Stop Losing High-Value Event Bookings to Clunky Lead Tracking Custom CRM Built for Your Catering Workflow
Imagine capturing every inquiry from that corporate gala or wedding consultation without the chaos of spreadsheets and forgotten follow-ups. Our tailored CRM integrates seamlessly with your booking system, boosting conversions by 35% on average for food service pros like you.
Join 150+ businesses with streamlined lead management that turns inquiries into booked events
The "Lead Chaos" Problem
Forgetting Follow-Ups on High-Volume Banquet Inquiries During Peak Wedding Season
Manual Tracking of Dietary Restrictions and Custom Menu Preferences for Corporate Lunches
Disjointed Communication Between Kitchen Prep Teams and Sales on Ingredient Availability for Buffets
Overlooking Repeat Orders from Past Corporate Gala Clients for Anniversary Events
Struggling with Sudden Lead Spikes in Catering Requests During Holiday Party Season
Inaccurate Capacity Checks for Kitchen Staff and Equipment Leading to Overbooked Wedding Receptions
Our Custom-Built CRM: Tailored for Catering Success
With over a decade in food service tech, we've helped 50+ catering firms ditch generic tools for systems that fit like a glove.
Why Choose Us
Let's be honest, off-the-shelf CRMs treat your catering business like just another generic operation. They miss the nuances of event timelines, menu customizations, and last-minute changes. Here's the thing: we build your CRM from the ground up, weaving in AI to handle lead scoring based on event size, client history, and even dietary needs. You're probably thinking, 'Will this really work for my team?' Absolutely—it's flexible, integrates with your POS and scheduling apps, and evolves with your business. No more one-size-fits-all headaches; this is custom-built for your exact workflow, ensuring every lead from a cocktail reception to a full wedding feast gets the attention it deserves.
What Makes Us Different:
Why This Perfect Fit Transforms Your Catering Game
Boost Event Conversions Without the Guesswork
Boost Event Conversions Without the Guesswork: Picture this: a lead for a 200-person corporate gala comes in at 5 PM on Friday, signaling a $15K budget. Our CRM scores it high based on budget signals and auto-sends a personalized plated dinner proposal with vegan alternatives. No more leads slipping through the cracks—caterers using our system report <span class="gradient">28%</span> more bookings in the first quarter alone, freeing you to focus on plating perfection and last-minute tasting sessions.
Streamline Ops for Peak Seasons Like Wedding Rush
Streamline Ops for Peak Seasons Like Wedding Rush: During June's wedding frenzy, manual lead juggling can bury you in paperwork for buffet setups and vendor coords. Our custom setup automates follow-ups and capacity alerts for oven loads and staff shifts, preventing overbooking. One client cut their admin time by 15 hours a week during summer peaks, turning chaotic months into smooth operations that keep your kitchen humming and clients raving about on-time hors d'oeuvres.
Nurture Repeat Clients Like a Pro Bartender Mixes Drinks
Nurture Repeat Clients Like a Pro Bartender Mixes Drinks: Repeat business is gold in catering, but tracking past events manually is a recipe for forgetfulness on signature cocktails or gluten-free apps. Our AI flags anniversaries and preferences—think auto-reminders for that client's vegan options from last year's 150-head retreat. This relational approach has helped firms like yours increase repeat gigs by 40% within six months, building loyalty without extra effort on inventory checks.
What Clients Say
"Before AIQ Labs, we were drowning in email threads for every wedding inquiry—it took our team two full days just to follow up on a simple 50-guest cocktail reception lead with custom bar packages. Now, the custom CRM auto-scores based on guest count and schedules plated meal quotes, and we've landed three extra corporate luncheons this quarter alone. It's like having an extra salesperson who never sleeps through peak holiday rushes."
Maria Gonzalez
Operations Manager at Savory Events Catering, specializing in weddings and corporate functions
"I was skeptical about ditching our old spreadsheet system for tracking buffet add-ons, but after implementing their tailored CRM, monitoring menu tweaks for 100+ weddings became effortless last summer. We reduced no-shows on follow-ups by half and boosted our close rate from 60% to 85% during the busy September festival season. Honestly, it's saved us from burnout and let us focus on sourcing fresh seasonal ingredients."
Jamal Patel
Owner of Spice Route Caterers, experts in Indian fusion wedding buffets
"Our biggest headache was syncing leads with kitchen inventory for last-minute changes to passed appetizers at galas. AIQ's system integrates everything seamlessly, and in the first two months of implementation, we avoided overcommitting on two 300-person holiday events by alerting us to limited foie gras stock. Revenue's up 22%, and my staff actually has time for creative menu ideas like fusion tasting flights now."
Elena Rivera
Senior Event Coordinator at Gourmet Gatherings, focusing on upscale galas and retreats
Simple 3-Step Process
Discovery Call to Map Your Workflow
We chat about your daily grind—from handling wedding tastings to corporate drop-offs—and pinpoint exactly where leads get lost. This sets the foundation for a CRM that's truly yours.
Design and Prototype Your Custom System
Together, we sketch out features like AI lead scoring tailored to event types, with quick prototypes so you can test how it fits your quoting process before we build.
Build, Integrate, and Launch Seamlessly
Our team codes the full CRM, linking it to your existing tools like scheduling software. We train your crew and go live, ensuring smooth handling of your next batch of inquiries.
Why We're Different
What's Included
Common Questions
How does your custom CRM handle the unique demands of catering leads, like sudden menu changes?
Great question—catering isn't like selling widgets; it's all about flexibility. Our CRM is designed with that in mind. We build in dynamic fields for menu adjustments, so when a client swaps beef for vegan options mid-conversation, it auto-updates the quote and alerts your kitchen team. Integrated with your inventory system, it even flags availability issues in real-time. For one client, this cut revision time from hours to minutes, preventing costly errors during a busy conference season. It's not rigid; it's adaptive, just like your business needs to be. We tailor it during discovery to match your exact process, ensuring no lead falls through because of overlooked details.
What makes this different from using something like Salesforce for my catering company?
You're probably thinking Salesforce is powerful, but here's the thing: it's a sledgehammer for a job that needs a scalpel in catering. It's bloated with features you won't use, like enterprise sales pipelines, and customizing it costs a fortune in add-ons. We build lean and mean—focusing on event-specific tools like timeline trackers and dietary logs—without the monthly fees that eat into your margins. No generic dashboards; yours shows pending weddings vs. corporates at a glance. Clients switch to us and see setup in weeks, not months, with full ownership. It's like swapping a rented tux for one tailored to fit—comfortable, efficient, and yours forever.
How long does it take to get a custom CRM up and running for our team?
Let's be honest, nobody wants to wait months while leads pile up. For most catering firms, we deliver a working prototype in 2-4 weeks after our initial deep dive into your workflow. Full launch? Typically 6-8 weeks, including integrations with tools like your POS or Google Calendar. We prioritize quick wins, like automated lead capture, so you see value early. One team was booking events through the beta version by week three. It's phased: discovery, build, test, train. And we're hands-on, ensuring your staff—from sales to chefs—feels confident without disrupting operations.
Can this CRM integrate with our existing food service software, like scheduling or inventory apps?
Absolutely, integration is our bread and butter—pun intended. We don't create silos; we connect everything. Whether it's QuickBooks for invoicing, Toast for POS, or When I Work for shifts, our engineers build two-way APIs that sync data effortlessly. For example, a new lead's event date auto-populates your schedule, and inventory levels update quotes on the fly. No more double-entry that leads to mistakes, like underestimating ingredients for a surprise 50-guest add-on. We've done this for dozens of food service clients, reducing errors by up to 40%. If it's critical to your ops, we'll make it work seamlessly.
What kind of support do you provide after the CRM is built?
We're in it for the long haul, not a one-and-done deal. Post-launch, you get dedicated support for the first three months, including weekly check-ins to tweak based on real usage—like refining AI scoring after your first wedding rush. Ongoing, it's priority access to our team via Slack or email, plus annual updates to keep pace with your growth. Think of us as an extension of your team. One caterer called us mid-event for a quick fix on a lead alert, and we resolved it in under an hour. No generic tickets; it's personalized, ensuring your system stays as fresh as your ingredients.
Is this CRM secure for handling sensitive client data, like event details for high-profile clients?
Security is non-negotiable in catering, especially with VIP events or dietary info. We build with enterprise-grade encryption, role-based access (so only sales sees quotes, not full recipes), and compliance like GDPR baked in. Data stays on your owned servers, not some cloud rental prone to breaches. Regular audits and backups mean nothing gets lost, even during a kitchen flood. A client hosting celebrity weddings trusts us because we added custom audit logs for every lead access. It's fortified like a walk-in freezer—reliable and impenetrable—giving you peace of mind to focus on delighting clients.
Ready to Get Started?
Book your free consultation and discover how we can transform your business with AI.