Stop Throwing Away Good Food on Bad Guesses Custom AI Forecasting That Fits Your Catering Chaos
Imagine cutting food waste by 40% while ensuring you never run out of key ingredients during wedding season. We build forecasting tools tailored to your off-site events, fluctuating menus, and client-driven demands—no more generic software forcing you into a box.
Join 150+ food service pros with streamlined ops and zero stockouts
The "Catering Crunch" Problem
Last-minute menu changes due to client allergy requests leaving you with spoiled perishables like fresh herbs and dairy
Seasonal event spikes, like holiday cocktail parties, causing frantic over-ordering of proteins and waste from unused garnishes
Inaccurate guest count forecasts for plated dinners leading to ingredient shortages mid-event, like running out of truffle oil
Multiple venue deliveries of bulk ingredients disrupting your mobile kitchen workflow during off-site banquet setups
Generic tools ignoring your custom recipes, like vegan substitutions for dairy in signature sauces, and allergy-driven menu tweaks
Cash flow hits from tying up funds in excess bulk buys of staples like rice and spices for unpredictable corporate gigs
Our Tailored AI Inventory Forecasting Built for Your Catering World
We've powered forecasting for 50+ food service teams, turning chaotic order sheets into predictable profits.
Why Choose Us
Let's be honest, off-the-shelf inventory apps treat every business like a cookie-cutter diner. But your catering operation? It's a whirlwind of pop-up events, finicky clients, and fresh produce that doesn't wait. We craft custom AI models that learn your unique patterns—from wedding peaks to corporate retreat slumps. Think of it like a sous chef who anticipates every rush hour, not some rigid recipe book. We integrate with your POS, supplier portals, and event calendars to forecast down to the bunch of herbs, ensuring operational efficiency while keeping customer experience top-shelf.
What Makes Us Different:
Why This Perfect Fit Changes Everything for You
Zero Stockouts, Happy Clients
Zero Stockouts, Happy Clients: Picture this: Your AI flags a shortfall in gluten-free pasta two days before the big gala, factoring in confirmed RSVPs and historical no-shows. No scrambling, no apologies. We've seen teams reduce shortages by 60% during peak wedding seasons, turning potential disasters into rave reviews that land repeat business for intimate receptions.
Cut Waste, Boost Margins
Cut Waste, Boost Margins: Overbuying salmon for a rainy outdoor wedding? Not anymore. Our custom models trim excess by learning your no-show rates, portion tweaks for family-style service, and weather impacts, saving one client $12K yearly on perishables like seafood and produce. More cash in your pocket, less guilt over tossed greens from buffet overruns.
Streamlined Ops for Your Team
Streamlined Ops for Your Team: You're probably thinking, 'My crew's already stretched thin prepping housemade sauces for a 150-guest corporate luncheon.' Our system automates the guesswork, generating order lists that sync with your mobile setup and supplier APIs. Teams report 15 hours saved weekly on inventory checks, letting you focus on plating perfection instead of spreadsheet wars during tight prep windows.
What Clients Say
"Before AIQ, we'd overstock for every event, wasting about $800 a month on veggies like heirloom tomatoes that went bad in the heat. Their custom forecast nailed our summer BBQ series by predicting grill usage and side portions—cut waste by half in the first quarter, and we actually had extra budget for staff bonuses during the busy season."
Maria Gonzalez
Operations Manager, Fiesta Events Catering, specializing in outdoor corporate barbecues in Austin, TX
"Corporate lunches are unpredictable, but this tool predicted a 30% uptick from our holiday bookings, adjusting for last-minute menu swaps to low-carb options. No more last-minute runs to the supplier for extra chicken breasts. Saved us from a nightmare shortage during a 200-head conference, and our client retention jumped 15% with flawless executions."
Jamal Reed
Executive Chef, Urban Edge Caterers, focusing on tech firm events in San Francisco
"We do a lot of weddings, and guest counts change constantly with add-ons like kids' meals. The AI integrates with our event software perfectly, forecasting down to the edible floral garnishes on dessert plates. Reduced our overages from 25% to under 5% in six months—finally, forecasting that gets our custom farm-to-table menus just right."
Sarah Kim
Owner and Lead Planner, Blossom Table Catering, boutique wedding services in Portland, OR
Simple 3-Step Process
Discovery Dive
We chat about your event calendar, menu rotations, and pain points—like those brutal peak weekends. No fluff, just mapping your workflow to build a forecast that hugs your reality.
Model Magic
Our engineers train AI on your data: past orders, client feedback, even local trends. It's like seasoning a signature dish—custom tweaks for accuracy, ready in weeks, not months.
Launch and Learn
We roll out your dashboard, integrate with suppliers, and monitor the first events. Fine-tune as you go, ensuring it evolves with your growing catering empire.
Why We're Different
What's Included
Common Questions
How does your forecasting handle the unpredictability of catering events?
Great question—catering's full of curveballs like last-minute guest adds or weather flips. Our AI digs into your past data, like how many RSVPs actually showed for summer barbecues, and layers in external factors such as local event calendars or even forecast apps. For one client, this meant predicting a 25% no-show rate accurately during flu season, avoiding over-prep on salads. We customize the model to weigh your specifics, like high-end weddings versus quick office lunches, so it's not guessing—it's learning your rhythm. Setup takes your input on key variables, and it refines over the first few events for pinpoint accuracy.
What makes this different from standard inventory software for restaurants?
Here's the thing: restaurant tools assume steady dine-in traffic, but catering? You're mobile, event-driven, and client-specific. Our solution's built for that—forecasting across venues, incorporating event briefs, and handling bulk buys for one-offs like 500 gourmet boxed lunches. No forcing your workflow into a diner mold. We integrate directly with tools like CaterTrax or your custom Excel trackers, predicting needs for custom sauces or vegan options that generic apps overlook. Clients tell us it feels like an extension of their team, cutting manual tweaks by 70% and fitting seamlessly into off-site ops.
How quickly can we see results after implementation?
You're probably thinking speed matters in this fast-paced world. We aim for a working prototype in 4-6 weeks, trained on your data for initial forecasts. By your next big event cycle—say, a month in—you'll see tangible wins, like 30% less waste on proteins. Full optimization hits around three months as the AI learns nuances, such as your average buffer for cocktail hour overruns. One catering firm we worked with reduced stockouts in their first wedding season post-launch, saving $5K in emergency buys. We monitor and adjust weekly to accelerate those gains.
Do I need to change my current suppliers or systems?
No disruptions here—we design around what you already use. Whether it's your go-to for fresh seafood deliveries or your event management software, our AI plugs in via secure APIs. For example, it can pull order histories from Sysco portals and sync with QuickBooks for cost tracking. No ripping out systems; we enhance them. A client with a patchwork of apps for weddings and corporates kept everything but gained unified forecasts, eliminating double-entry errors that used to eat hours. It's flexible, scaling as you add suppliers without starting over.
How do you ensure the forecasts account for food safety and waste reduction?
Food safety's non-negotiable in catering, so we bake it in. The AI flags high-risk items like dairy or seafood with expiration timelines, suggesting rotations to use them first in upcoming events. It also models waste patterns from your data—think post-event leftovers from overestimated charcuterie boards—and optimizes portions accordingly. We've helped teams comply with HACCP standards by generating audit-ready reports on stock turnover. One operator cut their waste from 18% to 6% in four months, not just saving money but reducing environmental impact, all while keeping ingredients fresh for that wow-factor plating.
What's the cost structure for a custom forecasting system?
We keep it transparent and tailored—no one-size-fits-all pricing. It starts with a discovery phase to scope your needs, like event volume or ingredient complexity, then a fixed build fee based on integrations (around $15K-$30K for most caterers). Post-launch, it's a low annual maintenance fee for updates, far less than juggling subscriptions. This gives you ownership, unlike monthly SaaS drains. For a mid-sized operation with 50 events yearly, ROI hits in 4-6 months through waste savings alone—think $10K+ recouped. Let's chat details in a consult to match your budget.
Ready to Get Started?
Book your free consultation and discover how we can transform your business with AI.