Stop Losing Hours to Manual Event Scheduling and Inventory Checks Reclaim Your Time with Custom AI Automation
Imagine saving 15-20 hours per week on repetitive tasks, cutting costs by 30%, and boosting your team's productivity so you can focus on what matters—delivering unforgettable catering experiences.
Join 250+ businesses with streamlined operations and happier teams
The "Event Chaos" Problem
Manually tracking event menus like plated dinners or buffet spreads across multiple wedding and corporate clients leads to errors like wrong allergen notes and last-minute kitchen scrambles
Manual inventory checks for perishables like fresh produce and proteins eating into prep time, causing overordering and wasted ingredients that hit profit margins hard
Coordinating staff schedules for high-volume weddings and corporate gigs via endless emails, leading to understaffed pass stations or overbooked line cooks
Chasing client approvals for custom dietary requests like gluten-free hors d'oeuvres or vegan entree swaps, delaying your mise en place and overall workflow
Forecasting ingredient needs for seasonal events like summer BBQs or holiday cocktail receptions, often resulting in excess spoilage of items like seafood or berries
Handling vendor communications for bulk deliveries of staples like flour sacks or meat cuts, prone to mix-ups like wrong-grade produce during peak rush hours
Our Custom AI Solution Built Just for You
With years of experience tailoring AI for food service pros, we've helped catering teams like yours turn chaos into smooth operations
Why Choose Us
Here's the thing: catering isn't just about great food; it's about nailing every detail under tight deadlines. At AIQ Labs, we build custom AI automations that fit your exact workflow—like automating event confirmations from client emails or predicting stock needs based on your busiest seasons. No off-the-shelf nonsense. We engineer it from the ground up, integrating with your tools for seamless efficiency. You're probably thinking, 'Will this really work for my setup?' Absolutely—we start with your pain points and craft a unified system that saves you time and headaches.
What Makes Us Different:
Unlock Tangible Time and Cost Wins
Slash Weekly Admin Time by 15+ Hours
Slash Weekly Admin Time by 15+ Hours: Let's be honest, tallying up client orders for custom cocktail hours and vendor quotes for fresh seafood manually is like prepping a feast blindfolded. Our AI handles it instantly, freeing your team to focus on plating perfect dishes. One caterer cut their planning time from 20 hours to 5 for a full wedding season, boosting event capacity by 25% to handle 10 more gigs annually. That's real ROI—more gigs without burnout.
Reduce Ingredient Waste and Costs by 30%
Reduce Ingredient Waste and Costs by 30%: Overstocking proteins or veggies for unpredictable events like 200-person galas? It's a recipe for spoiled goods and slim margins. We build predictive models using your historical data—like past BBQ orders—to forecast exactly what you'll need, down to the pound of ground beef. No more guessing—save thousands yearly on dairy and produce while keeping clients raving about fresh, on-point catering.
Boost Productivity with Automated Client Follow-Ups
Boost Productivity with Automated Client Follow-Ups: Chasing payments or feedback after big events like corporate luncheons drains energy better spent on new bookings. Our system automates personalized thank-yous with menu highlights and invoices, speeding up cash flow by 15 days on average. Teams report closing 20% more deals faster, turning one-off galas into repeat business without the legwork, like securing annual holiday contracts.
What Clients Say
"Before AIQ Labs, we were drowning in spreadsheets during peak wedding season—tracking linens, florals, and custom cake flavors for 50+ events. Now, the AI pulls it all together in minutes, including menu pairings, and we've handled 15 more weddings this year without adding staff. It's like having an extra event coordinator on the team who never sleeps."
Maria Gonzalez
Operations Manager, Bella Events Catering, specializing in upscale weddings in Chicago
"Our biggest headache was predicting veggie needs for 100+ corporate luncheons; we'd overbuy heirloom tomatoes and toss half by week's end. After implementing their custom forecasting, waste dropped 35% in just two months, saving us $8K on produce alone, and our margins improved noticeably. Finally, tech that gets the fast-paced realities of office catering."
Tom Reilly
Owner, Urban Bites Catering, focused on corporate events in New York
"Staff scheduling for weekend banquets with 150 guests was a nightmare—texts and calls nonstop about who could handle the carving station. The AI now auto-assigns based on availability, certifications like food safety, and event types, saving us about 10 hours a week. Our crew's happier, and we've cut overtime costs by 25% during holiday rushes."
Lisa Chen
General Manager, Feast & Fête Caterers, experts in banquet and private dining in San Francisco
Simple 3-Step Process
Discovery Call
We dive into your daily grind—event flows, pain points like rush-hour ordering—to map out a plan tailored to your catering ops.
Custom Build Phase
Our engineers craft your AI system, integrating it with your existing tools for seamless event tracking and automation.
Launch and Optimize
We roll it out, train your team, and tweak based on real use—like fine-tuning for holiday surges—ensuring it delivers ongoing wins.
Why We're Different
What's Included
Common Questions
How does this AI handle the unpredictability of catering events?
Catering events can shift fast—like a last-minute guest count change for a gala. Our custom AI is built to adapt, using machine learning on your historical data to predict adjustments. For instance, it can re-optimize inventory in real-time if a client adds 50 vegan options. We tailor it to your workflow, integrating with tools like your booking software, so you get alerts instantly. This isn't rigid software; it's flexible, saving you from reactive scrambles and typically cuts response time by half. We've seen teams handle 20% more variables without extra stress.
What's the ROI timeline for implementing this in my catering business?
You're probably thinking about quick wins amid busy seasons. Most clients see payback in 3-6 months through time savings—think 15 hours weekly on admin, equating to $5,000+ in labor costs for a mid-sized operation. We focus on high-impact areas like inventory forecasting, reducing waste by 25-30% right away. One caterer recouped our fee in four months by avoiding overorders during summer weddings. We provide a custom ROI projection during discovery, tracking metrics like hours saved and cost reductions to ensure it pays off fast.
Will this integrate with my existing catering management tools?
Absolutely—integration is our specialty. Whether you're using something like CaterTrax for bookings or QuickBooks for invoicing, we build deep, two-way connections so data flows effortlessly. No more manual exports that lead to errors during peak event rushes. For example, event details from your CRM can auto-populate inventory needs, streamlining prep. We've handled setups for diverse tools in food service, ensuring compatibility without disrupting your ops. It's all custom-coded for reliability, unlike brittle no-code links.
How much customization is involved for a small catering team?
Even for smaller teams, we make it fully bespoke—no templates here. We start by auditing your specific challenges, like coordinating pop-up events or boutique weddings, then build automations that fit like a glove. A 10-person operation might get AI for auto-generating shopping lists from client briefs, saving 8 hours weekly. It's scalable, starting simple and expanding as you grow. Our process includes your input at every step, so it feels like an extension of your team, not an imposed system.
What if my team isn't tech-savvy—can they use this easily?
We get it; your crew is pros at plating, not programming. That's why we design intuitive interfaces, like simple dashboards showing event status at a glance—no coding required. Training takes just a couple sessions, focusing on everyday tasks like checking stock alerts on mobile. For a recent client, chefs now update menus via voice commands during prep, cutting input time. It's user-friendly by design, with ongoing support to ensure adoption. The goal? Empower your team to focus on creativity, not tech hurdles.
How secure is this for handling sensitive client data in catering?
Security is non-negotiable, especially with client details like allergies or payment info. We use enterprise-grade encryption and compliance standards (think GDPR for events), building everything on secure, owned infrastructure. Your data stays in your control—no third-party subscriptions risking breaches. We've audited systems for food businesses, ensuring features like access logs for staff changes. In practice, this means peace of mind during high-stakes events, with zero tolerance for downtime or leaks.
Ready to Get Started?
Book your free consultation and discover how we can transform your business with AI.