User Reviews Overview
About Total Party Planner
The most popular web-based catering software for business owners to automate. Designed to help easily transition from manual Word documents and spreadsheets into one single organized system. Save time, quote faster, organize all...
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- Industry: Hospitality
- Company size: 51–200 Employees
- Used Daily for 6-12 months
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Review Source
Excellent and Thankful
My overall experience is a 10 out of 10. Takes away the headache that is caused by other catering softwares.
Pros
The customer service behind this company and product are what make this product so excellent! TPP is versatile on how you can use it and where something may not work the same way as other products, the Client Care team are always open to helping you figure out how to make it work.
Cons
There are some features that are not as developed. The Client Care team are always willing to have a conversation to try to make it work. In instances where it doesn't work, they take the feedback and work with their development team and see of there is a growth spot that they can grow in.
- Industry: Food & Beverages
- Company size: 11–50 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Best Software for Catering & Event Planning around
Phenomenal. It completely changed and streamlined our process.
Pros
I love how completely customizable the software is, that it’s internet based and it’s just very easy and intuitive to use. We do typically just over a million in sales each year and I have no idea how my small company functioned so well prior to running TPP! Our proposals, invoices and reports look so professional and of all my vendors- both business and personal, their customer service is the best customer service I’ve ever come across. In over 5 years of using the software, I’ve never had an issue that was not resolved within an hour. Most have been solved in less than 15 mins
Cons
I honestly cannot think of any. The TPP team is constantly updating and optimizing the software. I’ve never once wished I would have used another software company.
Alternatives Considered
CatereaseReasons for Switching to Total Party Planner
I chose TPP because it was created by someone who grew up in the business. He created it to fit the needs of his family’s business at the time and it served them so well he decided to optimize it to help more small businesses- Company size: 11–50 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Used for three years and it was great but the new view they have rolled out is full of...
It was a great product that served our company for several years. It allowed our business to grow and service a retail store front, a catering and bakery business in a new expanded facility. Currently we are spending more time trying to fix problems with the software than we are spending with clients. It is costing us money in labor, time off task, plus the added expense of redoing the event over and over to get it correct.
Pros
It was easy to use, make changes on and produce a quality product. We were not having any issues so why they made big, big changes I do not understand. For a while we could continue to use the original system but then over night the old system would not work to process payments, create menus, etc. No new manual was created and you must tech support every time you create something new. For the money we pay we should have a quality product again.
Cons
Changes were made without preparation to train the users on the new product and the product was not field tested and fixed before the release.
Top Total Party Planner Alternatives
- Industry: Food & Beverages
- Company size: 11–50 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
TPP the overview
TPP had a big learning curve and takes a lot of effort to put together but once you have the system in place it can do amazing things.
Pros
I like that TPP has different app integrations that allow us to almost seamlessly use other programs such as staffing software.
Cons
I don't like that TPP doesn't have the ability to update times or details once transfer to another software.
- Industry: Hospitality
- Company size: 11–50 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
The best customer service EVER
We have been able to integrate all of our invoicing, client contacts, client contracts, itineraries , calendars, menu building, cost analysis and inventory into ONE software package. TPP truly offers the ability to easily integrate all of your functionalities into one silo.
Pros
Total Party Planner (TPP) was super easy to integrate. We were up and running within 20 minutes of installing. I had previously tried to integrate Caterease twice over the past 5 years. Caterease should be called CaterNOTease, because it is has a very complicated and obtuse interface.
As easy as TPP's integration was, what really blew my team away was TPP's customer service and help desk. TPP is feature risk for every basic hospitality function imaginable; but every Catering business is "unique" and if we ever need to tweak how TPP presents our data or solves an issue, we simply send an email and voila, our answer appears in our in box with nary any wait.
I honestly feel sorry for all the folks that go with Caterease, out of ignorance as to the availability of TPP and all that it offers...I literally stumbled upon it after two fruitless ( and expensive! ) adventures with Caterease.
If anyone would like to contact me directly, I would happily share more details on how delighted we are with the TPP software.
Cons
TPP has a mobile phone app, that is adequate, but could be better.
Alternatives Considered
CatereaseReasons for Choosing Total Party Planner
We switched to TPP from Caterease. Caterease felt and operated like a "dinosaur". The learning curve on Caterease was VERY steep and seemingly never plateauing. TPP was the complete opposite; a very intuitive interface, a mild on-ramp, and then a very flat freeway within hours of setting up.Switched From
CatereaseReasons for Switching to Total Party Planner
We purchased Caterease TWICE over a four year period, and we could never get our staff to figure it out. Ease of integration is key to any new software, as most small businesses are too busy to "learn" a new software package. TPP was super easy to learn and integrate, so there was absolutely no friction at the staff level; because it made their work process easier and more efficient immediately, with a very compact learning curve.- Industry: Food Production
- Company size: 11–50 Employees
- Used Daily for 6-12 months
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Review Source
Catering Software
The best! The customer service is always on top of any questions or help we need. Honestly I've never worked with any company that was so helpful!
Pros
CRM system! It's the perfect place to track leads and do proper follow ups all in one place. The CRM system is what won us over but we are mind blown of the capabilities TTP has. We are just under 1 year of using the system and we are constantly learning something new within the system to better help our daily operations.
Cons
Nothing! I'm not going to lie it takes a lot of work on your part to get everything set up but I promise it will all be WORTH IT! The more you put into the system the more you will get out it.
- Industry: Events Services
- Company size: 11–50 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Making My Life Easier!
Super amazing - our productivity is positively benefited!! Thank you TPP team!!
Pros
I love the customization of the system- we have been using this software for abut 4 years now and I know we still don't use all of the capabilities! It is super user friendly which is great when it comes to training staff members, and the cross-company ability with being able to use throughout our sales/front-of-house team as well as the kitchen/chef squad!
Cons
We always find there are small tips and tricks that we would appreciate, but the TPP team is always receptive to suggestions and are constantly changing and adjusting things to make our lives so much easier on the daily!
Response from Computica
Harley - Thank you for your incredibly kind words! It's great to hear we are making your life easier. That really is our main objective.
Please keep reaching out to the TPP Team as you continue to explore and use more and more functionality.
-- TPP Team
- Industry: Hospitality
- Company size: 11–50 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
In a World Where Customer Service is a Dying Art, this is Customer Service at Its Finest
The software streamlines the process from inquiry to close. Customer Service is ALWAYS Phenomenal. I'd like to give a shout out to [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] and to any representative whom I have failed to name, THANK YOU TOO! I don't feel like a client, I feel like the TTP Tech Support is part of our Team!!!
Pros
I believe the software is extremely user friendly. Having a background in computers and programming myself, I find the various features both invaluable and easy to understand. I am looking forward to the New View slated to be released this year.
Cons
It would be nice if there was a report where we could see what items were most popular for a specific client. As always, a multi-day event feature would be nice, as well as, being able to view sent messages in my outlook or godaddy sent items folder.
Alternatives Considered
CatereaseReasons for Switching to Total Party Planner
I wasn't a involved in the final decision, I came in a year ago and learned the software on the fly through self teaching and the wonderful people at Technical Support.- Industry: Hospitality
- Company size: 51–200 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
This is a review
great overall
Pros
Total Party Planner really helps us organize and keep the team on the same page. When we moved from using spread sheets to this software, our team alignment skyrocketed overnight, with our clients seeing the most benefit from this.
Cons
To be able to attached PDF files for events such as floor plans. Also, scheduling and staffing sign in and out functions would be key
Alternatives Considered
CatereaseReasons for Switching to Total Party Planner
It seemed better than caterease. Which it is.Response from Computica
Brett - thanks for your trust in TPP. We hope things keep skyrocketing!
We are constantly evolving the software so your feedback about the staffing functions are appreciated.
--TPP Team
- Industry: Food & Beverages
- Company size: 51–200 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Great Catering Software
Excellent customer service
Pros
Easy integration from our older catering database to TPP.
Cons
Sometimes freezes during use of the software
Alternatives Considered
CatereaseReasons for Choosing Total Party Planner
Internet based with immediate supportReasons for Switching to Total Party Planner
Price and ease of integration. Customer service always is there to answer any question we may have.- Industry: Food & Beverages
- Company size: 11–50 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Total Party Planner (TPP)
TPP is a robust piece of software. You can really tell that John and his team have had every experience in the catering industry and that they have put these experiences into the software. This has been very helpful for us as we fell into catering. Now we are looking to fine tune our operation. The plug in services have worked very well for us as well. TPP has helped take us from a 30k company to just under 7 figures. Thank you.
Pros
This software has the capability to bring together all the disparate parts of our business (admin, kitchen, delivery, service) under one roof so we can all communicate and grow together. That in and of itself is HUGE. It is also web based. Another major coup for small business owners. And the customer service
Cons
UX is not very intuitive. The flow is a bit clunky for my tastes. I prefer the drag and drop simple flow with colors to illustrate the differences in the sections/functions.
Response from Computica
Craig, I'm glad that TPP has helped Pinx Catering in it's rapid growth. We agree with you that initial data entry is important to companies just starting out with the system. As far as the UX, we will be releasing an entirely new event module design very soon. It's currently in limited release and getting some great reviews! I think you will be happy with it's new intuitive flow and design. We look forward to sharing it with Pinx Catering in the next few weeks. --John Cohen
- Industry: Food & Beverages
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
It has been a life changer
Well, I started out as a desktop user and I cannot say enough about how TTP changed my life--it cut my time planning events in half and my food cost went down 10%. Making a shopping/ordering list is now something that I can do in 10-15 minutes for a whole week's worth of orders.
Customer service is A+++++. They are personally invested in my use. It is unbelievable how helpful the staff is and their follow up. I love the way support calls back to check on me a day or two after a question or a problem.
If you take the amount of time you save on event planning, menu costing and ordering and put an hourly dollar value on it, you will find that TPP costs probably half of that a year. I'm just a small business with around $300,000.00 in annual sales and it changed my life. There are also features that a larger catering business would find extremely helpful. I use some new feature regularly and I am always surprised at how much time it saves me.
Just do it! The cost will never be an issue because Total Party Planner pays for itself!
Pros
menu costing, event costing, financial information
Cons
Nothing you can do anything about--the data entry.
- Industry: Events Services
- Company size: 51–200 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Nothing else compares
Nothing but fantastic.
Pros
This is the go-to for professional caterers large or small. I purchased it 16 years ago as I needed to streamline my calendar. It did that and so much more. Truthfully, it does way more than I use it for, but it does everything they say it will.
I was a fan from the start but whenever I needed customer service and technical assistance, I was treated as if I was their only client. I still tell the story as I was having trouble with formatting a menu proposal and spoke to [SENSITIVE CONTENT], who asked for my suggestion. Three days later it was implemented and is a ridiculous time saver.
Cons
Not that I know of. The team works hard to ensure everything is just right for their customers.
- Industry: Food & Beverages
- Company size: 51–200 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
TPP Helped me grow to over 10 million in annual revenue.
I started using TPP's desktop solution in 2005. We wuickly switched to their online solution within the year. In that time TPP has helped City Catering grow to over 10 million dollars in annual revenue. Their catering background shows in the forward thinking updates to the program and their support team is fast and responsive. We use the program to its fullest and have had excellent results. TPP is a valued partner in growing my business.
Pros
Very user friendly. Knowledge of the catering industry was used to design it.
Cons
I don't have any. As with any product there are always small bells and whistles you would like but they are frequently added in the constant updates.
Response from Computica
Lendy, Thank you for the 11 years that you have entrusted Total Party Planner to manage your company data. As an early adopter in 2006 of our hosted cloud version, I know you have seen a lot of evolution from both our product and our company. We hope to continue working with City Catering Company Company for the next 11 years so you can see even more growth. --John Cohen
- Industry: Restaurants
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Total Party Planner's First Customer
I started with a Competitors software some 20 plus years ago. I immediately found it to be OVER priced. The promises made by that competitor about Customer Support- didn't happen. Then, by fate, I was presented the dreams of a young man that created Total Party Planner (TPP). I have NEVER ONCE, in all these years, been denied the help that I needed in Customer Support almost immediately, every time! I know others that use TPP and they agree with me. Additionally, I am 70 years old, technology challenged, and guess what? I learned in a few hours how the master the program ! I am not only pleased with the quality of those people at TPP but can't understand why a consumer would go any where else. My thought, you might find a whistle or bell somewhere else but in my Catering business its called Customer Service !
Pros
Easy to Use
Cons
access the Cost analysis page, it would be helpful to see that link on the menu page where the retail cost is decided.
- Industry: Food & Beverages
- Company size: 51–200 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Amazing
Exceptional.
Pros
Intuitive, customizable, customer service is prompt, thorough, beyond friendly, continually being updated.
Cons
We've used the software for years and haven't found anything we do not like.
Alternatives Considered
CatereaseReasons for Switching to Total Party Planner
User friendly, intuitive, customizable.- Industry: Food & Beverages
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Review of Total Party Planner by Juliana's Catering
Pros
Very easy to use and implementation was simple as TPP staff did a great job setting everything up for my company. With over 500 events per year, the TPP software has become a critical part of my business as it keeps us organized, has excellent customizable quotation system and a solid CRM system. The mobile app is also very useful as we are on the go constantly. And the integration with my staffing software is great and saves a lot of time.
Cons
I don't really have any negatives to share. Like most software products there is always room for enhancements and improvements and the folks at TPP listen well and have continually enhanced their product since we have been a client.
- Industry: Food & Beverages
- Company size: 11–50 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Hands down THE BEST
We've grown our business since starting with TPP. As we are able to track more.
Pros
Everything. Literally everything is the BEST about TPP. From the ease of adding a contact, to booking an event, to even customer service. It's all INCREDIBLE
Cons
Only con-is I wish we could save our own customized contract that I re-do every time in Word. However, I feel like this feature will eventually be available.
- Company size: 11–50 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Changed our Business
TPP has changed our business. Gone are word docs, spreadsheets and calculators. We are fast, efficient and can track food costs, sales and many many other details with the click of a button. It is intuitive and easy to use. WE ADORE customer support who have helped us through our many questions and help us to progress using the crazy amount of possibilities with the software. They also listened to our previous processes and help us to fit them into TPP or offer other more efficient options.
Pros
The software was easy to implement on the fly.
It understands catering the way we do it.
Customer Support ROCKS!!!
Cons
It was so easy to jump into we missed some important details in the initial stages so are having to redo to take advantage of the many, many features 2 years later.
- Industry: Food Production
- Company size: 11–50 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Couldn't operate with it!
The value for this software is amazing. We are able to schedule, produce and manage hundreds of events. Client management, recipes, costing, order lists, many reports, event worksheets for the kitchen, and inventory management just scratch the surface of what TPP can do. I love the extras, such as credit card processing, and linking to my other favorite programs. The customer service team is ALWAYS available to help you solve any issue and listening to your suggestions. They are always making improvements to better serve the client. I can't say enough good things!
Pros
Contact management tools and tasks to stay on top of every event
Cons
I would like to be able to schedule future emails to clients.
- Industry: Events Services
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Excellent Customer Service
Having worked in multiple industries with many different companies, TPP's customer service team is exceptional. They are the folks that make the software worth the expense.
Pros
No question that the absolute best feature of Total Party Planner is your excellent customer service. They respond super promptly. They are always helpful and easy to talk to and will, when necessary, walk us through any steps we need to get the results we're looking for.
Cons
A robust mobile app would be great to have.
- Industry: Food & Beverages
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Great catering software
We tried another program (a big name) and it was a disaster for us we use Mac's and the program didn't support them so we had to go through an interface. The big problem was that program wasn't flexible. We love TPP we use it with the Chrome browser. The only improvements I'd like to see 1. have the system format phone numbers, 2. the ability to customize the gratuity field to use our vernacular. Five stars
Pros
I no longer have to remember to update worksheets when I make a change to the menu or pack list
Cons
the ability to change the name of the gratuity field
PLEASE FORMAT PHONE NUMBERS
- Industry: Food & Beverages
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Exquisite Taste, LLC review of TPP
Pros
The convenience and user friendly navigation!
Cons
I can not list anything I don't like about this software. It is PERFECT for my business!
- Industry: Food & Beverages
- Company size: 51–200 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Fantastic Software and Team to work with
We found out about TPP when we went to the Caterer Source conference in Denver. After reviewing the software we decided to sign on with them and it was a great decision! John and his team have worked very hard to create a software program that has the caterer in mind! User friendly, scaleable and the support team is very helpful and responsive. Being web based has definitely help us be more mobile and responsive to our customers.
I would be more than happy to answer any questions.
Pros
easy to use
web based
- Industry: Food & Beverages
- Company size: 51–200 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Why did we wait so long to get TPP!?!?
We switched to TPP a couple of years ago because we needed a software that could do more for us as we continued to grow. Transitioning something like this isn't always easy, but the customer support we received from TPP, made everything happen pretty smooth. We still don't use it to it's full abilities and that is going to change in the next year.
We are excited to see just how much more a software can impact our company!!
Oh, and the reason, I only gave 4 stars on Ease of Use, is because of me! ;)
