9 Questions to Ask Before Buying Catering Software

Choosing catering software is a decision you'll live with for a while — so it's worth asking the right questions before you commit. Here are nine questions that separate good platforms from ones that will cost you time, money, or both.

1. Do you charge per-order commissions?

This is the single most important financial question. Some platforms charge 15-25% on every order. On a $500 catering order, that's $75-$125 going to the software company instead of your restaurant.

What to look for: A flat monthly fee with zero per-order commissions. This means your costs are predictable and don't scale with your success.

Red flag: "We only take a small percentage." Any percentage on catering orders adds up fast. A restaurant doing $10,000/month in catering at 15% commission is paying $1,500/month — far more than any flat-fee platform would cost.

See our full breakdown of catering software pricing for specific comparisons.

2. Do I own my customer data?

When a customer orders through your platform, whose customer is that — yours or the software company's? This matters more than most restaurants realize.

What to look for: You should be able to export your full customer list (names, emails, phone numbers, order history) at any time. The data belongs to you.

Red flag: Marketplace platforms like ezCater own the customer relationship. You fulfill orders, but you can't contact those customers directly or market to them outside the platform. If you leave, your customer list stays with them.

3. Can customers order online without calling my restaurant?

Seems obvious, but some "catering software" is really just a management tool — it helps you track orders but doesn't provide a customer-facing ordering experience.

What to look for: A branded online ordering page where customers can browse your catering menu, customize their order, pick a date, and pay — all without picking up the phone.

Red flag: "Customers submit a quote request and you follow up." This isn't online ordering — it's a contact form. Real online ordering is self-service end-to-end.

4. Can I build catering-specific menus?

Catering menus have different requirements than dine-in menus. Your software should handle catering-specific structures:

What to look for:

• Per-person pricing for packages
• Minimum order amounts enforced in the ordering flow
• Lead time requirements (e.g., 24-hour advance notice)
• Modifiers for dietary options
• Package bundles with multiple items

Red flag: The software only supports individual item ordering (like a regular takeout menu). If you can't create "Executive Lunch Package — $18/person, minimum 15" as a single orderable item, the tool wasn't built for catering.

5. What does setup look like, and how long does it take?

Some platforms have you live in days. Others take weeks or months of implementation, training sessions, and data migration.

What to look for: A platform that gets you accepting orders within 1-2 weeks. The vendor should help you set up your menu, configure your ordering page, and test everything before you go live.

Red flag: Multi-week "onboarding programs," mandatory training sessions, or setup fees in the thousands. If the software is that complex to set up, it'll be that complex to use.

6. How does it handle payments — deposits, invoicing, corporate accounts?

Catering payments are more complex than dine-in. A $2,000 order placed two weeks in advance needs different handling than a $15 lunch.

What to look for:

• Credit card processing at time of order
• Deposit collection for large orders (e.g., 50% upfront)
• Invoicing for corporate accounts with net-15 or net-30 terms
• Automatic tax calculation
• Refund handling for cancellations

Red flag: "Payments are handled outside our platform." If you're accepting orders through the software but processing payments separately through Venmo, checks, or manual invoicing, you've added work instead of removing it.

Read more about catering payment strategies.

7. Can I use it alongside my existing POS?

Most restaurants already have a POS system. Your catering software shouldn't require you to switch.

What to look for: A standalone platform that works regardless of what POS you use — Toast, Square, Clover, Revel, or anything else. Catering orders flow through the catering platform; dine-in orders flow through your POS. No conflict.

Red flag: "Our catering features require you to use our POS." This locks you into an ecosystem and makes switching painful. Toast's catering add-on, for example, only works for Toast POS users.

8. What happens to my data if I leave?

Nobody plans to switch software, but you should know what happens if you do.

What to look for: Full data export — customer lists, order history, menu data — in a standard format (CSV, Excel). No hostage-taking.

Red flag: No export option, proprietary data formats, or "contact support to request your data." Your business data should be portable.

9. Is there a long-term contract?

Catering software should earn your business every month, not lock you in with a contract.

What to look for: Month-to-month billing. Cancel anytime. Maybe a money-back guarantee for the first 30 days.

Red flag: Annual contracts, multi-year commitments, or early termination fees. If the software is good, you'll stay because it works — not because you're contractually obligated.

A quick scorecard

Rate each platform you're evaluating:

Any platform that fails on the "High" weight items isn't worth considering for a restaurant. For a detailed comparison of the top platforms, see our full roundup.