Private dining and restaurant events,
without the second job.
For restaurants that also run private dining rooms, buyouts and group bookings on the side. Send quick proposals between services, print a BEO your kitchen actually reads, and stop running events out of a chef's-notebook spreadsheet. from $39/month.
The events stuff happens around real service.
You're not a dedicated events venue. You're a restaurant that does events well, in your downtime. The tools built for hotel banquet sales departments don't fit how restaurants actually work — these scenarios do.
A group enquiry lands at 4:15 PM. Service starts at 5.
The party of 24 wants a holiday dinner three weeks out. They need a quote tonight. You have 45 minutes before lineup. Building a custom proposal from scratch isn't going to happen.
In LightCater: pull your private dining package, set 24 guests, apply the wine tier they asked about, send. 4 minutes start to finish — proposal lands in their inbox before service.
Sunday's buyout for 60 and regular dinner for 90.
The whole back room is closed for a corporate buyout starting at 6 PM. Regular service in the front continues to 10. The kitchen needs to know what's happening where, and your reservations team needs to stop seating walk-ins in the private space.
In LightCater: the calendar shows the buyout blocks against your regular service window. The BEO lays out the private menu separately so the kitchen runs both without confusion.
"Can we do a 3-course for $65 instead of à la carte?"
Private events usually want a prix-fixe menu, not the regular menu. Each event might have different protein choices, dietary swaps, wine pairings. Building a custom menu PDF every time eats your prep hour.
In LightCater: save your common prix-fixe menus to the menu library. Pull, tweak per event, send. The on-the-night BEO lists exactly what's coming out, in what order.
November and December: 40 private events a month.
Office holiday parties, family gatherings, end-of-year client dinners. Your single private dining room is booked solid. You're saying no by Halloween. Each enquiry needs a contract, a deposit, a confirmed headcount.
In LightCater: calendar shows what's booked and what's open. Each confirmed event has its full lifecycle — proposal → contract → deposit → BEO — without re-typing. November becomes manageable.
Did the holiday party deposit clear, or didn't it?
Your bookkeeper handles the regular restaurant books. Event deposits come in by wire or cheque. There's no single place that shows you what's outstanding 14 days from a booking.
In LightCater: each event tracks deposits separately from regular sales. The dashboard surfaces outstanding totals so you can chase before the kitchen preps a $4,000 dinner with no money down.
"Wait, table 9 is the private group — what's their pre-paid bar tab?"
You're briefing your dining-room manager in the 4:30 PM lineup. The private group's terms — bar tab limits, signature drink, dietary on table 9 — live in an email chain somewhere on your phone.
In LightCater: the BEO is one page. Print it for the lineup, hand the manager a copy. Everything they need is on it: pre-paid limits, dietary notes, who's the on-night contact.
Six features restaurants use the most.
- Private dining package library — save your common prix-fixe menus, pull and tweak per event.
- Buyout vs partial calendar view — see at a glance what's regular service and what's a private booking.
- BEO designed for restaurant kitchens — prix-fixe courses, wine pairings, dietary breakdown, table assignments.
- Quick proposals — 4–8 minute build, send for online review with built-in e-signature.
- Event-specific deposit tracking — separate from your regular POS books; surfaces what's outstanding.
- Mobile-friendly — manage between services from your phone in the kitchen.
See every feature on the features page, look up terms in the glossary, or read the proposal-writing guide.
from $39/month. No per-event fees.
1 user included in either plan — usually the GM or the events lead. Add bar staff or sommelier at $9/month each on Self-Service ($39/mo), or $14/month each on With 24/7 Support ($59/mo). Optional AI Agent add-on $18/month. 14-day free trial, no card to start, cancel anytime.
Private dining and events, answered.
What software manages restaurant private dining and buyouts?
How do I handle group event bookings alongside regular service?
Can I send prix-fixe and private-event quotes quickly?
Does it track private-event deposits?
How much does LightCater cost for restaurants?
Grow the catering side of the house
Free, no-signup reads for restaurants adding events and catering:
- How to write a catering proposal that wins — turn banquet enquiries into signed private-dining bookings.
- Plated vs buffet vs stations — pick the service style that fits your kitchen and room, with real costs.
- How to price a catering event — price group menus so events stay as profitable as the dining room.
14 days. Real events. Real decision.
Send your next quote in LightCater. Run a real private dinner through the app this month. See if it fits how restaurants actually work. No credit card to start.