POS for catering
Published by KwickPOS, a restaurant POS company. We include KwickPOS in comparisons and say so when we do. How we handle this.
Catering needs a POS that takes orders days or weeks ahead with a date, time and delivery address, collects a deposit and tracks the balance, prices packages per person with a headcount that can change, turns orders into prep and pull sheets for the kitchen, and handles invoices, house accounts and tax-exempt customers. Day-of-service features matter less.
A catering order is a small project: a quote, a deposit, a menu that changes as the event gets closer, a headcount that rarely stays put, a kitchen that has to know how much to make, and a delivery window that can't slip. Most POS systems are built for orders that are made and paid for within the hour. This guide covers what a POS needs to run catering, and what to test.
Quotes and orders ahead
- Future-dated orders with the event date, serving time, guest count, delivery or pickup, and address.
- Quotes you can send for approval and convert into an order without retyping.
- Changes up to a cutoff, with the total recalculating and the change logged.
- An event calendar showing every catering order by date, so the kitchen and drivers can plan the week.
Deposits, balances and payment terms
- A deposit at booking, either a set amount or a percentage, applied to the final bill.
- The remaining balance visible on the order, with reminders before the event.
- Payment on invoice for business customers, and a house account for repeat customers who pay monthly.
- Card on file for the balance, with the customer's written authorization.
- A clear cancellation policy on the quote, and a record of what's refundable.
A 60-person lunch package at $22 per person totals $1,320. A 25% deposit of $330 is taken at booking. The client raises the count to 72 two days before the event: the total becomes $1,584 and the balance due is $1,254.
Per-person packages and headcount changes
Most catering menus are priced per person, with packages (a taco bar, a sandwich lunch, a buffet) and add-ons. The POS should:
- Price a package by guest count, with minimums if you have them.
- Recalculate the total and the ingredient quantities when the count changes.
- Add extras per person or per tray, and delivery and setup fees as their own lines.
- Show staffing or service charges separately from tips. The IRS says service charges added to a bill by the employer and distributed to employees are wages, not tips. The tip management guide explains more.
Prep and pull sheets for the kitchen
The kitchen needs to know, the day before and the morning of, how much of everything to make across every catering order:
- A production list totaling each item across the day's orders: trays of rice, pounds of protein, dozens of rolls.
- A pull sheet per order: what goes in which container, with labels.
- Allergy and dietary notes printed on the order and on the labels.
In the demo, enter three catering orders for the same day and ask for the combined production list.
Delivery and setup
- A delivery window, the address and a site contact on the order.
- A driver assignment and a checklist of what goes in the van: chafers, serving utensils, napkins, the invoice.
- A delivery fee calculated by distance or zone.
- Proof of delivery, if your business customers need it.
Tax-exempt customers
Schools, churches and other organizations may be exempt from sales tax. The POS should let you mark a customer as tax-exempt, store their exemption certificate number, and remove tax from their orders automatically. Rules on which organizations qualify and what documents you must keep are set by each state; check your state revenue department.
Business accounts
Repeat corporate customers need an account with several contacts, a billing address, a purchase-order number on each invoice, and a statement of their orders. Reports by account show your best catering customers.
Online catering orders
Letting customers order catering on your website, with lead-time rules (for example, at least 48 hours ahead) and a minimum order, saves phone time. Check that online catering orders arrive with the same packages, deposits and prep sheets as phone orders. See the online ordering guide.
What to bring to the demo
- Your catering menu and packages.
- A recent large order with a headcount change.
- Your deposit and cancellation policy.
- A tax-exempt customer's details (without the real certificate number).
Then run the general tests in how to choose a restaurant POS. The Mexican restaurant guide covers taco-bar catering.
Common questions
What does a catering POS need that a regular POS doesn't?
Future-dated orders, deposits and balances, per-person packages, headcount changes and combined prep lists.
How should deposits work?
Taken at booking, applied to the final bill, with the balance and the cancellation policy shown on the order.
Can a POS handle tax-exempt customers?
Many can mark a customer as tax-exempt and store their certificate number. Your state sets the rules.
Sources
- Tip recordkeeping and reporting, IRS. Checked October 1, 2026.