Software for caterers: per-guest quotes, the final count and the balance

Catering is priced per guest and paid in two parts. The deposit holds a Saturday in June; the balance depends on a number the client gives you ten days before the event, and that number always changes. Between the two, there's a tasting, a menu that gets revised three times, and a contract that has to say what happens when 150 guests becomes 128.

From the inquiry to the final count

1. The client fills out an event request form: date, venue, guest count, service style (plated, buffet, stations, drop-off) and dietary needs as counts, such as "6 vegetarian, 2 nut-free". Pick "Drop-off" and the form skips the staffing questions.
2. They book a tasting on your Scheduling page as a paid meeting type, for example $75 credited to the final bill, with a refund if they cancel 72 hours ahead.
3. Send a proposal priced per guest: the guest count as the quantity and the per-person price as the unit price, plus lines for staff hours, rentals and your service charge, with a deposit percentage. The total adds itself up.
4. The contract goes out for E-Signatures: the final-count deadline (for example 10 days before), the minimum guarantee, and the cancellation terms for the deposit.
5. The final menu goes to the client's portal as a PDF for approval; the version they approve is locked with their name. Files can be up to 25 MB.
6. Fourteen days out, an automation sends the final-count form. When the number comes in, edit the balance invoice draft created from the proposal to the final count and send it with the due date in your contract.

A typical week in wedding season

• Monday: five event requests. Two book Thursday tastings and pay at booking.
• Tuesday: a June wedding accepts the per-guest proposal at 150 guests. The contract and deposit invoice go out the same hour.
• Wednesday: the final count for Saturday comes in at 128. You update the balance invoice and send it; it's paid by card that evening.
• Thursday: tastings. You log the produce and the hours as expenses against each event.
• Saturday: the event. The following week, an automation asks the client for a review.

All 13 tools, one by one

How a caterer or private chef uses each tool, from the first request to the last balance.

• Link in Bio: your Instagram bio link with sample menus, the event request form, the tasting booking and a signup for holiday catering announcements.
• Short Links: a QR code on the buffet signage or the drop-off box that opens your event request form, counting each scan.
• Forms: the event request form and the final-count form, with dietary needs collected as counts per meal, not guests' names.
• Scheduling: paid tastings and venue walk-throughs as meeting types, with the tasting fee charged at booking and refunded inside your cancellation window.
• Proposals: per-guest pricing as quantity times unit price, plus staffing, rentals and service charge lines, a deposit percentage and an expiration date.
• E-Signatures: the catering contract with the final-count deadline and minimum guarantee, signed by the client and, for a corporate event, their approver in order.
• Document Tracking: your full menu and pricing guide as a PDF, with a view record so you know a lead read the package pages before the call.
• Screen Recording: a short video walking a corporate client through the menu options and service styles when the decision-maker missed the tasting.
• Notes & Boards: a board per event month with tasks by date (order rentals, confirm staff, buy produce), and a page per event with timings and venue access notes.
• Time Tracking: staff and prep hours per event, so you can see whether your labor estimate per guest holds up.
• Invoicing: the deposit and the balance from the proposal, the balance edited to the final count, with your local sales tax rate on the invoice.
• Expenses: produce, rentals, disposables and fuel per event, with receipt photos, so each event shows its food cost.
• Automations: 14 days before the event, the final-count form goes out; when the balance invoice is paid, a review request follows a week later.

Permits and sales tax

• Food safety rules for caterers come from state and local agencies. The FDA publishes the Food Code as a model, and state, local, tribal and territorial agencies adopt it, often with changes, and issue the permits. Check with your state or county health department about the license and kitchen your catering needs.
• In New York, the Department of Taxation and Finance says a caterer's charges for food, drinks and event services are taxable, even when listed separately, and a service charge that isn't stated as a gratuity is taxable.
• In California, CDTFA Publication 115 says a mandatory tip, gratuity or service charge is part of taxable gross receipts; an optional one isn't. Other states have their own rules, so check before you set up your service charge line.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules vary by state; check yours with a lawyer or your licensing board.

SoloWOS, HoneyBook or catering software: which fits

Catering-specific software such as Caterease or Total Party Planner focuses on menus, event orders and kitchen operations; check their sites for what each includes and costs. HoneyBook and SoloWOS cover the client side: quotes, contracts and payments.

Choose catering software or HoneyBook if:

• You need prep lists, event orders for your kitchen or menu costing tied to recipes: look at catering software.
• You want one invoice with a payment plan that HoneyBook processes for you.

Choose SoloWOS if:

• Your kitchen runs on its own lists and what you need is quotes, contracts, tastings and invoices.
• You want card payments in your own Stripe account and one published price for every tool.

Prices and features checked between October 17 and 23, 2026 on each company's site.

Start with these three

Proposals with your per-guest menus as templates, E-Signatures for the contract with the final-count deadline, and Automations to send the final-count form on time. The rest can wait until wedding season starts.

Free tools that help

• Profit margin calculator to check a per-guest price after food and labor.
• Break-even calculator to find the minimum guest count worth booking.
• Business days calculator for the final-count deadline.
• Payment fee calculator to see what card fees take from a large balance.

What SoloWOS won't do for a caterer

• No kitchen prep sheets, recipe costing, inventory or banquet event orders.
• No point of sale for drop-off orders or a storefront.
• No payment plans on one invoice: deposit, middle payment and balance are separate invoices.
• Clients can't upload floor plans or photos through forms.
• SoloWOS doesn't file taxes, issue 1099s or collect sales tax for you. Invoicing sends the invoice with a pay link (card through your Stripe account) and your other payment details; your accountant or tax software handles the rest.