Poll Results: Where Contract Catering Stands on Digitalisation and Challenges

The pressure is real and shared. 

During our recent webinar on scaling digital operations in contract catering, we asked 100+ operators where they stand.

The result?
82% said they’re “working on it but still have a long way to go.”

Solving Challenges in Contract Catering

Not surprising, the pressures are everywhere. But, at least, the priorities are clear to everyone.

Changes in Contract Catering

What’s changing across the board:

• Rising labour and food costs
• Growing pressure around compliance and reporting
• Evolving expectations from both clients and guests
• A need for digital clarity across departments

These aren’t isolated challenges. They’re sector-wide shifts. And most operators already have the building blocks to solve them.

Data Issues in Contract Catering

The biggest barrier: disconnected systems. Even well-resourced organisations report:

• Front- and back-of-house teams lack a unified view
• Procurement, operations, and finance run on separate data streams
• Teams can’t act quickly on cost changes or ESG targets

As a result, they lose time, margins, and opportunities.

But, you might be further along in your digital journey than you think. 

Integration with Back-of-House Systems

In fact, the majority of respondents say that FoH and BoH are at least partially connected.

Right now, it’s about closing the gaps:

• linking existing systems,
• streamlining workflows, and
• unlocking value from data you already have access to.

What contract caterers need are systems that bring everything together, so the entire operation can move as one.

That’s where Apicbase comes in. It replaces spreadsheets and guesswork with one system that manages:

• Recipes and batch production
• Stock visibility across all sites
• Real-time procurement needs
• Allergen, nutritional and CO₂ data

So every site knows what to prep, what to order, and how to stay compliant.