Elizabeth's Custom Catering, a catering company based in West Valley, Utah, was previously managing its business with outdated catering software that was downloaded to a network computer and required regular updates. The software was crashing frequently, and the team had trouble accessing their data. This resulted in a two-month period where they lost all kinds of data, and they had to switch to using QuickBooks and Excel to manage their catering orders.
To overcome these challenges, General Manager Wendy Banman and the team at Elizabeth's Catering started searching for a cloud-based solution and decided on CaterZen for its many features and benefits.
The team found CaterZen's catering software to be user-friendly, while the friendly, knowledgeable onboarding team at CaterZen helped them set up everything quickly. Moreover, CaterZen offered a lot of features that their previous software did not allow.
Streamlining Event Management with CaterZen's BEO Template Tool
The BEO template tool is an essential feature for Wendy and her team. As an off-site catering company, all of Elizabeth's Custom Catering's events are either custom or for returning clients, and CaterZen's flexible banquet event order tool works for all types of catering, making it very versatile.
The company's servers and event captains have access to the BEO tool, and they can pinpoint their specific event and look through it on their own, weeks before it happens. The kitchen team also has access to the BEO generated in CaterZen, and the executive chef loves it because he can look at events and know what he needs to order weeks in advance to get the best price available.
The BEO tool is like an expanded catering ticket because it includes pictures, detailed timelines, and lists what each server is supposed to be doing at the event. Some of Elizabeth's Catering clients want to see all the details of their event, including when the team will load their truck, and the BEO can list all of that information. The catering team finds it particularly helpful for larger events where they can print massive BEOs with pictures.
"There were many features [in CaterZen's catering software] that we were able to access right away that made us fall in love with it."
Wendy Banman, General Manager, Elizabeth's Catering
Mastering Time Management with CaterZen's Catering Calendar
The catering calendar feature included in the catering management software is one of the most helpful tools for Wendy and her team. They love the flexibility it offers, such as the ability to assign different colors to different events. For instance, weddings have one color, regular deliveries have another color, disposable deliveries have a different color, and plated dinners have their color. With this setup, they can take a glance at the calendar and quickly see the types of events they have scheduled for that week or month.
In addition to events, Wendy's team also adds their staff schedules to the calendar, which helps them to manage their staffing needs. This feature allows them to quickly identify which days are busy and which ones are not, and plan accordingly. With all of this information in one place, Wendy and her team can stay organized and efficient in their catering business.
Enhancing Professionalism with CaterZen's Catering Documents
Wendy and her team have experienced many benefits from using CaterZen's professional and consistent catering tickets, quotes, and invoices. They're now able to respond quickly to clients with quotes and email them directly from the software, saving them a lot of time. The software has also helped them maintain a professional image, with streamlined branding across all the forms that their clients receive. Invoices follow through with the same format as the catering tickets or quotes, making everything very cohesive.
Additionally, they can print out all the necessary information for their kitchen to ensure that everyone sees the same thing all the time. With cloud-based data, anyone on the team can access upcoming orders from anywhere, whether it's at home or in the kitchen.
Grow Your Catering Sales with CaterZen
If you'd like to see similar results, take the software for a spin by signing up for a free 30-day trial, or schedule a free "Non-Demo" Demo with our team, who can help you to uncover how our software can benefit your specific business' needs.
Also, check out more client testimonials and case studies to hear directly from clients about how CaterZen has changed the trajectory of their restaurants and catering businesses.
