For Catering Companies

Stop Losing Hours to Manual Invoicing Chaos Reclaim Your Time for What Matters – Delivering Amazing Events

Imagine saving 15+ hours per week on invoice processing, cutting errors by 80%, and boosting your team's productivity so you can focus on crafting those unforgettable catering experiences without the paperwork dragging you down.

Join 200+ businesses with streamlined operations and real ROI

Slash invoice processing time from days to minutes
Eliminate billing errors that eat into your profits
Free up your team to handle more events and happier clients

The "Invoice Overload" Problem

Chasing payments after last-minute menu swaps or guest count changes for weddings leaves your cash flow unpredictable, with delays averaging 10-15 days per event

Manual entry of custom menu add-ons like dietary upgrades or late vendor bills for seasonal ingredients creates costly errors during peak wedding seasons

Tracking multiple client deposits for corporate gigs with varying plated meal counts overwhelms your small back-office team, leading to missed follow-ups on 20% of events

Reconciling invoices with fluctuating food costs from produce markups or protein price hikes delays your month-end reporting by up to two weeks

Forgotten follow-ups on outstanding bills from one-off cocktail parties or birthday buffets strain relationships with potential repeat clients in the event space

Paper trails from on-site tastings of signature sauces or custom plated orders bog down your operational efficiency, wasting up to 5 hours per event setup

Our Custom AI-Powered Invoice Automation – Built Just for Catering

We've helped dozens of food service teams like yours ditch the drudgery, drawing from our experience building robust systems for high-volume event pros.

Why Choose Us

Here's the thing: catering isn't just about plating perfect meals; it's about seamless operations behind the scenes. At AIQ Labs, we craft invoice automation that's tailored to your workflow – from capturing event-specific line items like custom dessert platters to auto-matching them with client POs. No cookie-cutter software. We integrate directly with your tools, using AI to handle approvals, flag discrepancies in ingredient costs, and even predict payment delays based on client history. Let's be honest, you're probably thinking this sounds too good – but it's designed to fit your exact needs, saving you real time and headaches.

What Makes Us Different:

AI scans and extracts data from emailed invoices or photos of handwritten notes right after an event
Custom rules automate approvals for recurring vendors, like your go-to produce supplier
Seamless sync with your accounting software ensures payments align with event timelines

Unlock Tangible Time and Cost Savings for Your Catering Operation

Save 15-20 Hours Weekly on Manual Tasks

Save 15-20 Hours Weekly on Manual Tasks: Imagine your team skipping the post-event grind of tallying hors d'oeuvres counts from a corporate luncheon – our AI processes it in seconds, freeing up time for sourcing fresh local ingredients or scouting new venues, so you can handle 10-15% more events annually without adding headcount.

Achieve 5x Faster ROI with Reduced Errors

Achieve 5x Faster ROI with Reduced Errors: Manual invoicing often results in overpayments on volatile items like seafood or organic produce – our clients have recovered $5,000+ in the first quarter alone. The system slashes errors by 80%, speeding up cash flow to fund premium supplier contracts or seasonal menu innovations, transforming automation into a direct profit driver for your catering operations.

Boost Productivity and Client Satisfaction

Boost Productivity and Client Satisfaction: No more tense invoice chases after gala dessert stations that frustrate clients. Automated reminders synced to event timelines like setup and teardown bring payments in 30% faster. Your team pours energy into perfecting passed apps at weddings, earning glowing reviews and locking in 25% more repeat corporate bookings to expand your catering footprint.

What Clients Say

"Before AIQ, our small team drowned in invoices after every wedding – we'd lose a full day cross-checking last-minute vegan substitutions with supplier bills. Now, it's all automated, cutting our processing time by half. Last quarter, that sped up payments for our holiday cocktail receptions and helped us catch a $1,200 overcharge on floral-integrated centerpieces we nearly overlooked."

Maria Gonzalez

Operations Manager, Elite Events Catering

"I was skeptical at first, but they customized it to pull our bespoke order details, like spice level customizations, straight from the POS system. No more double-entry during peak summer barbecue season. We've saved about 12 hours a week, allowing us to book two extra destination weddings without overtime – it's like adding a sous chef without the payroll hit."

David Chen

Owner, Urban Feast Caterers – specializing in urban rooftop weddings and corporate fusion buffets

"The QuickBooks integration was seamless, and the AI instantly flags discrepancies in costs for items like heirloom tomatoes or imported cheeses. Post-implementation, our error rate plummeted from 15% to under 2%, and we're closing monthly books a full week earlier. This has revolutionized our handling of high-volume tech conference spreads."

Sarah Patel

Finance Lead, Gourmet Gatherings – providers of upscale corporate box lunches and gala plating services

Simple 3-Step Process

Step 1

Discovery and Workflow Mapping

We dive into your catering operations – chatting about your event types, billing pain points, and tools like your reservation system. This ensures we build something that mirrors your daily rhythm, from buffet setups to plated dinners.

Step 2

Custom AI Design and Build

Our engineers craft your tailored automation, training the AI on your invoice patterns like seasonal menu fluctuations. We test it with real scenarios, like a sudden guest count change, to guarantee it fits without disrupting your service.

Step 3

Seamless Integration and Launch

We connect it to your existing setup, train your team with hands-on sessions, and go live. Ongoing support keeps things humming, so you see those time savings from day one while keeping your client experience top-notch.

Why We're Different

We build from scratch for your catering needs, not forcing you into rigid templates that ignore event-specific chaos like last-minute dietary tweaks.
True ownership means no endless subscriptions – you get a scalable system that grows with your business, unlike fragile no-code hacks that break under volume.
Our engineering-first approach delivers production-ready AI that handles complex integrations, preventing the downtime that plagues off-the-shelf tools during peak seasons.
We focus on quantifiable ROI, like hours saved per event, rather than vague promises, because we know catering margins are tight and every minute counts.
Deep industry insight from working with food service pros ensures solutions tackle real issues, such as auto-adjusting invoices for waste or overages, not generic fixes.
Unified systems eliminate the 'tool juggling' nightmare, creating one dashboard for all your invoicing – no more switching apps mid-event prep.
We prioritize security for sensitive client data, like VIP event details, with custom protocols that go beyond basic compliance.
Ongoing optimization based on your usage data keeps efficiency gains compounding, unlike static solutions that stagnate.
Our team includes former ops folks from hospitality, so we get the rush of a dinner service and design accordingly.
We measure success by your metrics – faster payments, happier teams – not just deployment, ensuring long-term value.

What's Included

AI-driven invoice capture from emails, photos, or scans of event contracts and vendor receipts
Automated line-item matching for custom catering elements like appetizers, mains, and bar tabs
Smart approval workflows that route based on event size or client type, with mobile notifications
Real-time discrepancy detection for cost variances in ingredients or labor add-ons
Seamless integration with POS, CRM, and accounting tools like QuickBooks or Xero
Predictive payment reminders tied to event calendars to accelerate cash inflow
Custom reporting dashboards showing invoice status by event, client, or vendor
Error-proof data validation to catch issues like duplicate charges from tasting sessions
Scalable for seasonal spikes, handling hundreds of invoices during wedding season without lag
Secure, compliant handling of client payment info with audit trails for every transaction
One-click exports to spreadsheets for quick reviews during busy prep periods
Personalized training and setup to match your team's workflow, ensuring quick adoption

Common Questions

How does this automation handle variable pricing in catering events?

Great question – catering prices can shift with guest counts or menu tweaks, right? Our AI is trained on your historical data to automatically adjust invoices for things like add-on desserts or overtime bar service. It pulls from your event management system, flags any anomalies for quick review, and updates totals in real-time. For example, if a corporate event adds 20 more heads mid-way, it recalculates without manual input, saving you from those error-prone spreadsheets. We've seen this cut revision time by 70% for clients, letting you focus on execution rather than arithmetic. Plus, it's all audit-ready for your records.

What if we have multiple vendors for ingredients and supplies?

You're probably thinking about the headache of syncing bills from produce suppliers, linen services, and florists – it's a common pain in catering. We build custom multi-vendor matching that categorizes and reconciles them against your master event invoice. The AI learns your typical vendors and auto-approves routine ones, while routing exceptions to the right team member via email or app alerts. One client, a mid-sized caterer, reduced their vendor reconciliation from 10 hours to under 2 per week this way. It's tailored to your workflow, so no generic mismatches, and integrates directly with your procurement tools for end-to-end visibility.

Is this secure for handling client payment details?

Absolutely, security is non-negotiable in food service where client trust is everything. We use enterprise-grade encryption and comply with standards like PCI DSS for payments, plus role-based access so only authorized staff see sensitive info from high-profile events. Your data stays in a custom, owned system – no third-party vulnerabilities. For instance, we anonymize details in dashboards but keep full logs for audits. Clients tell us this peace of mind lets them bill confidently for VIP galas without worry. We also include regular security audits as part of our service, ensuring it evolves with threats.

How long does it take to see ROI after implementation?

Let's be honest, you want results fast in a fast-paced industry like catering. Most clients see immediate time savings post-launch, with full ROI in 4-6 weeks. For example, processing an event's invoices drops from 4 hours to 20 minutes, freeing up bandwidth for more bookings. One team recouped our fees in two months through faster payments and fewer errors on a busy conference season. We track metrics like hours saved and error reduction from day one, adjusting as needed. It's not just savings; it's about scaling your operations without proportional cost increases.

Can it integrate with our existing event planning software?

Yes, integration is our specialty – we don't want you starting from scratch. Whether you're using something like CaterTrax, Planning Pod, or even Google Sheets for bookings, we create deep, two-way connections so invoice data flows automatically. For a wedding caterer we worked with, this meant pulling guest lists and menu selections directly into invoices, eliminating copy-paste errors. Setup takes 2-4 weeks, including testing with your real events. The result? A unified system that feels like an extension of your current setup, boosting efficiency without the learning curve of new tools.

What support do you provide after launch?

We stick around because we know catering doesn't stop at go-live. Post-launch, you get dedicated support for the first 90 days, including weekly check-ins to tweak based on your event volume. Our team handles updates for things like new tax rules or vendor changes, and we offer 24/7 monitoring to catch issues before they impact a big event. A client mentioned how our quick fix during their peak summer rush prevented a payment delay on a major festival gig. Beyond that, it's scalable maintenance plans tailored to your needs – think of us as your in-house tech partner, not a one-and-done vendor.

Ready to Get Started?

Book your free consultation and discover how we can transform your business with AI.