Catering / private chef / meal prep software, built around IRS, ServSafe and banquet Event Order

Arkathos gives a catering a workspace tailored to how the work actually runs — This workspace is built around booking events — quote, contract, deposit, and the cook date — not a cash register. Arkathos tailors a catering workspace around 5 agents: Sentinel, Quartermaster, Treasury, Scribe, Herald.

Compliance a catering can't afford to miss

Watchtower tracks every license, bond, insurance policy, and continuing-education requirement for a catering, with renewal cadences and staged reminders so nothing lapses.

• A catering must maintain a Caterer / Food Service Establishment Permit (catering), through the Local (county/city) health department, which renews every year.
• A catering must maintain a Commissary / Commercial Kitchen Agreement (off-site prep), through the Local health department (permitted commissary / commercial kitchen operator), which renews every year.
• A catering must maintain a Certified Food Protection Manager (ServSafe Manager / CFPM), through the ANSI-CFP / ANAB-accredited program (e.g., National Restaurant Association ServSafe), which renews every 5 years.
• A catering must maintain a Food Handler Card / Certificate (staff), through the State/local health department via ANAB-accredited training provider, which renews every 3 years.
• A catering must maintain a Temporary / Special-Event Food Establishment Permit (per event), through the Local health department (jurisdiction of the event), which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A catering must maintain a Off-Premise Caterer's Alcohol Permit (if serving alcohol), through the State Alcoholic Beverage Control / State Liquor Authority, which renews every year.
• A catering must maintain a Business License, through the City / county clerk (local business licensing office), which renews every year.
• A catering must maintain a Sales Tax Permit / Seller's Permit, through the State Department of Revenue / Taxation, which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A catering must maintain a General Liability Insurance, through the Private insurance carrier, which renews every year.
• A catering must maintain a Liquor Liability Insurance (if serving alcohol), through the Private insurance carrier, which renews every year.
• A catering must maintain a Workers' Compensation Insurance, through the Private insurance carrier / state WC fund, which renews every year.
• A catering must maintain a Cyber Liability Insurance, through the Private insurance carrier, which renews every year.

Everything Arkathos runs for a catering

These are the agents set up first for a catering — and because it's one platform, every plan includes all 16 Arkathos agents. Also included whenever you need them: Guardhouse, Courier, War Room, Armory, Marshall, Mint Warden, Vault Keeper, Watchtower, Bulletin Board, Client Portal.

• Sentinel — Contact & lead management, Deal / estimate pipeline, Task & follow-up tracking, SMS & email outreach, Pipeline reporting.
• Quartermaster — Online booking & appointments, Calendar & availability, Events & waitlists, Automated reminders, Job dispatch & scheduling.
• Treasury — Invoicing & payment collection, Expense tracking, Accounting & bookkeeping, Business tax prep & filing, Recurring billing & subscriptions, Financial dashboards & reports.
• Scribe — Document & contract templates, E-signature, Proposal & form builder, PDF / Word export.
• Herald — SEO & get-found content, Social media scheduling, Email & newsletter campaigns, Brand voice & content studio, Review & reputation growth, AI-overview & directory visibility.

Your tailored catering workspace

These are net-new, catering-specific capabilities — not a generic CRM bolted onto your industry.

• Banquet Event Order (proposal → contract → deposit → balance) (Treasury): A BEO object tying menu selections, headcount, per-person pricing, deposit schedule (deposit booked as a liability), e-signed contract, and balance-due-before-event into one workflow — the operational core of the entire vertical.
• Per-event food ordering & prep/shopping list from menu (Armory): Explode the booked menu × confirmed headcount into an ingredient shopping list and prep timeline, and cost the event so margin is known before the deposit is even taken.
• Event staffing roster (1099 vs W-2) with per-event assignment (Marshall): Assign servers/chefs/bartenders to a specific event date, track 1099 contractor vs W-2 classification, and roll up per-event labor cost — temp event staffing is a constant classification exposure.
• Tasting/consult scheduling + client questionnaire portal (Client Portal): Tasting and consult appointments plus a secure event-intake questionnaire (guest count, dietary/allergen needs, venue, timeline) and proposal/document delivery to the client.
• Commissary kitchen & catering-liquor-permit compliance (Watchtower): Track the commercial/commissary kitchen agreement, ServSafe food-protection-manager cert, per-event catering liquor permit + liquor-liability COI, and HACCP transport cold/hot-hold logs.
• Meal-prep subscription (weekly menus + recurring billing + labels) (Courier): For the meal-prep flavor: weekly menu selection, recurring billing, delivery-route assignment, and packaged-meal nutrition/allergen labels — a fundamentally different cadence from one-off event catering.

The agents and tabs you get

Sentinel for a catering surfaces Overview, Contacts, Tasks, Chat. Quartermaster for a catering surfaces Calendar, Events, Bookings, Availability, Chat. Treasury for a catering surfaces Financial sheet, Draft estimate, Invoices, Pipeline, Sales tax, Chat. Scribe for a catering surfaces Documents, Templates, Tasks, Chat. Herald for a catering surfaces Get found, Directories, Compose, ✦Studio, Schedule, Chat, Brand voice.

Frequently asked questions

best software for a catering business

Common picks include Caterease, CaterZen, Better Cater, HoneyBook and Tripleseat. Many owners now prefer all-in-one platforms like Arkathos that combine CRM, quoting, scheduling, payroll and compliance instead of stitching several separate apps together.

how much does catering software cost per month

Most catering software runs about $50-$200/month base plus roughly $25-$28 per user; lighter tools start near $30. Per-seat fees stack up as you grow. Arkathos uses flat pricing with no per-seat charges.

do i need a crm for my catering business

Not strictly, but a CRM captures every inquiry and automates follow-up, where most catering bookings are won or lost. Arkathos's Sentinel CRM tracks leads, quotes and reminders in one place.

how do i price a catering menu and figure out food cost per plate

Divide total recipe cost by number of portions for cost per plate, then target roughly 28-35% food cost (price approximately plate cost divided by 0.30). Add labor, rentals and overhead before setting per-person rates.

do caterers charge sales tax on food and gratuity

Food and service charges are generally taxable. Voluntary tips aren't taxed, but mandatory gratuities are taxable unless separately stated and paid entirely to staff. Rules vary by state; Arkathos automates sales-tax calculation and filing.

are my catering event servers 1099 or w2

If you set their schedule, direct their work and provide equipment, servers are usually W-2 employees, not 1099 contractors. Misclassification risks IRS back taxes and penalties. Arkathos handles payroll and worker classification.

what licenses and permits do i need to start a catering business

Typically a business license, EIN, food-handler/manager certification and a health-department permit; add a home-occupation permit if home-based and a liquor license if you serve alcohol. Requirements vary by city and state.

how do i send a catering quote and turn it into an invoice

Use software to build an itemized proposal with menu, taxes and fees; the client reviews, e-signs and pays online, then the approved quote converts to an invoice. Arkathos generates quotes, invoices and payment links automatically.

how to get more catering clients and bookings

Optimize your Google Business Profile and local SEO, post event photos on social media, build venue and planner referral partnerships, and respond to inquiries fast. Arkathos covers marketing, reviews and lead follow-up in one platform.

What licenses and insurance does a catering need?

Arkathos tracks 12 items for a catering, including Caterer / Food Service Establishment Permit (catering), Commissary / Commercial Kitchen Agreement (off-site prep), Certified Food Protection Manager (ServSafe Manager / CFPM), Food Handler Card / Certificate (staff). Each renewal and expiration is monitored in Watchtower with staged reminders.

Which Arkathos agents does a catering get?

Arkathos tailors a catering workspace around 5 agents: Sentinel, Quartermaster, Treasury, Scribe, Herald.

How is the Arkathos workspace tailored for a catering?

Beyond the standard tools, Arkathos builds catering-specific features: Banquet Event Order (proposal → contract → deposit → balance); Per-event food ordering & prep/shopping list from menu; Event staffing roster (1099 vs W-2) with per-event assignment.

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