- Drop-off and online catering orders: CaterTrax and Zuppler start from online ordering.
If you cook in your own kitchen and deliver to other people's venues, a venue sales system can feel back to front, because it's organised around rooms, floor plans and bookings. If you run a venue that happens to cater, it's the other way round.
The caterer's jobs to see on a demo
Most of these ask you to book a demo, so go in with a list. These are the jobs worth seeing on screen:
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
- Quotes and proposals: can you build one from a template and send it out for an e-signature?
- Menus and allergens: where does allergen information sit, and does it follow the dish onto the quote and the kitchen sheet?
- Kitchen production: does the order turn into something the kitchen can work from, on paper or on a screen?
- Banquet event orders: if you work in venues, can you produce one without retyping the event?
- Online ordering: can regular clients order drop-off catering themselves, at one location or several?
- Payments and deposits: can you take them in the same system as the booking?
Allergens: the check no software does for you
The Food Standards Agency's allergen guidance for food businesses covers providing allergen information and best practice for handling allergens. It applies in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, and it includes an allergen matrix PDF you can keep alongside your menus, as of Oct 2026.
That's the part a demo won't show you. Software can hold allergen notes against a dish, but someone still has to keep them right every time a recipe or a supplier changes. Before you choose, ask each vendor where allergen information lives and who sees it: the client, front of house, the kitchen or all three.
Caterers who run a WordPress site can show their menu there too, and WordPress menu plugins for restaurants compares the plugins built for the job.
Trials, demos and getting started
Two of the ten show a free trial on their own pages, with no credit card required, and the table marks them Trial only. One of those is a 14-day trial. The rest ask you to book a demo.
A demo is a sales call, so steer it. Bring a real recent event, with its menu changes and late numbers, and ask them to build it in front of you. You'll learn more in that half hour than from any feature page.
Do you make catering software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on catering software
Start with where your orders come from. Event and off-site caterers want catering management, venues want sales and catering, and drop-off caterers want online ordering. Then judge the shortlist on quotes, kitchen production and allergens, and make each vendor show you all three with one of your own events.
If you take restaurant bookings as well as catering orders, my guide to AI tools for restaurants that handle bookings is worth a look.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What does catering software do?
It keeps a catering job in one place, from the enquiry and the quote to the order the kitchen works from. Some tools add venue bookings, banquet event orders or online ordering.
Is there free catering software?
None of the ten here names a free plan on its website, as of Oct 2026. Two offer a free trial with no credit card required, and the rest ask you to book a demo.
What's the difference between catering software and venue management software?
Catering software is built around the caterer's jobs: quotes, menus, production and delivery. Venue software is built around rooms, floor plans and bookings. Some tools here cover both.
Does catering software handle allergens?
Ask each vendor where allergen information is stored and who sees it. The Food Standards Agency's allergen guidance and its allergen matrix are the official place to start in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Can customers order catering online?
Yes, with an online ordering tool. Two tools here start from online ordering, for one location or several.
