Total Party Planner vs Caterease - many event managers and caterers compare the two in their quest to find software for their business. Both platforms offer solutions for event management and catering management, so it’s critical to uncover where their respective strengths lie.
In this comparison, we’ll run you through both software platforms. Expect to find out what each does, who it’s suited to, the main features, and pricing. This should give you some of the insights you need before making an investment.
About Total Party Planner
Software Overview
Total Party Planner is a web-based all-in-one software solution for catering businesses that work events. It helps caterers and event managers track their gigs across the event lifecycle, with features for kitchen management through to finances.
From the Total Party Planner (TPP) dashboard, you can perform administrative tasks such as creating proposals, handling leads, assigning staff duties, and viewing reports. At the same time, your team can access pertinent information related to event timelines, menu plans, and client communication.
All in all, TPP is straightforward to use and expandable through integrations. Pricing for a single user begins at $65 per month. But, in terms of features, the basic plan is somewhat more limiting than similar competitor plans.
Who is it Suited to?
Total Party Planner’s catering software is suited to any sized business. That said, due to the basic plan being somewhat limited, it’s typically favored by larger companies that can afford the more fully-featured plans.
Various stakeholders within the event ecosystem, including catering professionals, event organizers, and sales teams, find TPP useful for automating back-of-house and banquet management ops reports.
Top Features
TPP’s features are designed to help catering professionals automate event management functions. Some notable features across the plans include:
- Events calendar
- Task lists
- Communication tracking
- Document templates
- Reports
- Menu/ food costing
- Kitchen and banquet management
- Lead management
- Communication templates
- Native IOs and android apps
- CRM tools
- E sign capability
Let’s investigate a few of these in more detail.
Events Calendar
Customized input fields allow you to build events on TPP and record client and back-of-house requirements. Events are located in the dashboard calendar, where you can access this information.
Inventory Management
Different levels of restaurant inventory control are available on Total Party Planner's catering plans. To assist with accurate menu pricing and sufficient stock management, you can access features such as inventory tracking, menu recipe costing, and bulk update costing.
Task Lists
You can create and manage any number of tasks using the task management tool. These can be broken down into front- and back-of-house to-do lists, and delegated task lists for specific team members.
Communication Tracking
You can communicate with clients and track communication from TPP’s dashboard. It acts as a central hub to read and send emails, and keep tabs on correspondence.
Sales Reporting and Proposals
Successful event management relies on being able to act immediately on data insights from your catering gigs. TPP offers rich reporting features to generate profitability overviews, sales reports, and food costings. You can also create branded proposals, BEOs, and contracts with built-in templates.
Mobile App
Native IOS and Android mobile apps give you access to your catering software from any location. While this keeps you updated with the latest event details on the go, the app can be slightly frustrating to navigate.
Integrations
Integrations extend the functionality of your catering software in just a few clicks. On Total Party Planner, you’ll be able to connect:
- QuickBooks
- Microsoft Office
- Google Calendar
- Nowsta
- StaffMate Online
- AllSeated
- MailChimp
- Constant Contact
- ChefTec
- Outlook
- and more…
Pricing
Total Party Planner has three pricing packages to choose from.
- Nibble Plan for $65 per month (1 user included)
- Feast Plan for $165 per month (2 users included)
- Delicacy Plan for $365 per month (3 users included)
Additional users cost an extra $25 per user per month. Besides that, expect to pay a setup fee, which can be anything from $500 to $1,000, depending on your plan.
Read our full Total Party Planner review here.
About Caterease
Software Overview
When comparing Total Party Planner vs Caterease, the latter has more general event planning tools. It’s an event planning and catering software solution that helps businesses manage tasks across the event timeline.
Caterease has features to help several types of hospitality organizations streamline business operations for. In particular, it’s known for its event booking forms, comprehensive checklists, automated reminders, CRM, and built-in documents.
Founded in 1991, Caterease is one of the longer standing names in the industry. This shows in its slightly dated interface compared to other similar platforms.
Who is it Suited to?
Initially, Caterease was built for catering businesses to help with all their catering ops requirements. Today, the software offers solutions for other hospitality businesses that provide catering, including hotels, restaurants, and event venues.
Top Features
As a quick overview, some of the platform’s top features include:
- Event booking forms
- Automatic reminders and checklists
- Mobile app
- Packing lists
- Menu and recipe tools
- Custom event prints
- Client management
- Analytics and reporting
- Secure online payment processing
Now, let’s look at these in more detail.
Client Management Tools
Caterease comes with tools to help you manage customers and improve their experience. A CRM tool lets you pull up client information, review their history, schedule communication reminders, and nurture leads.
Mobile App
Like TPP, Caterease has a free iOS and Android mobile app. You can access your software from anywhere, as long as you have an internet or WiFi connection.
Calendar Feature
A central booking calendar allows you to keep up with event details according to dates. When you click into the event, you can schedule staff, automate reminders, create and customize event prints, and more.
Business Reports
A reporting module gives you access to revenue forecasts, event details, payment tracking, client activity, etc. Sort and filter this data to uncover areas for improvement in your business.
Event Booking Forms
Caterease gives you templated web inquiry forms to publish on your website. This can help capture leads for your business and reduce time spent on tasks related to online bookings.
The forms ensure that details are entered consistently, helping to ensure you receive all the necessary booking or inquiry information from clients.
Automatic Checklists and Reminders
Automated reminders and packing lists help to streamline preparation leading up to your events.
Scalable Recipes and Sub-Recipes
Save time and money using the scalable recipes feature. This allows you to generate more accurate menu costings for your events.
Integrations
This software offers the following integrations with third-party systems:
- QuickBooks
- Sage
- Constant Contact
- Client Point
- DocuSign
- Zuppler (online ordering)
- HPay
- ChefTec
- Howsta
- AllSeated
- and more…
Pricing
Caterease also has three pricing plans:
- Express Plan for $68 per month
- Standard Plan for $100 per month
- Professional Plan for $132 per month
There’s a one-off set-up fee of $200. You’ll have to pay $28 for every additional user on your plan.
Read our full Caterease review here.
Conclusion
Now that we’ve run through Caterease vs Total Party Planner, you should understand each platform’s strengths and potential weaknesses better. The former helps event planners and caterers automate and streamline their operations, while the latter is more focused on catering business.
They are priced similarly for entry and mid-level plans. However, TPP costs more for the fully-featured platform. When it comes to UX, TPP comes out on top with a newer interface.
If you’re looking for affordable and easy-to-use event management software, check out Perfect Venue. It’s an all-in-one solution for independent restaurants, unique venues, event centers, breweries, and more. Try it for free or arrange a comprehensive demo with the team to see if Perfect Venue is right for you.
