Total Party Planner Reviews

One of the few things that actually gets you more time to run your business!

Comments: It has allowed us to move into the cloud and keep all of our information in a reliable and easily interfaced system.

Pros:

This allows any hospitality professional or small business to present itself professionally and efficiently! It brings together all the different parts of our business under one software platform so we can easily communicate and excel. It is a lifesaver for our hectic industry and we cannot recommend it enough! On top of everything else, the customer service from TPP is rapid and helpful.

Cons:

The UI and UX could be a little bit improved. We are used to seeing all the web software interfaces being very streamlined and modern nowadays. As amazing as TPP is, the interface feels a bit clunky and outdated.

In a World Where Customer Service is a Dying Art, this is Customer Service at Its Finest

Comments: 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.

Used for three years and it was great but the new view they have rolled out is full of flaws!!!

Comments: 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.

This is a review

Comments: 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

Great Catering Software

Comments: Excellent customer service

Pros:

Easy integration from our older catering database to TPP.

Cons:

Sometimes freezes during use of the software

Has the the potential to be perfect with a few add ons.

Pros:

I can do most of my work on this software.

Cons:

1) I wish there was an customized online forms for questionnaires. 2) Once contracts are signed, I would like for them to be saved under the clients event tab. 3) Would love to have the capability to set up an automatic email to remind the client that a contract/proposal has not been signed or an invoice has not been paid or if they owe us some information pertaining to their event.

So glad that we switched! 😁

Pros:

TPP's software platform is so awesome and easy to use! We are so happy that we made the switch!

Cons:

So far nothing negative to say about it.

Fantastic!

Pros:

This program saves hours in all aspects of event planning - initial proposals, budget considerations, contracts, menu pricing, tracking profits, you name it. Their staff is incredibly efficient and helpful. I was working remotely late on a Friday - after business hours - had an issue, and they contacted me back within 30 minutes and had the problem fixed. Awesome!

Cons:

It would be nice if it could integrate with FSA Star Solutions database. A final count due date indicator would be nice.

Good Product with some limitations

Comments: Overall it was great. We got our money's worth. It was easy to use and efficient until it wasn't.

Pros:

We used this product for many years as we were starting our Catering Company. It did exactly what we needed it to do and it was extremely easy to learn and navigate

Cons:

We found as we got more into the catering business and our other services grew that this platform was just not able to grow with us. We were not able to customize the way we needed it. We couldn't track our customers the way we would like and it did not integrate with our other systems so we opted for a system that we could use between departments.

Total Party Planner Review

Pros:

Generate and export report, great tool for planner

Cons:

Save more hours a month if use good and frequently

Very few things can buy you time to actually run your business - TPP does, and extremely well!

Comments: I was you, 1 year ago. My restaurant was running me, requests for catering were pouring in and we had just put our catering food truck on the road. I was stressed to the max, drowning in Excel Catering Event Order spreadsheets and missing catering pick-up orders and panicking my kitchen.
I know.. you assume that I'm a newbie, and that's sweet. I'm in my 30th year of cooking for a living, and at the age of 43 own one of the top restaurants in my industry category in our Province. We staff 40 plus people for a 15 table full-service restaurant that turns 10 to 11 times a day from Thursday to Sunday - every week. That doesn't include six figures per year in take-out and six figures in Catering now a year later. Add to that, I'm no slouch on the computer and can code in Excel like it's second nature. Why do you need to know this? It gives you context for this review.
Without Total Party Planner to take away the headaches of searching for pricing, building proposals, databasing clients and providing seamless continuity for all of our communication, we wouldn't be able to grow like we have.
Yes... evaluate how much the software costs, and look at your business and determine if you can afford it - it's not cheap. However, bear in mind this one caveat. - How much is your time worth?
- How much are you spending in repairing your credibility with clients, when you miss a detail?
- How much are you losing when you forget to add a detail to an order and have to take it at a
loss?
- Are your skills being utilized in the right facet? I'm a chef, not an event planner and certainly not an accountant. TPP assists me to be a better business person. I could have designed a database in MS Access, or continued in Excel - but why? My results would not have produced the package that TPP offers. I know what you're thinking... this reads too good to be true, and in fact, there is one thing that needs to be cleared up.
This program came easy to me, it all made sense from a Culinary perspective and the types of information required to utilize the program to its fullest were familiar to me. There, I said it, this is a professional level program. Not that it's just for enterprise level clients, but, hospitality professionals. Just be prepared. The learning curve here is quite steep for the uninitiated.
But.... Their customer service is outstanding... really... they care - a lot. I use 8 different subscription business services, and TPP is the best!

Pros:

This software allows hospitality professionals and entrepreneurs who own small to medium sized operations present themselves in a polished and consistent way

Cons:

The steep learning curve would be a con for those who aren't computer savvy. This was not my case, but teaching other staff members has presented these challenges. With proper coaching, which TPP does so very well, and which I have modelled my internal training on, you can be up and running in a fairly short time. Be prepared though, no matter which software suite you choose, there is a ton of hard data that needs to be inputed. TPP handles this really well, and after using it for a year, I can navigate around and produce proposals and maintain my financials with ease.

The do all easy to use event management software .

Comments: First off I want to say that I am not being paid or compensated to write this review. I have been using total party planner for over 20 years. As a professional chef In my career I have owned a banquet facilitiy, 3 restaurants and five catering companies. I have also consulted for many clients starting up new catering or banquet operations and seasoned veterans focusing on organizational management and culinary . The things that I always look for when implementing a new organizational management piece of software or system is speed of integration and ease of use. Total party planner never fails. Ever.
Event bookings client management party planning culinary integration costing all done effortlessly. When the software was first introduced I had zero computer experience nothing. I booked my first party in 10 minutes without even doing a tutorial. The reason I mention this is to emphasize the ease of use. In this modern age of ultra simple apps and dumb down software many times we find ourselves sacrificing attention to detail or the ability to do something specific and unique to our business. This is another area that total party planner shines. The guy that invented the software is the son of a caterer and was probably working weekends in a professional kitchen when he was 10 years old . He knows all the little details and things that make our lives easier when doing a catering job or running a banquet. All the details like what items to pull for a party staffing and client special notes are integrated into a easy to follow format. When I have consulted for clients either starting up or running a catering or banquet business the first thing I always notice is they have multiple salesman and secretaries handling all the paperwork and Client details. I have always been able to cut at least half of the office and sales staff by implementing total party planner. Yeah, do the math in your head, how much money would that save a year? LOL for solo operators the time savings alone is monumental. Allowing you to focus on the fun stuff like developing new recipes designing new menus or making a clients party extra special. No one wants to spend time doing paperwork this allows you to get back to what we all got into this business for, creating great events.
If you would like to chat with me about this software and how it works hit me with an email and I'll give you a ring.
[email protected]

Pros:

Ease-of-use and speed of integration with little or no computer experience.

Cons:

There's really nothing that I don't like about this software. It is designed by a food service guy for food service people so it really nails it on all levels.

Efficient and Effective Software Program

Pros:

The Total Party Planner software is both an efficient and effective program that I use every day. I rely on the TPP technology to support my busy catering schedule with reliable, detailed, automated information. The program facilitates communication between our customers, our sales team and our staff with ease. Daily reminders keep me on track. From day one, I was confident that it wasn't just a software program, but a partnership between my company and Total Party Planner. The training, set-up and continued customer support is consistently excellent and done in a friendly efficient effective manner.

Cons:

I have had very few issues with the program. The Total Party Planner software was designed by people with experience in catering who had a strong voice in the design which was coupled with superior technical programming. This makes all the difference. The software is user friendly, specific to catering needs. Each time I had a question, a solution was provided. In most instances, the technology was already in place. The customer service team walked me through the steps to use it effectively. The company is interactive with me and other catering professionals. They are open to exploring suggestions and endeavor to provide solutions.

Total Party Planner (TPP)

Comments: 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.

Nothing else compares

Comments: 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.

Amazing Software, Stellar Customer Service

Comments: From start to finish TPP's customer service was always friendly, and above & beyond helpful. If they didn't have a feature, they worked on creating one. They have great work-arounds to manage almost anything you need. The use of the software increased our efficiency, productivity and therefore profitability almost instantly. It takes a little bit of practice to get everything sorted out and create proposals but once you get the hang of it you fly through them send customers professional and thorough proposals and invoices super quickly and close the deal. I can't say enough good things about the service and the staff! Totally worth the cost.

Pros:

The details and the ability work around and create your own options. The menu details and invoicing ease was great too.

Cons:

At the time I was using it (I stopped 2 years ago to raise our son and hire someone to take over for me) there was very little I could do on a mobile device or phone. The ipad version was very difficult. I think that's been worked on but I believe it still lacks a lot of features of the full computer version.

Great Tool for a Growing Catering Company

Comments: Total Party Planner has been an amazing tool for our small, but quickly growing catering company. The features are exactly what we need, and the program is extremely intuitive to use, which makes it a breeze to learn for our new event coordinators. TPP's customer service team is extremely responsive and will get back to you within hours (if not minutes!) of a report of any issues or questions. We highly recommend this software!

Pros:

How intuitive it is to use for event planning (I honestly haven't delved deep into the rest of its features yet at this point, but I'm sure I'd love them too!).

Cons:

It does run slowly on occasion, or even freeze up and you have to wait a few minutes before you can access your events.

TPP has transformed our business productivity, professional appearance and efficiency.

Pros:

TPP was very easy to set and customize to our specific business model. The pricing and inventory functions have saved us hours and hours of man time. The uniform and professional "look" of our proposals, contracts and invoices are top notch.

Cons:

For me it is too easy for user error in Xing out of program. No stop of warning before you exit out. Not being able to emails staff from other areas is a big concern.I like to track conversations between other staff members and staff in order to decrease redundant queries and have a record.

Amazing Customer Service

Comments: We have been very happy with TPP for the past 4 years that we have been using them. Their customer service is second to none. One of the initial things I loved and made me choose them over some of the pother options was their upfront pricing. The price they quote you is what you pay. No surcharges for upgrades and they integrate seamlessly with other 3rd party software that we utilize in our day to day operations.

Pros:

Customer service agents are always available when we need them.

Cons:

There is an initial time investment on the clients part getting set up, but I pays down the line.

Long Time, Happy Customers!

Comments: We have been using Total Party Planner for about 10 years. We LOVE the software and the benefits it has to offer. We really wouldn't recommend any other software for catering companies.

Pros:

Very straight forward once you learn the program.

Cons:

Since we are on the beta, we tend to have some glitches-- but nothing major!

Training was very helpful!

Comments: Overall our team finds TPP to be easy to use and helpful in our event booking process. We would recommend this software to other caterers in the industry.

Pros:

We like that TPP creates easy to read reports, that helps us review financial details, past and pending events. The training was very helpful and straight forward. Our team also appreciates how helpful and responsive the TPP team is.

Cons:

One feature that could better improve the program would be to offer a more detailed event history that includes changes made in the event.

Excellent product

Comments: Dont know what i would do without it.

Pros:

Saves money saves time, can see where we were losing $, keeps track of everything and saves it forever for u, great for ordering, sales reports, billing, accounts receivable, client info and history, labor reports, user friendly so much it helps with!

Cons:

Its only as good as the info entered by the user 🤪 .

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!

It changed the way we work, build events, and our efficiency as a company

Comments: Creating a more efficient way to create proposals for our clients.

Pros:

I love how easy it is for us and how easy it is to review for our clients. I also love how everyone in the office can few all of the events at the same time.

Cons:

I don't like how complicated and time consuming getting quantity and pricing for food is. We get kicked out of TPP pretty frequently as well.

The Best Catering Software on the Market!

Comments: We could not be more satisfied with Total Party Planner! It's such an amazing program that has been extremely helpful and essential to the growth of our business. We began with the desktop version and moved to the web-based version when it became available, and we could not have been more pleased throughout every step of our 10 year relationship! The owner, John, is very hands-on and helpful with any assistance that we have ever needed. If you are looking for catering software, I highly recommend Total Party Planner.

Pros:

I love that it's very user friendly and essential in order for me to keep my clients and menus organized.

Cons:

I like everything about his sofware!