CaterCow works primarily with offices to feed companies. You can count on us for regular business from seasoned catering clients.
Our product makes it dead-simple for customers to order catering, and translate that into terms your kitchen understands. No more back and forth on the phone with concerned/angry customers.
We act as a trusted third-party to make the payment process straightforward. We collect and verify payment in advance of any orders you receive, so you aren't left hanging with unpaid invoices.
There are a few key points that set us apart from other similar websites:
Curated packages: Instead of having customers sort through endless a la carte menus, we work with our partners to create pre-fixed catering menus, what we call “packages,” that are curated to fit the needs of big groups. Check out our breakdown of how packages work in the FAQ!
Caterers are in control: You are free to set your own delivery areas, delivery fees, required lead time, cancellation policy and minimum and maximum order sizes.
Customer AND caterer support: Our customer support and vendor partnerships teams are available at all times to help create and optimize packages, answer questions and handle any issues that may come up.
Customers order autonomously: Unlike some websites where customers need a dedicated account manager to see available restaurants and place orders, CaterCow customers can browse the site and place orders on their own.
To apply to be a caterer, you can go to our homepage or click this link: https://www.catercow.com/caterer/sign-up. From there, you'll need to submit your contact info, catering menu and delivery zones and fees.
If we feel that your business is a good fit for CaterCow at this time, our team will upload a package (limited menu priced per person) based on the menu and pricing you supplied. Then we'll send all your account info over for you to review and approve. Once you approve everything, we'll start promoting you and get you your first order within 1-2 weeks!
Instead of a la carte menus, we work with each caterer to put together curated packages based on customer demand. These are essentially pre-fixed menus priced per person. Customers can simply plug in their headcount, specify what their choices are, and know that they'll have enough variety for their whole group!
CaterCow is an open marketplace, so the number of orders you get is highly dependent on a variety of factors, including reviews, response times, cuisine, price point, reliability etc. Some caterers receive multiple orders per day, while others receive less. Our top performing partners receive 1-5 catering orders per day through CaterCow.
That being said, our team is always available to answer your questions and provide feedback on maximizing orders and customer happiness!
It’s completely free to sign up as a caterer. We only make money when you do! A percentage is deducted from each order payout, which covers our commission, customer service, referral, marketing, invoicing and credit card processing fees.
Sales tax is a separate line item on each order. You'll see listed on each order that we send you. CaterCow does NOT report sales on our partners behalf's. You (the caterer) are responsible for paying sales tax per your business tax payment schedule. We solely collect the tax and pass it along to you within your order payout.
CaterCow is for excellent local restaurants, food trucks, specialty food purveyors, and caterers who do large group deliveries and/or catering. As long as you have an email address, bank account, and can deliver, you can apply to work with CaterCow! Keep in mind that our application process is selective—we’re looking for caterers that we feel can meet our customers’ needs and provide an excellent overall experience.
As soon as a customer places an order, you'll get notifications via text and email. From there, you can view the order details and ''Accept'' or ''Decline." Once the order is accepted, you'll automatically receive a PDF with all the details for your kitchen and delivery staff, as well as a reminder the day before the order. Payment is then released to you via direct deposit.
Once you receive an order, you'll get an email notification with a link to accept or decline. We ask that you keep your business hours and required lead times updated to avoid disappointing customers who want to try your food. Declined and canceled orders will negatively affect your search result rankings.
If you are ever totally booked or out of town, please update your availability by going to "Hours & Availability" on your Dashboard and marking yourself ''Closed" on the calendar. To change your lead times, submit changes by clicking "Packages" on your Dashboard, or by writing in to support. We'll make sure your account is updated ASAP.
The vast majority of our customers pre-pay by credit card directly through our site. The payment for each order (net of our fee) is released the day of delivery and usually takes 1-3 business days to hit your account depending on your bank.
For a small number of our larger corporate clients, orders are invoiced and payment hits your account in about 4 weeks. The timeline for these payments is longer because it takes longer for payment to transfer from the customer to us, and then to you. You'll see as soon as you receive an order whether the customer has paid by credit card, or if they've arranged with us to pay by invoice.
Currently, all caterers are required to arrange their own delivery to partner with CaterCow. You're free to set your own delivery areas and zones.
Yes! You can choose a different order minimum and required amount of lead time for each package. Our team will confirm all of that info with you before your account goes live. If you need to make changes, you can submit those by clicking "Packages" on your Dashboard, or by writing in to support. We'll make sure your account is updated ASAP.
Yes, you can indicate if and how much it costs you deliver to each designated delivery zone, and opt out of any zones as needed. To update your delivery areas and fees, go to your Dashboard, click "Next Steps," and then "Manage your delivery areas."