Business phone system for caterers

Caterers in the United States

County Business Patterns counted 13,222 caterers in the U.S. in 2023 (NAICS 722320, Caterers). They employed 148,684 people in mid-March and paid $4.6 billion in annual payroll. The average establishment has 11.2 employees. That is 3.9 establishments for every 100,000 residents.

California has the most (1,961), followed by New York (1,266), Florida (993), and Texas (866). Relative to population, Vermont leads with 7.4 per 100,000 residents, and Arkansas has the fewest at 1.4.

Why the phone matters for caterers

Caterers book events through inquiry calls and then coordinate menus, headcounts and timing over many follow-ups. Fast responses to inquiries win events.

Calls caterers commonly handle:

• A couple calls about catering a wedding.
• An office calls about a lunch meeting order.
• A client calls to update a headcount.
• The caterer calls a venue about setup times.
• A client calls about dietary restrictions.

Texting and after-hours calls

Caterers text headcount confirmations and delivery windows.

Evening inquiry calls are common for event catering.

How big caterers are

55.0% of U.S. caterers with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023. 72.0% had fewer than ten. Most phone decisions in this industry are made for small teams, where one shared number and sensible routing matter more than a desk phone per person.

Caterers by state

Establishment counts for the 51 states (and DC) where Census published a figure, with the rate per 100,000 residents.

Largest metro areas for caterers

Census published catering company counts for 401 metro and micropolitan areas. The 25 largest:

What a phone system costs a catering company in the U.S.

The average U.S. catering company has 11.2 employees, so the comparison uses an 11-person team. Priced per seat, 11 users would run $330.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core and $274.45 on Ooma Office Pro (month-to-month list prices, checked September 28, 2026). Callata comes to $219.00 a month for 11 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $1,332 less than RingCentral for a catering company in the U.S. of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

How Callata works for caterers

Callata Office costs $99 per month for up to 5 people, and each additional user is $20 a month. That covers up to 3 local numbers, calling from a browser or your cell, transcribed voicemail, recorded calls with AI summaries, after-hours routing and E911 on each number.

Texting from a local number requires carrier registration (10DLC), a one-time $49 fee. Porting an existing number is free.

AI agents are optional: an AI receptionist or scheduler can pick up when the team is busy or closed, take a message, send a text or email, or transfer the call. They draw on prepaid AI minutes ($0.25/minute), disclose that they are AI, and outbound AI calls require prior consent and are limited to 8am–9pm.