01
Estimate and deposit
Turn the inquiry into a confirmed event.
Build the estimate with menu packages, service labor, rentals, products, and deposit. The client signs and pays from one link.
Estimate signed · Deposit paid
Still catering job #1251
For catering businesses
Booked. Prepped.Ready to serve.One simple place.
Build event orders, collect deposits, buy what you need, schedule your team, invoice clients, and get paid—all from one connected catering job.
No credit cardClients need no accountWorks on every device
Harlow Foundation Dinner
Dinner service · 120 guests
Order
Confirmed
Crew
9 people
Deposit
Paid
01
Book the event
Estimate, signature, deposit
02
Build the order
Products, quantities, supplies
03
Run the service
Prep, staff, briefing
04
Close it cleanly
Invoice, payment, payroll
The event order is the job
Keep the menu, people, purchases, and money on the same order.
List the products and supplies the event needs, compare them with stock on hand, schedule the service team, and invoice from the same catering job.
One catering job for what you promised, what you bought, and what you served.
Catering job #1251
Harlow Foundation Dinner
Signed
Estimate
$14,800
Current
Job items
18 items
Confirmed
Service crew
9 people
Scheduled
Balance
$8,880
The client, order, supplies, team, receipts, and billing stay connected.
One catering job, start to finish
From inquiry to last plate packed
Portara keeps the estimate, deposit, event products, purchasing, staffing, payment, and employee time connected to one catering job.
02
Event order
List what the event needs.
Add the products, supplies, services, and labor to the event job. Portara keeps those quantities organized; it does not calculate ingredients from the guest count.
Products and labor listed
Still catering job #1251
03
Purchase and prep
Know what to buy before prep begins.
Use job items to see ingredients and supplies, record purchases, scan receipts, and keep the cost of the event out of spreadsheets.
Shopping complete · Prep ready
Still catering job #1251
04
Schedule and serve
Confirm the right people for prep, delivery, and service.
Check availability, send offers, confirm roles, and give the team the location, timing, service scope, and job briefing.
9 staff · All confirmed
Still catering job #1251
05
Invoice and payroll
Close the event while the details are still fresh.
Invoice the final balance, collect payment, assign receipts, approve staff hours, and hand time off to payroll.
Paid · Receipts filed · Time approved
Still catering job #1251
The event order drives the work
Know what to prepare, what to purchase, and what it costs.
Build the job from products, supplies, services, and labor. Portara uses those job items for purchasing, billing, and job cost.
Keep product quantities and service items with the event
See what supplies are on hand and what still needs buying
Scan receipts and assign purchases from your phone
Track useful stock without warehouse complexity
Event purchasing
Harlow Foundation Dinner
18
Job items
9
Staff
4
To buy
Serving trays
12 needed · 8 on hand
Beverage dispensers
4 needed · 4 on hand
Service ware
120 place settings needed
Insulated carriers
6 needed · 5 on hand
Purchases tied to this event$4,260
The food is prepped. Is the service crew?
Prep, delivery, and service scheduling
See who can work before you build the team.
Check availability, send offers, and confirm cooks, drivers, servers, and cleanup staff. Everyone receives the event details they need.
Check employee availability first
Send offers by text or email
Confirm roles for prep, delivery, service, and cleanup
Deliver the location, timing, and event briefing
Service availability
Saturday · August 22
MLead · Accepted
Maya
Available
JService · Accepted
Jordan
Available
DDelivery · Accepted
Devin
Available
ANot offered
Alex
Unavailable
9 staff confirmedBriefing ready
Payment, receipts, and payroll
Close the event without rebuilding the numbers.
Invoice from the confirmed event order, collect the balance, assign final receipts, and approve staff time. Sync approved timecards to Square Payroll or export a payroll-ready CSV.
Start your first catering jobEvent closeout
Harlow Foundation Dinner
120
Served
8
Receipts
74
Staff hours
Final invoicePaid
PurchasesAssigned
Staff timeApproved
Payroll handoffReady
One place to run the work
Everything your catering business needs. Already connected.
Estimates and deposits
Send one link for approval, signature, and online deposit payment.
Catering job items
Keep products, quantities, services, and labor together.
Purchasing lists
Know what the event needs, what you have, and what to buy.
Receipt scanning
Turn purchase receipts into job costs without retyping.
Employee scheduling
Check availability and confirm prep, delivery, and service teams.
Supplies and stock
Track serving supplies and owned items without extra complexity.
Invoices and payments
Invoice from the event and collect balances online or on-site.
Time and payroll
Approve event hours, sync to Square Payroll, or export a CSV.
Catering purchasing guide
Know what you need before you start buying.
Compare job product needs with stock on hand, identify purchasing shortfalls, scan receipts, and keep costs with the event.
Questions, answered
Catering software, without the mystery
Portara follows the way caterers work—one event order with the menu, products, people, purchases, invoices, payments, and hours attached.
Is Portara catering business software?
Portara manages estimates, event orders, deposits, products, purchasing, supplies, staff scheduling, invoices, payments, receipts, timesheets, and payroll handoff around each catering job.
Can clients sign estimates and pay deposits online?
Yes. Clients can review and sign estimates, pay deposits, view invoices, and make payments through secure links without creating an account.
Can Portara build purchasing lists for catering jobs?
Yes. Add the products and supplies an event requires, compare them with useful stock on hand, and keep purchasing and receipt costs connected to the job.
Can I schedule cooks, drivers, and service staff?
Yes. Review employee availability, send offers, confirm roles, and keep the accepted team tied to the event timing and briefing.
Can I invoice from the event order?
Yes. Build invoices from the services and products already attached to the event instead of recreating the bill after service.
Does Portara handle employee time and payroll?
Employees submit time against events. You approve it, then sync approved timecards to Square Payroll or export payroll-ready data for another provider.
Make the service memorable. Make the business side easy.
Bring your next catering job into Portara. The order, purchases, team, invoices, payments, receipts, and hours will already know where they belong.
Start free—no credit card