Before CaterZen, Brian Burnett sent catering invoices out of Excel spreadsheets. "It really wasn't really professional looking," says Brian, Director of Catering at The Flying Biscuit Café in Atlanta, Georgia. The restaurant's catering has run on CaterZen's catering software since 2017, and the system now covers four restaurants.
Fifteen Years of Excel Spreadsheets
Brian ran catering on Excel for "about fifteen years." Every order meant a spreadsheet to send out, and credit card numbers made it harder. Brian says "a lot of times we had to make two copies of it," one with the full card number and one with only the last four digits.
It was easy to send the wrong copy to a customer. Brian describes the whole setup as "really chaotic."
How Did The Flying Biscuit Find CaterZen?
A franchisee from North Carolina, as Brian remembers it, came down to visit for a week. Brian sat with her for a couple of days while she used CaterZen. He had never seen it before, and she recommended it.
Brian says it was "just like a light went off." He "didn't know something like that existed" until she showed him.
What Changed for Brian's Team
✅ Customer Addresses and Notes
The database now holds "tens of thousands of addresses." Each company record shows where the customer is located, where to park, where the loading dock is, and whether they validate. When Brian writes a new order, all of his customers' addresses are there. CaterZen's catering CRM keeps that history in one place.
✅ Four Restaurants, One System
When a customer gives the wrong address, moving the order to another store is "just a click of a button," with "not a lot of phone calls, not a lot of hassle." Brian can also look at what is coming up for one store or for the whole month. He says ordering is easier because he can "narrow down by the store and by the week and by the day." CaterZen's kitchen production reports and calendar work the same way.
✅ Invoices and Online Ordering
Brian says the appearance of an invoice is "a thousand times more professional" than anything he had in Excel. The menu is built in, with options on each item. At a breakfast restaurant, that means one click to pick pork or turkey bacon. Customers also place orders themselves through online ordering, and the orders come through to Brian. His reaction: "I'm making money on this. This is nice."
✅ The Driver App
Brian called the driver app a feature he loves. It tells the customer when the driver is leaving the store, on the way, arriving and finished. He says "the customer's usually waiting outside for me when I get there. And I'm not looking for the customer, they're looking for me." CaterZen's Delivery Manager handles those updates.
What Would Brian Tell a Caterer on the Fence?
"…it's the best money you can spend."
Brian Burnett, Director of Catering, The Flying Biscuit Cafe
See It for Yourself
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Want more proof? Read more client testimonials and case studies from caterers who run on CaterZen.
