Turn catering orders into a smoother, more predictable part of your business

Let customers place and pay for large orders online—so you spend less time answering calls and more time preparing with confidence.

Catering orders shouldn’t feel harder than they need to be. They should be just as organized, trackable, and reliable as your daily takeout — only structured for the scale, timing, and detail that large orders require. That’s what Takeout Button® is built for.

Why catering orders often become a headache for restaurants

Catering isn’t just bigger orders — it’s more details, more coordination, and more ways things can go wrong. When orders come in by phone, email, or text, it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks.

  • Orders scattered across calls, emails, and messages — easy to miss details
  • No prepaid deposits means higher cancellation risk
  • Last-minute requests create kitchen chaos
  • Manual confirmations waste your team’s time
  • No single place to see what’s coming up this week

Why Restaurants Need Their Own Online Catering System

Third-party platforms help with visibility, but they weren’t built for repeat catering clients, large orders, or the margins that keep your business healthy. Running your own catering system on your website changes that.

Icon representing higher profit margins on direct catering orders

Keep more of what you earn

Catering orders have real margins. Take them directly on your website and keep more of the revenue instead of giving it away in platform fees.

Icon representing ownership of catering customer data

Know your catering customers

Offices and schools that order once often order again. When catering comes through your system, you keep their history, preferences, and contact info — so repeat business is easy to build.

Icon representing branded customer experience for catering

Own the customer experience

Your branding, your menu, your communication. No competing ads, no distractions — just a clean path from order to fulfillment.

Icon representing simplified catering operations

One place for every catering order

No more checking emails, texts, and sticky notes. Every order lives in one dashboard, organized and easy to find.

Trusted by independent restaurants across the US

Rain Sushi — Takeout Button restaurant client
Apple Market — Takeout Button grocery client
Kao Thai — Takeout Button restaurant client
Gershy's Cafe — Takeout Button restaurant client
La Teresita — Takeout Button restaurant client

“Catering used to mean phone tag and lost orders. Now it runs itself.” — Rain Sushi, Takeout Button® client

Catering isn’t just bigger orders — it’s a different workflow

Large, scheduled orders come with expectations that daily takeout doesn’t have. Customers need to order in advance. Choose larger quantities. Give specific instructions. Coordinate pickup or delivery timing.

Without the right structure, this turns into endless back-and-forth that slows everything down. A dedicated catering system keeps it clear from the start — so every order arrives complete, organized, and ready for your team.

Online catering menu with food items and order cart on Takeout Button's branded catering ordering system

This online catering system is a good fit if you:

  • Take catering orders by phone, text, or email today
  • Struggle to track large, scheduled orders
  • Serve offices, schools, or events on a regular basis
  • Want to collect payment upfront so cancellations don’t cost you
  • Need one place to see every upcoming catering order

How the Online Catering System Works — From Order to Fulfillment

Each step is designed to reduce confusion, eliminate back-and-forth, and give your team the information they need upfront — without adding work to your day.

1
Customer Places Catering Order

Customers browse your catering menu, select what they need, choose a date and time, and submit everything in one place.

2
Order Is Confirmed Automatically

Customers receive a clear email confirmation with all order details — no back-and-forth needed.

3
Your Team Gets Notified

Your catering team receives full order details instantly via text and email.

4
Upcoming orders stay visible in one place

Every catering order appears in a central view, so you can plan prep, staffing, and ingredients without surprises.

5
Get Paid Upfront

Funds are processed securely and deposited to your account — no invoicing, no chasing payments.

6
Fulfill the order your way

Handle pickup or delivery with your own team — or tap into our on-demand delivery network when you’d rather not run it yourself.

Use it on its own — or connect it all

Catering can run as a standalone system, and for many restaurants, that’s enough. When you’re ready to grow, adding Takeout Button® online ordering or online shop keeps everything on the same platform — so your takeout, catering, and retail orders all live in one place.
One platform. One dashboard. Every digital revenue stream working together.

Built for How Restaurant Catering Actually Works

Every feature exists to solve a problem restaurants actually run into. Here’s what that looks like day-to-day.

Plan ahead with confidence

  • Set clear lead times that work for your kitchen: Decide how far in advance orders must be placed — so your team always has time to prepare without scrambling.
  • See every upcoming order at a glance: A future-orders view shows what’s coming this week, next week, and beyond — so prep, staffing, and inventory decisions are easy.
  • Run catering on its own schedule: Catering hours can be separate from your daily takeout hours — so you’re never stuck filling catering during a dinner rush.

Handle large orders without chaos

  • Offer catering-specific options and fees: Add delivery fees, setup fees, or custom menu options that only apply to catering orders.
  • Support tax-exempt clients the right way: Mark non-profits or corporate clients as tax-exempt, and generate the reports you need at tax time.
  • Keep checkout clear and guided: Customers follow a straightforward checkout flow — select items, set timing, confirm details — so orders arrive complete.

Stay organized without thinking about it

  • Get notified the moment an order comes in: Text and email alerts reach your team instantly, so no order gets missed during a busy shift.
  • All catering orders in one place: No more digging through emails, texts, and notes. Every order lives in one dashboard.
  • Built as a standalone system: Catering runs independently from your POS and daily takeout — so large advance orders never mix with your walk-in rush.

Frequently Asked Questions

Since catering orders collect payment upfront, your cancellation and refund policy applies. You maintain control over whether and how refunds are issued.

Yes. You can set minimum order requirements so catering requests meet a threshold that makes fulfillment worthwhile for your kitchen.

Restaurants receive catering order details via text message and email to ensure large orders are not missed.

Yes. Restaurants can set separate catering hours to support catering as an independent revenue stream from daily takeout and delivery operations.

Yes. The catering system operates as a standalone solution separate from your POS, so large advance orders don’t interfere with your daily kitchen workflow.

Not unless you want to. Takeout Button® connects you to an integrated delivery network of on-demand drivers specifically vetted for catering — experienced with large orders, equipped with larger vehicles to transport trays and setups safely, and trained to handle the logistics of corporate and event deliveries.

Yes. Restaurants can mark clients as non-profit, waive taxes automatically during checkout, and generate tax-exempt reports on demand.

See How This Online Catering System Could Work for Your Restaurant

Explore the demo to get a feel for how the system works — no signup needed. Or skip ahead and book a strategy call to talk through your catering setup, menu, and goals with our team.

Explore Interactive Demo Book a Strategy Call

Serving independent restaurants across the United States — from neighborhood spots to multi-location catering operations.