BEO software that builds the
function sheet for you.
Banquet event order software turns a confirmed booking into a printable BEO in one click — timing, headcount, menu, room setup and dietary breakdown on a single sheet the kitchen and floor both trust. No rebuilding from scratch each Friday, and every change is tracked.
What is a banquet event order?
A banquet event order (BEO) — called a function sheet in many regions — is the one-page operational document that tells the kitchen, bar and floor team exactly how to execute an event: timing, headcount, menu, room layout, dietary requirements, staffing and special requests. It's the source of truth on the night, distinct from the proposal that won the booking and the contract that made it binding. For a field-by-field breakdown, see the full banquet event order template guide. BEO software is simply the tool that produces and maintains that sheet automatically instead of by hand.
How most teams still build a BEO.
Rebuilt by hand, every event
A blank Word or spreadsheet template opened for each booking, then filled in from memory and email threads. An hour of typing per event that the software could have done in a click.
The kitchen works from a stale copy
The headcount moved, a course changed, a nut allergy was added — but the printed BEO on the pass is yesterday's version. "BEO-final-v3.docx" lands in three inboxes and nobody is sure which is current.
Re-typed from the proposal
Menu, guest count and room details get copied from the proposal or contract into the BEO by hand. Every transcription is a chance for the wrong number to reach the kitchen.
No record of what changed
When a detail is wrong on the night, there's no trail: who edited the dietary count, when the timing moved, or whether the update ever reached the floor. Documents don't remember; they just overwrite.
What good BEO software actually does.
Vendor-neutral criteria to judge any banquet event order tool by — whether it's this one or another.
Generates the BEO from the event record
The sheet should be produced from data you already entered — client, date, room, menu, guest count — not re-typed. If you're still copying fields across, it's a document, not software.
Custom BEO templates
Your sections, your layout, your working language. A rigid one-size sheet forces your team to hunt for information; a template you control puts the timing and dietary breakdown exactly where your captain expects them.
A complete kitchen + floor function sheet
Everything operations needs on one page: timing, headcount and guarantee, menu by course or station, room setup, and an explicit dietary breakdown. The most-omitted detail — allergy counts with table/seat — should have a place.
One version everyone works from
A single live record, not attachments multiplying across inboxes. Edit once, reprint instantly, and the copy on the pass is always the current one.
Every change tracked
An audit log that captures who changed what and when — the headcount edit, the timing tweak, the added allergy — so a wrong detail on the night can be traced instead of argued about.
Tied to the rest of the workflow
The BEO shouldn't live on an island. It should flow from the same record as the proposal, contract and invoice, so the numbers on the function sheet match the numbers the client agreed to.
Auto-generated, custom, change-tracked.
In LightCater, the banquet event order isn't a separate document you maintain — it's a view of the event record. The workflow runs customer → calendar → proposal → contract → invoice → BEO, so by the time an event is confirmed, the software already holds the client, date, room, menu and guest count. The function sheet is generated from that, not re-entered.
- Auto-generated from the event record — every confirmed event produces a printable BEO with no re-typing
- Custom BEO templates — arrange the sections your team reads, in your kitchen's working language
- Kitchen + floor function sheet — timing, headcount, menu, room and dietary breakdown on one page
- Every change tracked in the audit log — who edited the sheet, what they changed, and when
- One live version — edit once, reprint instantly; no "final-v3" chasing across inboxes
Because the BEO shares the record with the proposal and contract, the menu and headcount on the function sheet are the same figures the client signed off — printed in EN, DE, FR, IT or ES so the kitchen reads it in its own language. See it alongside the rest of the workflow on the features page.
By hand vs. purpose-built.
| Capability | By hand (Word / spreadsheet / generic tool) | Purpose-built BEO software (LightCater) |
|---|---|---|
| Creating the sheet | Rebuilt from a blank template each event | Auto-generated from the event record in one click |
| Source of the data | Re-typed from the proposal, contract and emails | Pulled from the same record as proposal and contract |
| Template control | DIY layout; drifts between coordinators | Custom BEO templates, consistent every time |
| Kitchen + floor detail | Depends who built it; dietary often omitted | Timing, headcount, menu, room, dietary — standard |
| Versions | Multiple files; unclear which is current | One live record — edit once, reprint instantly |
| Change tracking | None — documents overwrite, no trail | Audit log: who changed what, and when |
| Multi-language function sheet | Separate template file per language | EN / DE / FR / IT / ES from the same record |
| Time per event | ~30–60 min of typing per BEO | Seconds — the record already holds the data |
Plans start at $39/month for Self-Service or $59/month with 24/7 support, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card required. See full pricing.
Part of one connected workflow.
The BEO is the last step of a chain that starts long before the event. Because every stage shares the same record, nothing gets re-typed between them.
- Catering proposal software — branded proposals that convert into contracts, feeding the BEO its menu and headcount
- Catering CRM — event history, leads and follow-ups tied to the same proposals, contracts and BEOs
- Banquet event order template — the full field-by-field guide to what belongs on every BEO
BEO software — common questions.
What is BEO software?
What is a banquet event order (BEO)?
How does LightCater generate the BEO automatically?
Can I customize the BEO template?
Does BEO software track who changed the sheet?
BEOs that build themselves.
Set up a real event, confirm it, and print the function sheet — timing, headcount, menu, room and dietary, straight from the record. Try it free for 14 days, no credit card to start.