All Total Party Planner Reviews
1-25 of 153 Reviews
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Alex
Verified reviewer
Events Services, 11-50 employees
Used daily for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed December 2018
One of the few things that actually gets you more time to run your business!
It has allowed us to move into the cloud and keep all of our information in a reliable and easily interfaced system.
PROSThis 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.
CONSThe 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 As amazing as TPP is, the interface feels a bit clunky and outdated.
Rick
Food & Beverages, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed August 2021
Total Party Planner is the best way to run your catering business
By using TPP for the past many years we have been able to take the standardization of our operation to levels that were difficult to attain with our previous system. TPP is able to offer all of the pertinent information about each event in one location. Our teams have access to everything they need to execute the event to our exacting standards.
PROSThe pros of this application are truly too many to list. One of the best things about TPP (Total Party Planner) is all of our proprietary information is stored in one central location for our teams to access. From customer records to recipes TPP is able to help our team perform at optimal efficiencies.
CONSThe only downside to TPP is the initial learning curve can be steep. That being said if time is taken at the initial setup and done correctly the reward/payoff of efficiency in your operation will be quickly realized. There are sooo many facets to the application that it can seem overwhelming at first. As you learn the ins and outs you quickly become comfortable and it soon becomes second nature. After using the app for over 5 years I am still learning new capabilities of TPP that I never knew existed.
Reason for choosing Total Party Planner
Hands down the customer support at TPP is incredible! The support team is so easy to reach and is always there to answer your questions. Another reason is the development team at TPP is always working to improve the app. Many times the app will push out updates and changes we never knew we needed. The improvements they have made over the past few years have made TPP a true leader in the field of catering operation applications.
Karen
11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
3
EASE OF USE
1
VALUE FOR MONEY
2
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
2
FUNCTIONALITY
1
Reviewed January 2018
Used for three years and it was great but the new view they have rolled out is full of flaws!!!
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.
PROSIt 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.
CONSChanges were made without preparation to train the users on the new product and the product was not field tested and fixed before the release.
Jennifer
Restaurants, 51-200 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed August 2021
Total Party Planner Fan!
They actually listen to their clients and work on supplying them the most efficient ways of utilizing their system. Overall; I have had more "wow" moments from the type of service they have provided. From the friendly way they respond to phone calls to the "all-hands" approach to trying to help you solve an issue...even if it has nothing to do with their software. THAT is EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!
PROSIt's ease of use. I dictate what I need where as opposed to being forced to comply with a strict or rigid set of parameters. It is fluid, user friendly and can be applied for almost anything we plan. It really expedites the speed at which I can send proposals. It is also easy for a client to read. There isn't a bunch of unnecessary information on the agreement that a client receives so it appears simple, straightforward and more importantly; easy to sign off on!!
CONSEach year; the software gets better and better. If there were features that I wish it had; it now has them. The biggest need had been the ability to have the system send me reminders and this was added a few years ago.
Reason for choosing Total Party Planner
We actually looked at changing a few years ago...for a newer shinier product and even went through the process of converting leads, etc. I was so comfortable with TPP that even the process of migrating was unusually stressful and seemed more difficult than it should be, that I stopped mid way and decided to stay with TPP and I'm so happy I did. You won't find better customer service anywhere!!!! These days that is a HUGE benefit and priceless!!
Laura
Food & Beverages, 51-200 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed November 2023
The Best Catering Software
We love that we can create a detailed proposal in TPP, that becomes a working event plan, and that we can have one version for the client with pricing and client appropriate notes and an internal version without pricing and kitchen/internal specific notes. We also love that we can send our contracts for esignatures and integrate with a payment system (including ACH which we offer at no charge or credit cards with a fee)
CONSI wish that TPP had better interfaces with the major food suppliers so that we could import our pricing and it would covert to the correct units for costing recipes. I know there are some third party options for this but they haven't been good matches for us.
Reason for choosing Total Party Planner
Much easier to use.
Vendor Response
Hi Laura! Thank you so much for your review and feedback of Total Party Planner Catering Software! We appreciate you so much!
Replied November 2023
Anonymous
2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed May 2023
TPP-Totally Perfect Planning
I love having the ability to customize and brand all our communications with clients. We were a very small 2 person team, but having the ability to manage booking and send professional proposals, was absolutely our main priority. I liked that everything was in one place, and could be integrated into other apps/services if needed.
CONSWe just do not use it to it's fullest potential and that's our fault. It has a lot of data entry to make sure it is running completely smooth, so it's hard sometimes to figure that out. But customer service will help you if you can make time and make it a priority to set up.
Anonymous
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed April 2018
Easy to use, great customer service
Tracking and Preparing for Events
PROSEasy to setup events, integrates with google calendar and quickbooks. Great for tracking events, preparing menu's and listing setup instructions. Also used for Labor tracking and cost, menu creation and inventory.
CONSwhen adding items having to enter amount and check them off also before it will post, seems like double work. Some reports are do not give enough detail. I would like more items available when I setup my own Query.
Ilana
Verified reviewer
Food & Beverages, 51-200 employees
Used daily for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed April 2017
Fantastic!
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!
CONSIt would be nice if it could integrate with FSA Star Solutions database. A final count due date indicator would be nice.
Davii
Verified reviewer
Food & Beverages, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed April 2019
Love This Software
Their customer service is awesome: friendly and responsive.
PROSTotal Party Planner is the best catering software. I use it several times a day. It keeps track of all my events in an easy to use platform.
CONSIt sometimes has glitches. I usually point them out and they get fixed sooner or later. The phone app needs real help.
Anonymous
11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
4
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed August 2018
Great tool to run our beverage services
We use this on a daily basis to run our beverage service at our venue. It is great for tracking inventory and sales.
CONSWe would like to use this to book our clients into their space rental, but there isn't functionality for that at this point.
Alissa
Food & Beverages, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed October 2016
Amazing Software, Stellar Customer Service
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.
PROSThe details and the ability work around and create your own options. The menu details and invoicing ease was great too.
CONSAt 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.
Angie
Food & Beverages, 11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
4
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed October 2016
Thanks for making me look good!
I just wanted to let you know what a great product that we believe that you have! I first researched your product, after a rave review from another local caterer, I then convinced the company that I was working for to get your software. When I made the change over to Jonz Catering, the owner was still using 'Hammer and Chisel' (Office Word and a calculator, not EVEN excel!!), to do catering proposals. I told her that even as AMAZING that I am, my typing skills leave something to be desired! If she wanted productivity and an updated, professional look, I needed to bring her into the 21st century!! She dragged her feet for about a month and then finally looked at the website'she was hooked! At least once a month for the last year she has thanked me in one way or another for 'revolutionizing' her life! About 6 months ago, we got robbed and they stole her computer. We lost a lot of history for the business, but now that we are in the cloud, we didn't miss a beat. She was so happy!!
PROSThe fact that it has so many functions and can provide so many different reports
CONSThat there isn't a room diagram function with it.
Cymbre
Food & Beverages, 11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
4
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed June 2017
TPP has transformed our business productivity, professional appearance and efficiency.
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.
CONSFor 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.
Vendor Response
Cymbre - thank you for your review. I'm glad to hear we are saving you hours and hours of time. As far as communicating with staff within the program... stay tuned! We are currently working on an internal notification system within TPP that will greatly enhance communication and reduce redundant queries. I have also put a ticket in to see if we can set a warning before closing the program. --John Cohen
Replied June 2017
John
Food & Beverages, 51-200 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed October 2016
Amazing Customer Service
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.
PROSCustomer service agents are always available when we need them.
CONSThere is an initial time investment on the clients part getting set up, but I pays down the line.
Vendor Response
John, we appreciate and thank you for your business over the past 4 years. The Client Care team was absolutely thrilled to read your comment about being second to none. To them it makes all of their hard work so worthwhile. As far as pricing, we have always believed in a fair model that includes the important functionality you would need to run a successful catering company. --John Cohen
Replied October 2016
Jennifer
Food & Beverages, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed December 2016
Happy customer for about 4 years!
I shopped around for software for our catering business, tried one other company but discontinued the service, when I did a trial for Total Party Planner, I switch right away and have been using it ever since. TPP software is very user-friendly for people like myself who are not extremely tech savvy. The help desk has always solved my problems or answered a question within minutes of calling, which is a greatly reassuring feature, for the fast pasted work of catering and needing solutions quickly. I would highly recommend TPP software for any catering company who is growing and needs to organize, streamline and make their operation more efficient.
PROSEfficient overall tracking of food sales, staff, and inventory, helping our business grow by making it more organized.
CONSThe one thing we've had troubles with is not being able to delete menu items but only making them a discontinued item.
Sarah
Food & Beverages, 11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
4
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed October 2016
Long Time, Happy Customers!
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.
PROSVery straight forward once you learn the program.
CONSSince we are on the beta, we tend to have some glitches-- but nothing major!
Vendor Response
Sarah, many, many thanks to you and Camille for being such long time clients of Total Party Planner. Creative Hands Cuisine was one of the EARLIEST adopters of our revolutionary cloud based solution introduced back in 2006. Your input on our BETA team is invaluable and is helping to pave the way for future evolutions of the software. We apologize for the BETA team glitches. I know it comes with the territory, however, I'll make sure the team is aware. Sometimes it's just that we get so excited to release all of the great new things out to the BETA team for feedback! -- John Cohen
Replied October 2016
Adam
Food & Beverages, 51-200 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed October 2016
Adam Gooch, Common Plea Catering
I have been using TPP for over 7 years now. I love this software because it is good with all the different areas of catering. Some software is good with Invoicing and Sales but has no function for BOH. TPP is good at many different categories.
PROSAll the different categories that this software provides. Also being web based it is easy to jump on from anywhere.
CONSWould like to be able to arrange inventory according to our inventory. Would like for info to be able to put on the menu item reports.
Vendor Response
Chef Gooch, thanks for believing in Total Party Planner for the past 7 years. It's been a pleasure to work with you and we will continue to work hard to evolve the software. Your suggestions for improvement have always been a huge benefit to the entire user community. We'll touch base soon about the inventory sort. -- John Cohen
Replied October 2016
Lisa
Restaurants, 1,001-5,000 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
4
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed February 2020
Highly recommend TPP
Staying organized, keeping everything in one place Proving a nice contract for the customer. Ease of sales
PROSVery easy to learn and although it has tons of functionality it is easy to navigate Customer support is better than other software that we use and training is all included which is rare.
CONSThe only feature that I ever wish for is being able to set up menus according to services. For example separating appetizer, dinner and dessert into different functions. I know there is a time line and headers but other software has the ability set to set up each meal service separately.
Reason for choosing Total Party Planner
Reserve was too robust and too expensive for our smaller catering operations
Delaney
Events Services, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
4
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed June 2017
It changed the way we work, build events, and our efficiency as a company
Creating a more efficient way to create proposals for our clients.
PROSI 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.
CONSI 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.
Vendor Response
Delaney - we are glad to hear that TPP has made things easier for both your staff and clients! We will have a member of our Client Care team reach out and see why your security session may be timing out. In many cases it is a simple browser setting that can be adjusted. --John Cohen
Replied June 2017
Tim
Food & Beverages, 51-200 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed September 2016
The Best Catering Software on the Market!
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.
PROSI love that it's very user friendly and essential in order for me to keep my clients and menus organized.
CONSI like everything about his sofware!
michonda
Food & Beverages, 11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed August 2021
Excellent product
Dont know what i would do without it.
PROSSaves 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!
CONSIts only as good as the info entered by the user .
Reason for choosing Total Party Planner
Researched other users of both products, looked at both, found tpp to be most suited to my biz.
Patti
Events Services, 11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
4
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed August 2021
Customer Service is the BEST!!
Again GREAT customer service!
PROSTpp assists in making our overall timelines, menu items, tracking of food and quantities, pricing, etc. so much easier to keep track of and to oversee.
CONSThe great news is that anytime we have an idea for something that we may need, we talk to customer service and they look into it for us and try to add what we need to the program to make it user friendly for us and our business.
Nathan
Food & Beverages, 51-200 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed April 2023
TPP is a must have for any catering operation!
Ease of use and quick learning curve. Makes our job efficient and streamlined.
CONSThe only con is that occasionally the software runs slow but besides that it’s great!
Megan
Used free trial
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
Reviewed November 2009
Can't Live Without Total Party Planner
Absolutely two thumbs up! The price is great! The product is easy to use! Customer Service is always there to answer your questions if you have any. Total Party Planner would be an asset to anyones business.
PROSThis product has made my life so simple. Our entire company is run through this program from the initial entry of the event, to the pricing of the event, to building the menu, to the closing of the event and sending it over to quickbooks via the web. The ease of clicking on my party via the calendar, the ease of finding a client or venue as well as changing them during set up of the event, the ease of adding menu items when creating the menu are all great. Total Party Planner is always making their product easier to use through updates from their knowledge and clients input. We have the web version and the business can be tracked from the comfort of my home or when out of town or on vacation. Because we are on the web, we have full access to our company. We can email invoices or proposals from anywhere. I can go on and on on how great this program is and how it has made my life easier in our catering business.
CONSI can't find any cons. If there is an issue, we call customer service and make a suggestion and the folks over at Total Party Planner usual try to implement the idea if it makes sense for the users.
Rhonda
Food & Beverages, 51-200 employees
Used daily for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed December 2016
Precious Time Saver
When I became the catering director for an established well know company in our area we were using an appointment book, Microsoft Word, Excel and a huge whiteboard to keep up with events. To say the least it was confusing and hard to keep up with. Party Planner streamlined this process and saved me hours of office time plus it has given us a more professional look when sending proposals and invoices to clients. I am also able to copy reoccurring events and make changes easily for my clients. I absolutely love it!
PROSIt streamlines all documents needed for my staff to fulfill their individual jobs. I also love the mobile app.