Business phone system for caterers in Tennessee

The catering company industry in Tennessee

The Census Bureau counted 190 caterers in Tennessee in its 2023 County Business Patterns (NAICS 722320). They employed 2,099 people in mid-March and reported $56.2 million in annual payroll. That is the 21st highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Caterers make up 0.13% of the 150,129 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Tennessee has 2.6 caterers, 32.4% below the national rate of 3.9. The average establishment has 11.0 employees against 11.2 nationally. Payroll per employee is $26,792, 13.2% below the U.S. figure of $30,873.

Where caterers in Tennessee are concentrated

Census published catering company counts for 10 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Tennessee. The largest is Nashville, TN, with 75 establishments. Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 62% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at caterers in Tennessee

52.7% of Tennessee's caterers with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 55.0% nationally. 69.1% had fewer than ten. That is the size of team where a missed call usually means nobody was free, not that nobody was on staff.

Why the phone matters for caterers in Tennessee

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

A few of the calls that come in to caterers in Tennessee:

• A client calls about dietary restrictions.
• The caterer calls a venue about setup times.
• A client calls to update a headcount.

Calls after closing time

Evening inquiry calls are common for event catering.

Callata voicemail is transcribed and triaged for urgency, and business-hours routing decides where calls go once you close.

What a phone system costs a catering company in Tennessee

Caterers in Tennessee average 11.0 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). On Callata the same 11 people cost $219.00 a month, less than either per-seat plan.

The annual difference against RingCentral's monthly list price comes to $1,332. Some vendors discount annual contracts; the table shows month-to-month prices.

Area codes in Tennessee

Tennessee has 8 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. You can choose local numbers in the area codes your clients know, subject to carrier inventory, or port your current number for free.

How Callata works for caterers in Tennessee

Callata is a business phone system priced at $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user. Callata Office includes up to 3 local business numbers, unlimited inbound calling, 1,500 pooled outbound US and Canada minutes per user each month, a browser softphone that can also ring your cell, voicemail with transcription, call recording with AI summaries, business-hours routing and E911 on every number.

If you already have a number in Tennessee, porting it to Callata is free. Texting from a local number requires a one-time carrier registration (10DLC, $49), and the numbers available in any area code depend on carrier inventory when you choose them.

Optional AI agents (receptionist, sales, support or scheduler) can answer calls after hours or when nobody picks up, take messages, text, email and transfer to your team. They are billed from prepaid AI minutes at $0.25 per minute, identify themselves as AI, and may only place outbound calls to people who consented, between 8am and 9pm.