At CaterZen, we believe BBQ catering can become a powerful profit center when it’s built with intention, strong systems, and a clear understanding of what makes the business actually work. That’s why we created Barbecue Catering Smarts.

Hosted by me, Michael Attias, founder of CaterZen Catering Software, this podcast is built for BBQ operators who want actionable insights, expert advice, and real-world strategies to grow a more profitable catering operation.

We’re excited to announce Episode 36 of Barbecue Catering Smarts, featuring Phil and Johanna Hennenfent, the husband-and-wife team behind Henn House BBQ!

Here's something I'll admit to you.

Most software companies spend years building features nobody asked for. They ship a shiny dashboard nobody uses, rename a button that wasn't broken, and call it an update.

That's not what we did here.

Everything we added to our catering CRM over the past few months solves a real problem. One I've heard from operators dozens of times. If you run a catering operation with any kind of team behind you - even a small one - at least a few of these are going to make your life easier starting today.

Let me walk you through it.

At CaterZen, we believe BBQ catering has the potential to become one of the strongest profit centers inside a restaurant — when it’s built with the right systems, the right strategy, and the right relationships. That’s exactly why we created Barbecue Catering Smarts.

Hosted by me, Michael Attias, founder of CaterZen Catering Software, this podcast is designed to give BBQ operators actionable insights, real-world strategies, and practical lessons from the pitmasters, operators, and catering leaders growing successful catering programs across the country.

We’re excited to announce Episode 35 of Barbecue Catering Smarts, featuring Tim Halls, co-founder of Burnt BBQ N’ Tacos!

You know what's worse than losing a catering customer to a competitor?

Losing them because your kitchen missed a special instruction. Or forgot to prep a custom item someone ordered. Or sent out a half-assembled order because nobody knew it wasn't done yet.

That's not a marketing problem. That's a systems problem.

At CaterZen, we’re focused on helping BBQ restaurant operators turn catering into a true profit center—and Barbecue Catering Smarts is your go-to resource for making that happen.

Hosted by me, Michael Attias, founder of CaterZen Catering Software, this podcast delivers actionable insights, expert advice, and real-world strategies from operators who are actually doing it. Every episode dives into the challenges and opportunities unique to BBQ catering—so you can build smarter systems, drive more revenue, and scale with confidence.

We’re excited to announce Episode 34 of Barbecue Catering Smarts, featuring Mark Avalos, founder of Stack City BBQ!

Two catering operations on the same street. Both running CaterZen's catering software. Walk into their offices and you'd swear they were running different software.

That's not an accident. That's the point.

Here's something I learned a long time ago: every catering business looks normal from the outside. But once you sit down with the owner, you find out they've got their own way of taking orders, their own way of pricing, their own way of talking to customers. The guy down the street calls it "delivery." You call it "drop-off." Your wedding clients want a printed timeline; his corporate clients just want a confirmation email.

There is no silver bullet, and there is no one-size-fits-all catering software. The best you can hope for is a system that gets out of your way and lets you run your business — not somebody else's idea of how a catering business should run.

That's what I built CaterZen to do.

At CaterZen, we’re focused on helping BBQ restaurant operators turn catering into a true profit center—and Barbecue Catering Smarts is your go-to resource for making that happen.

Hosted by me, Michael Attias, founder of CaterZen Catering Software, this podcast delivers actionable insights, expert advice, and real-world strategies from operators who are actually doing it. Every episode dives into the challenges and opportunities unique to BBQ catering—so you can build smarter systems, drive more revenue, and scale with confidence.

We’re excited to announce Episode 33 of Barbecue Catering Smarts, featuring Chris Bennett, VP of Catering at Maurice’s Piggie Park!

Let me ask you a question that's gonna sting a little.

When was the last time you raised your catering prices?

If you have to think about it - if you're doing mental math trying to figure out whether it's been one year or three - that right there is your answer.

It's been too long.

At CaterZen, we’re focused on helping BBQ restaurant operators turn catering into a true profit center—not just an add-on. That’s exactly why we created Barbecue Catering Smarts: your go-to podcast for actionable insights, expert advice, and real-world strategies to grow your restaurant’s catering profit center.

Hosted by me, Michael Attias, founder of CaterZen Catering Software, each episode is built to help operators like you structure, strengthen, and scale a more profitable BBQ catering operation.

We’re excited to share Episode 32 of Barbecue Catering Smarts, featuring Bridget Ryan, Director of Sales & Marketing at Fat Bob’s Smokehouse.

Let me ask you something.

You've got CaterZen catering software set up. You're ready to send targeted campaigns, follow up with prospects, rebook past clients. The system is ready to work.

But who's on your list?

This is the part most caterers skip. They get excited about marketing, set everything up, and then realize their database is a mix of old orders, a few business cards stuffed in a drawer, and their cousin's email address.

That's not a list. That's a mess.

The good news: you don't need to buy a list. You don't need to hire anyone. You don't need a big budget.

What you need is a simple system, a few free tools, and 30 minutes a week.

Let me show you exactly how to do it.