Latest Features

No other software program updates as aggressively as Caterease - and, best of all, these updates are automatic and absolutely free of charge with an active maintenance plan!

Every new Caterease build introduces dozens of new features, and major new releases offer hundreds of program enhancements. Below are just a few examples of some powerful features added to recent releases – and this is only in the past twelve months! Visit this page often and learn what's new with the event management industry's most powerful and most progressive software application.

November 2, 2011 - Build 1186

Event Timeline Merge Table
You can now include any and all Event Timeline details on your various custom Marketing Tools prints. So, for example, if you book a "Wedding Reception" with timeline items such as "First Dance", "Cake-Cutting" or "Best Man's Toast", you can those details appear anywhere you want on your event prints.

Comma Separated Values Print Export
We have added the ability to export any Caterease print in the common "CSV" (comma separated values") format.

October 31, 2011 - Build 1184

Dynamic Grid Print Titles
The powerful custom grid views in Caterease give you the opportunity to make up your own custom "report", which can then be printed instantly. Now, when you retrieve that custom grid view, the "name" of the view will default as the title of the grid print you generate.

Email Spellcheck When Sending
The enhanced email tool now offers the ability to perform spell check when you send - exactly like Microsoft Outlook! When you click send, you will be notified of any spelling errors in the email and given the opportunity to correct or "Ignore" them.

Credit Card Number Elimination
There is now a new Global Setting in the program to turn off all credit card number fields throughout the program, so no one on your staff - regardless of security access - will be able to include this sensitive information.

New Report Options
The "Event Activity" report and "Monthly Planner" now offer the enhanced capabilities to exclude various statuses of events and also group the print by various event details.

October 12, 2011 - Build 1180

Scheduled Items "Setup"/"Tear Down" Times
This handy Professional version feature, which allows you to schedule items such as delivery vans, tables, bowling lanes, etc. and be warned of any conflicts, now offer "Setup" and "Tear Down" time fields. So if you need extra time beyond the Start and End times of a party to reserve these items, Caterease can accommodate!

Event Sheet by Operation
This extremely popular report can now be filtered by the "Operation" of an event, so if your business manages a couple of "DBA's", you can generate a separate Event Sheet for each.

Required Event User Defined Fields
Now, not only can you create fifteen separate custom fields for use in your events, but EVERY one of them can now be set as required information.

New Default "Setup Style"
The "Setup Style" field has been added to your many New Booking Defaults, so you can have your most common Setup Style always default for you.

Track Events by Time
The incredibly powerful Event Query tool now allows you to query by the date and TIME that events begin and end. Thus, if you want to track parties that end (or BEGIN) after midnight - or any other time of day - you can do so easily.

September 28, 2011 - Build 1177

Event Timeline
We have added a brand new Default Event Timeline feature, so you can custom lists of timeline items - complete with default times if desired - and then quick retrieve them into an event and optionally generate a print. So, for example, you can create a list of all things that will occur during a "Wedding Reception" - "Bar Opens", "Guests Arrive", "Best Man Toast", "First Dance", etc. - and then instantly retrieve them into the party and accept the default times for each or edit times on-the-fly.

Email Hyperlinks and Images
The all-new Caterease email window now includes a handy "Insert" tool, which allows you to quickly insert dynamic hyperlinks - as text or images - as well as any digital images right into the body of your emails.

Web Ordering Client Tracking
The results grid of your Client Contact query tool now offers the option to show whether the various contact people have permission to submit online orders to your program, as well as what their online usernames are and which user groups they belong to.

September 12, 2011 - Build 1174

Brand New Email Window
We have completely enhanced the friendly Caterease email window, adding the same ribbon technology available elsewhere in the program - as well as setting the address boxes at the top to automatically expand if multiple recipients are included.

Blind CC's (And Default Blind CC's)
In keeping with our all-new email window, we have added the ability to include "blind cc" recipients in your emails. Furthermore, you can create your own default list of blind cc's - so, for example, you can have a copy of each email be discretely sent to your boss or other recipient.

Today's Events in A/R
Although often you want your Accounts Receivable to only include past due amounts, you now have the option to include totals from the current day's events in this total, as well.

August 29, 2011 - Build 1172

Even MORE Rich Text Options for Menu Item Merge Tables
In our continual quest to remove all boundaries to your custom print capabilities, we have added the following rich text options to be included in the food/service item areas of your custom event prints: Menu Item Notes (Formatted - as they appear in the event), Menu Item Notes (Unformatted - adopts formatting of print), Recipe (Formatted), Recipe (Unformatted), Label (Formatted), Label (Unformatted), Modifications (Formatted), Modifications (Unformatted). There is virtually no limit to the beautiful event prints Caterease lets you create!

Additional Print Designer Fields
Of course, let's not forget the incredibly flexible Print Designer tool. We have added several new fields that you can choose to include in your custom Prospect Manager proposals, including menu item "Type", "Unit", "Prep Area" and "Category".

Cost Per Guest Calculations
Now, in addition to being able to determine which event totals should be included in your calculated Cost Per Guest, you can also opt to include any "Additional Adjustments" you enter directly into the Tax/Service Charge/Gratuity breakdown window.

New Security Settings
You can now choose to prohibit specific users from being able to place your accounts (customers) on "hold", or change the "Hold Date" or "Hold Type" of your customers.

August 15, 2011 - Build 1170

Event-Specific Required Items
In a MAJOR change to our Required Items feature, these items no longer have to be specifically related to a menu item. While you can still grab a buffet, for example, and have all necessary items - chafers, wetnaps, claw crackers, etc. - automatically retrieve into the event, you can now also select extra items related to the event in general - maybe extra tables, linens, etc.

Default Shift Start/End Times
Assign separate default Start times and End times for each of your various shift positions, so that perhaps your Bartendar shift will be automatically scheduled to start at the Bar time, but your Waiter/Waitress shift will begin at a custom Staff In time that you've created.

Direct Emailing to Employees
You can now email your various employees - individually or in batch (in Professional version) - to any collection of highlighted employees. For example, you can create a PDF of available shifts for the upcoming week, and then attach it to an email and send it to your entire staff.

New Employee Merge Fields
Of course, since we've made it so much easier to email your staff (see above), we have also added general employee merge fields (such as employee name) to the Marketing Tools Package, so you can create a custom email letter template that will automatically be addressed to each individual.

July 20, 2011 - Build 1168

Automatic Event Checklist
The Event Checklist has been COMPLETELY enhanced. You can now establish conditions AND default due dates for each of your various "to-do" items. For example, you can add the item "Get Signed Contract" to your list of checklist items, and then tell the program that if a party has a theme of "Wedding", then the contract is due "14 days after the BOOKED date". HOWEVER, if the party is a "Meeting", then the contract is not due until "7 days before the EVENT date". The possibilities are endless! When you book a "Wedding" or a "Meeting", all of the appropriate to-do items will automatically default for you!

Automatic Checklist Warning
In addition to the new features mentioned above, you can also establish a setting in the program so that if you try to save an event that has checklist items due to be completed, you will be automatically warned. Never forget another important detail!

New Marketing Tools Merge Fields
The limitless rich text blocks "Delivery Notes" and "Setup Notes" can now be added anywhere in your custom event prints created in Marketing Tools. You can include these details as formatted in the event, or "unformatted" - so they will adopt the formatting of the custom print itself.

July 11, 2011 - Build 1157

New Food/Service Activity Query Fields
The rich text menu item fields of "Recipe", "Description", "Allergy" and "Modifications" can now be displayed as columns in your Food/Service Activity Query results grid. There are two handy options when viewing these details, both described below.

Auto Grid Row Height Option
If you decide to show the rich text menu item details listed above as columns within a grid row, you will probably want to enable this new optional preference. With this enabled, rows in your grids will expand as much as necessary to accommodate the wrapping, free-flowing text of these new columns.

Food/Service Activity Query Preview Field Option
As an alternative, you could also choose to display this rich text as a preview field, which will appear below any menu item detail row when appropriate.

June 30, 2011 - Build 1155

Improved Menu Manager Interface
The Menu Manager has been completely redesigned to offer an even more user-friendly interface. Some things to note: The menu item image is now positioned at the left of the window, below the menu title list, to offer more room for the various tabs at the bottom of the manager. Menu Item Packages now have their own tab located at the bottom of the manager, as opposed to appearing in a separate pop-up window. There is another brand new tab called "Modifiers" (see feature below). There are TWO separate "Full Expand" buttons - one for the menu items themselves and another for the item details (the tabs at the bottom of the window). Keep in mind these buttons allow you two separate views of the grids - each with unique columns of information. Now when you cancel changes to a single menu item, it will cancel any changes you've made to the details of that item - including changes to ingredients, required items, modifiers, etc. Moving off of a menu item still causes changes to be saved.

Menu Item Modifiers
Menu item "Modifiers" allow you to have certain optional selections that correspond with various menu items. For example, you could have a "Caesar Salad" with the optional Modifiers of "Chicken", "Shrimp", etc. You could also have a Modifiers calling for optional side dishes, extra ingredients ("Add Onions") or fewer ingredients ("No Gravy"). Like other items in your menus, Modifiers can have a cost, markup, price, default quantities, can be hidden in prints, etc.

Employee Related Files
You can now attach related files to your employees in the same way you attach them to events. This way, you can keep an employee's application on file, as well as a host of other related items.

Vendor List Enhancement
This popular back of house print now lets you exclude any menu items that have no vendor associated with them.

June 20, 2011 - Build 1152

Search-As-You-Type Menu Selection
This exciting new option allows you to easily add new menu items to your events, by adding a blank line and then simply starting to type the item's name. The program will automatically scroll through all of your default menu items, and select a match as you type. Of course, you can still type something unique - a new, custom item that is not in your default menus. It's really the best of both worlds!

Allergy Alerts
Now you can list any customer allergy information on a new "Allergy" tab in Account Manager, and have that information automatically carry over to any new event booked for that client. A special "Allergy" indicator will appear on any event with an associated allergy, and you can even design any of your event prints - front of house, back of house or both - to show the specific allergy information.

Inactive Menus
You can now make an entire food/service menu inactive, so that neither it nor its items (nor any related "sub-menus") will be available when selecting items in events or proposals.

Base Price Markups
This powerful new option gives you even easier control over the finances of an event. You can now take the regular price of your items - now called the "Base Price" - and mark it up a certain percentage within an event. This functions in much the same way as the existing "Cost Markup" in the program. For example, if an item has a "Cost" to you of $10.00, you have always been able to apply a markup of that cost - say "1.1" (or 10%) - to calculate a "Base Price" (in this case, $11.00). Now, you can take that "Base Price" and apply a markup to IT - thereby automatically passing on various external fees in the final price of your products.

Base Price Markup Schedules
In conjunction with the feature above, you can create a default list of "Base Price Markup Schedules" - similar to your current default Tax/Service Charge Rate Schedules. You can then assign these custom schedules to each of your customers in Account Manager or each of your default Site Locations. For example, imagine one of your site locations charges you a commission on all food, beverage and liquor sales when you hold events there. You can make a Base Price Markup Schedule that automatically adds 10% to all of your Food, Beverage and Liquor items - and then attach that schedule to the site location in question. From that point on, any events booked at that location will automatically add 10% to all appropriate menu items.

Expand Grid Mode
Now the Food/Service and Staffing grids in Event Manager can have custom, expanded grid designs - so you can click one mouse click and see all of the grid columns you want in an expanded view, and then instantly toggle back to the normal grid.

Auto Header Height Preference
This handy new option in your Preferences allows you to have multi-line headers in the various program grids, so you can more easily squeeze in extra columns while the header text wraps.

Merge Table Enhancements
These amazing Marketing Tools features just keep getting better! Now your powerful Merge Tables offer the optional selection of "Not Equals". So, if - for example - you want to create a table to include all event menu items EXCEPT equipment items, you can simply select the option "Type does NOT EQUAL Equipment".

Dynamic Cost Per Guest
With the recent addition of cost per guest calculations on all food/service types - Food, Beverage, Liquor, Equipment, Labor, Room and Other - it only makes sense that Caterease now allows you to determine which of these various calculations should be included in your overall event cost per guest! For example, you can determine that only "Food" and "Beverage" should be considered in the cost per guest of a party - or, of course, a host of other combinations!

Menu Item Modification
Now when you make on-the-fly changes to a menu item, you can use the new "Modifications" tab to note these changes in limitless rich text format. Then, choose whether or not you want to include these Modifications on your various custom event prints. This way, any menu changes you make in an event can be instantly and easily noted for your kitchen and other staff!

Production Sheet/Vendor List Customization
These two popular back-of-house event prints can now be formatted in much the same way as your Contracts, BEO's and other Print Designer prints. Choose whatever menu item details you want to include, and even format the fonts of the various fields and field headers.

May 31, 2011 - Build 1147

Formatted Date Merge Field Calculations
These powerful new merge fields not only allow you to completely customize the way the event date, booked date or current date appear on a print - but they even allow you to perform dynamic calculations on those dates. For example, if you want the contract to show that it must be returned by a week before the event date, you could simply insert a "[-7]" into the Formatted Event Date field. This is incredible power!

User-Generated Web Order Accounts
Now completely new customers can process orders though the powerful Caterease Web Ordering module, and those orders - and those new customers - will be submitted to your Caterease program.

New "Like" Query Comparison
This handy new query feature lets you search for things that are similar to certain text. You can even add wildcard characters to find records with certain text anywhere in the field. For example, you can search for menu items with the word "Salad" anywhere in the name, and find a list that might include "Pasta Salad", "Caesar Salad", "Potato Salad", etc.

Event Master Enhancements
This extremely popular print has been enhanced to offer the option of excluding any event Status from the report.