Prep Station

For catering sales teams

Turn every inquiry into a real opportunity Keep the deal alive through every quote

Prep Station gives caterers a deal-first CRM pipeline where web inquiries, quote revisions, estimated value, and scheduled follow-ups stay on one opportunity until it is won or lost.

No credit card required · CRM included on paid plans · Cancel anytime

Catering opportunities

Open pipeline · Central Kitchen

New inquiry

$16.7k

Hartwell Launch

Aug 22 · 140 guests

$8,400

Call today

Mason Family

Sep 6 · 85 guests

$5,200

Review inquiry

Civic Arts Lunch

Monthly service

$3,100

Qualify

Quote sent

$24.6k

Northstar Studios

2 quotes · 220 guests

$14,800

Follow up today

Bennett Conference

3-day event

$9,750

Due Thursday

Engaged

$18.2k

Fielding Wedding

Oct 12 · 180 guests

$12,600

Confirm deposit

Atlas Design

Office opening

$5,600

Send revision

Filter the board to surface opportunities with an upcoming follow-up.

Why caterers use a CRM pipeline

01

Protect every lead

Website inquiries become active opportunities with an owner, value, and next action instead of disappearing in an inbox.

02

Forecast the real deal

Keep guest count, estimated value, stages, and every quote revision under one opportunity.

03

Build the follow-up habit

Schedule activities directly or apply a standard plan from a reusable account template.

No credit card for the live demo

See opportunities linked to real quotes

Cancel anytime

The inquiry is only the start

A quote is not the deal. It is one conversation inside the opportunity.

Catering buyers revise dates, menus, headcount, and scope before they commit. Treat every PDF as a new lead and your forecast fills with duplicates while the actual relationship gets harder to follow.

Take catering sales seriously

One opportunity should survive every revision, preserve the next action, and hand the winning quote to operations without another rebuild.

Northstar Studios Launch

Quote sent · 220 guests · Maya Chen

$14,800

Event
September 18
Source
Contact form
Next activity
Follow up today
Stage
Quote sent

Related quotes

Cocktail reception · v1

Declined

$12,400

Reception + stations · v2

Quote

$14,800

Premium bar option · alt

Draft

$17,250

One opportunity can hold revised and alternative quotes without duplicating the deal.

Deal first, quote second

Revise the proposal without duplicating the opportunity

Keep multiple quotes under one opportunity. Guest count and estimated value stay visible for capacity planning while quote status can move the pipeline stage automatically.

  • Revised quotes do not inflate the number of active deals
  • Guest count and estimated value remain on the opportunity
  • Quote status keeps the board closer to reality

Follow-up plans

Give every new opportunity a next move

Schedule activities around the event, then use account templates to repeat the plan. When automatic scheduling is enabled and an event date is present, Prep Station can add the configured event-relative follow-ups.

Open the live demo to see CRM activities alongside the opportunities and quotes they support.

Standard catering follow-up

Event-relative template · automatic scheduling optional

Confirm event details

7 days before

Review the date, guest count, and current quote.

Confirm headcount

3 days before

Check the final count before production planning.

Event milestone

Event day

Keep the sales record aligned with the scheduled event.

Thank the customer

2 days after

Close the loop after the event.

Activity template facsimile with event-relative follow-ups.

The relationship stays human

Let the pipeline remember the next step

The sales conversation can stay personal because the opportunity holds the source, value, quote history, and next activity behind it.

Recently closed opportunities

Central Kitchen

Fielding Wedding

$12,600

Won

Atlas Design Opening

$5,600

Won

Harbor Association Gala

Loss reason: Event date was no longer available.

$9,200

Lost

Won opportunities close cleanly; lost opportunities can retain a manager-entered reason.

Close the loop

Keep an honest record of the outcome

Mark each opportunity won or lost. When a deal is lost, add the reason so the outcome stays available for manager review instead of disappearing from the board without context.

When the client is ready, build the operational detail in sales orders and quotes. Capture new demand through your online storefront.

Questions catering sales teams ask

Straight answers about opportunities, quotes, follow-ups, and pipeline stages.

What is an opportunity in Prep Station CRM?

An opportunity is the deal record for a catering inquiry. It keeps the customer, event details, estimated value, guest count, activities, and related quotes together as the deal moves through the pipeline.

Can one opportunity have multiple quotes?

Yes. Revised or alternative quotes stay linked to the same opportunity, so a menu change does not create another deal or inflate the pipeline.

Does the pipeline update when a quote changes?

Yes. Quote status can move the opportunity stage automatically, keeping the board aligned with the sales work without duplicate status entry.

Can website inquiries enter the CRM automatically?

Yes. Prep Station's Contact Us form creates an opportunity instead of leaving the inquiry as an untracked email.

How are follow-ups scheduled?

Schedule an activity for a specific date, or use account templates for event-relative follow-ups. Automatic scheduling requires an event date and the account setting to be enabled.

Can we record why a deal was lost?

Yes. Mark opportunities won or lost, and add a reason when a deal is lost so managers can review where business is slipping.

Does the live demo require a credit card?

No. The live demo does not require a credit card, and you can cancel anytime.

Prep Station

Give every catering inquiry a next step

Keep opportunities, quote revisions, values, and follow-ups together until the business is won or lost.

No credit card required · Cancel anytime