Catering management software and online ordering for UK caterers

Menuthere is catering software for small UK caterers who want orders to arrive complete, on time and paid. Customers order buffets, party platters and office lunches from your own catering ordering page. They pick the date, the time and the number of portions. You set the minimum notice. Orders ring on your phone and print in the kitchen. You pay 0% commission on every plan, and card money goes to your own Stripe account.

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Who it is for

• Small and home-based caterers doing buffets, grazing tables and party food.
• Office and corporate lunch caterers delivering sandwich platters and hot lunches.
• Event caterers who sell set menus for christenings, birthdays and wakes.
• Restaurants and takeaways that want a separate catering menu for big orders.
• Food truck and street food traders taking private party bookings.

What Menuthere does not do

Big event caterers need proposals, event sheets, staff scheduling and equipment hire. Tools such as CaterSoft cover those jobs. Contract caterers that serve schools, hospitals or large offices often use platforms like Spoonfed. Menuthere is ordering-first: it gets the order in, with the date, portions and payment. It does not plan staff or build event proposals.

The UK catering order problem

Most small caterers run on WhatsApp, email and a diary. Typical problems:

• "Can you do 40 people for Thursday?" on Wednesday afternoon.
• Headcount changes by text, then lost.
• Dietary needs mentioned once, in a voice note.
• A quote sent as a photo of a notebook.
• Invoices chased for weeks.

A catering ordering system puts the rules up front. Customers see what you offer, how much notice you need and what it costs.

How UK caterers use Menuthere

1. Online catering menu sold by portion

Sell each dish in sizes such as serves 10, serves 25 or per head, each with its own price. Add extras like a dessert platter, extra sandwiches or disposable plates. Import your existing catering menu from a PDF or photo, then check it.

2. Minimum notice and delivery slots

Catering is never "ASAP". On Lite and above you control the calendar.

• Minimum notice, such as 48 hours before delivery.
• Booking window, such as up to 4 weeks ahead.
• Advance-notice dishes. If only some dishes need booking ahead, tick them and set the days you make them. Those dishes are ordered on their own.
• Fixed or rolling delivery slots, such as 11:30–12:00 for office lunches.
• Pre-orders while you are closed. A client can book at 10pm for next week.
• A prebookings list, sorted by slot, with orders due within the hour flagged at the top.

See pre-orders and slots.

3. Minimum order value

Many caterers set a minimum spend, such as £100 for delivery. Menuthere lets you set a minimum order value at checkout on every plan. On Lite and above you can add a free-delivery threshold, such as free delivery over £250, and discount codes that only apply above a set spend.

4. Quotes for bigger events

Not every job fits a fixed menu. For weddings and bespoke events:

1. Make a quote in our free catering quote maker. It starts in £ with 20% VAT for UK visitors. Add the menu, price per head, guests, staff and extras, VAT and a deposit percentage. Download a PDF or send it on WhatsApp.
2. Once agreed, take the deposit with a Stripe payment link. Menuthere doesn't take deposits or part-payments at checkout.
3. Take the balance by a second link or bank transfer before the event.

5. Delivery and packaging charges

Set basic delivery zones on Free, or advanced zones with fees by distance or zone on Lite and above. Add a packaging charge per order or per item. On Pro, your drivers can use the riders app and clients get a live tracking link.

6. WhatsApp for catering enquiries

Clients love to ask on WhatsApp. On every plan, a copy of each order goes to your WhatsApp number. On Pro, the official WhatsApp Business Platform on your own number sends automatic updates when the order is placed, accepted, ready and out for delivery. It can also remind clients about unfinished orders. Meta charges per message, separately from Menuthere. See WhatsApp ordering.

7. Repeat office clients

Office managers reorder the same lunch every month. Send them your link and a coupon (Lite). On Pro, use WhatsApp broadcasts and loyalty points to bring them back.

Catering software features checklist

What it costs: a worked UK example

A small caterer takes 25 orders a month at £240 on average, mostly office lunches and party platters. That is £6,000.

On big orders, a percentage fee is painful. The flat 20p in Stripe's fee barely matters on a £240 order. The app rates are Uber Eats' published UK rates (30% when Uber delivers, 13% with your own delivery, plus VAT). Other apps set their own rates, so see our delivery-app comparison and check current rates before you decide.

Dedicated event-management tools such as CaterSoft and Spoonfed do not publish UK prices (read 11 Oct 2026), so ask for a quote.

UK rules for caterers

Register with your council

Register your food business with your local council at least 28 days before you start trading (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). It is free and cannot be refused. This includes caterers working from home or a hired kitchen. Register where your kitchen is.

Food hygiene rating and food safety

Your kitchen will be inspected and rated 0 to 5 (Scotland: Pass or Improvement Required). You need a written food safety system based on HACCP. The FSA's Safer Food, Better Business pack works for most small caterers in England and Wales. Northern Ireland uses Safe Catering, and Scotland uses CookSafe. Plan how you keep hot food at 63°C or above and chilled food at 8°C or below, including in transport. These are the legal limits in England.

Allergens

For online and phone orders, allergen information for the 14 allergens must be available before the client orders and again on delivery. Menuthere covers the first part on every plan: tag the allergens (and calories, if you like) on each dish, and clients see them when they open the dish, before they order. On buffets, label each platter, or give the host an allergen sheet. Use our free allergen matrix maker. Ask about allergies on every order and repeat them on the kitchen ticket.

VAT on catering

• Food supplied under a contract to cater for an event, such as a wedding, party or conference, is catering. It is standard-rated at 20%, even if the food is cold (HMRC VAT Notice 709/1, section 2.2).
• Hot food is standard-rated.
• Some cold food sold without a catering contract can be zero-rated. Get advice for your set-up.
• Prices to consumers must include VAT. Read our guide to VAT on takeaway food.

Card surcharges

You cannot add a fee for paying by card. Consumer card surcharges have been banned in the UK since January 2018.

Price your catering properly

Work out your food cost per head and your GP before you set portion prices. Our free GP calculator helps. Starting out? Read how to start a catering business in the UK.

Set up your catering ordering system

1. Sign up and add your business details.
2. Import your catering menu from a PDF or photo. Need a starting point? Copy one of our free catering menu templates.
3. Set portions (serves 10, 25, per head) and extras.
4. Tag allergens (and calories, if you like) on each dish, and add your cancellation terms to the item description.
5. Set notice, booking window and delivery slots (Lite).
6. Set delivery zones, fees and packaging charges.
7. Connect Stripe for card payments (Lite, US$17 a month, billed in US dollars, with a 7-day free trial; a card is needed to start, and nothing is charged until it ends), or take bank transfer.
8. Share the link with office managers, on Google, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Free for 50 orders a month. 0% commission, no contract.

Create your free catering ordering page