Running a catering business involves juggling a variety of tasks – from managing orders and invoicing to staff scheduling and event coordination. The right software can help streamline these processes, reducing errors, saving time, and improving overall efficiency. In the UK, catering businesses have access to a variety of software tools tailored specifically for the industry.
In this blog, we’ll review some of the best catering software tools available in the UK, which help businesses manage orders, invoices, and staff schedules, all while improving operational efficiency.
Zoho Inventory
Zoho Inventory is a versatile inventory management software that can be a game-changer for catering businesses looking to streamline their order processing, stock management, and invoicing.
Key Features:
- Order Management: Zoho Inventory enables seamless tracking of orders from initial client requests to final delivery, ensuring timely service.
- Stock Control: It offers real-time tracking of stock levels, helping caterers avoid running out of ingredients or overordering, thus reducing waste.
- Invoicing and Payment Tracking: The software simplifies invoicing by generating customisable invoices for each order and keeping track of client payments.
- Multi-Channel Integration: Zoho integrates with multiple platforms, making it easier to manage orders from various channels, whether online or offline.
- Staff Scheduling: Although primarily known for inventory, Zoho integrates with other tools for scheduling, allowing managers to keep track of staff availability.
Why It’s Great for Caterers: Zoho Inventory is a great choice for catering businesses that need to manage orders efficiently while maintaining control over inventory. Its invoicing and multi-channel integration features ensure smooth operations across various touchpoints.
Xero
Xero is a UK-based accounting software widely used by small and medium-sized businesses, including catering companies. It’s particularly helpful for businesses that need a simple yet effective tool for managing finances, invoicing, and even payroll.
Key Features:
- Invoicing & Payments: Xero simplifies the invoicing process, allowing you to send professional invoices directly to clients, track payment status, and manage overdue accounts.
- Expense Management: The software helps you track expenses, ensuring that catering costs remain within budget and you maintain a healthy cash flow.
- Payroll Management: Xero offers a payroll solution to manage staff wages and tax compliance, which is invaluable for businesses with multiple employees.
- Real-Time Financial Reporting: Xero generates real-time financial reports that help you monitor the financial health of your business, making it easier to identify potential cost-saving areas.
Why It’s Great for Caterers: Xero is ideal for caterers looking for a straightforward, reliable tool for managing finances, invoicing, and payroll. It helps businesses ensure financial accuracy and optimise profitability without the need for extensive bookkeeping knowledge.
FlexiScheduler
FlexiScheduler is a staff scheduling software designed to streamline shift management for businesses with fluctuating staffing needs, such as catering companies. This tool helps managers quickly create and manage rosters, assign tasks, and track employee availability.
Key Features:
- Easy Staff Scheduling: FlexiScheduler makes it easy to create and adjust employee schedules, ensuring you have the right number of staff for each event or catering service.
- Employee Availability Tracking: The software allows staff to input their availability, ensuring that schedules are accurate and tailored to each individual’s preferences.
- Shift Reminders & Notifications: Employees receive automatic reminders of their shifts, reducing the risk of no-shows and last-minute cancellations.
- Time-Off Requests: Staff can submit time-off requests, which managers can approve or reject in real time, helping to maintain control over staffing levels.
- Mobile Access: FlexiScheduler comes with a mobile app, allowing both staff and managers to access and manage schedules on the go.
Why It’s Great for Caterers: FlexiScheduler simplifies the often complicated process of managing staff schedules, ensuring that the right team members are assigned to events. This can result in improved operational efficiency and staff satisfaction.
EasyCater
EasyCater is a UK-based online platform that focuses on managing catering orders, delivery logistics, and invoicing, making it a great choice for businesses handling a high volume of orders.
Key Features:
- Order Management: EasyCater allows businesses to take and manage orders seamlessly, tracking all orders from initial request to final delivery.
- Menu Management: Caterers can customise and update their menus, enabling easy price adjustments and adding new dishes in real time.
- Invoicing & Billing: The platform automates invoicing, reducing the time spent manually generating invoices and allowing businesses to focus on catering services.
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM): EasyCater includes CRM features, helping businesses track client preferences, send follow-up emails, and build strong customer relationships.
- Delivery Management: The platform helps caterers manage delivery logistics, ensuring timely and accurate deliveries for large events.
Why It’s Great for Caterers: EasyCater is a fantastic choice for catering businesses that manage a lot of customer orders and deliveries. It simplifies order management, invoicing, and customer communication, which improves efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Catering Software by Caterease
Caterease is a comprehensive catering software solution designed to help UK caterers manage everything from orders and invoices to scheduling and event planning. This software is ideal for businesses that handle large events and complex orders.
Key Features:
- Event Management: Caterease helps businesses plan and manage every detail of an event, including guest lists, menu options, and logistics.
- Order Management: The platform streamlines order-taking, ensuring that caterers can handle multiple clients and events without errors or delays.
- Invoicing & Payments: Caterease automates the creation of invoices based on event bookings, and offers easy tracking of payments.
- Staff Scheduling: Caterease helps businesses assign staff to specific events and shifts, ensuring that staffing needs are met without overbooking or under-staffing.
- Customer Management: The software tracks customer information, helping businesses provide personalised services and manage recurring orders effectively.
Why It’s Great for Caterers: Caterease is an excellent solution for caterers who need a versatile, all-in-one software tool to manage orders, invoicing, events, and staff scheduling. Its focus on event management makes it ideal for larger-scale operations.
Conclusion
In the fast-paced world of catering, having the right software tools in place can make a world of difference when it comes to improving efficiency and managing day-to-day operations. Whether you're focused on managing orders, tracking payments, or creating staff schedules, the software solutions mentioned above are some of the best in the UK catering industry.
From Zoho Inventory’s comprehensive order and stock management to Caterease’s robust event planning features, there is a solution to fit the needs of every catering business. By adopting these tools, UK caterers can streamline their processes, reduce errors, and boost overall productivity, allowing them to focus on what they do best: delivering exceptional catering services.
