{
  "name": "Catering Services",
  "edition_label": "October 2026",
  "edition_updated_at": "2026-10-11",
  "slug": "catering-services",
  "kind": "subcategory",
  "parent_slug": "restaurant-food-services",
  "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services",
  "scope": "Category research. Verified account AOV aggregate supplied separately.",
  "directory_status": "deferred",
  "page_readiness": "published",
  "directory_notice": null,
  "benchmark": {
    "status": "verified_aggregate",
    "slug": "catering-services",
    "parent_slug": "restaurant-food-services",
    "cohort_scope": "exact_child",
    "median_aov_usd": 47.85,
    "p25_aov_usd": 25.86,
    "p75_aov_usd": 90.51,
    "metric_window": null,
    "scope_label": "Equal-weight AOV benchmark",
    "methodology": "Median and middle 50% of observed account-level average order values in USD, with each account weighted equally. Use this range as a comparison, not a profitability measure.",
    "read_at": "2026-10-11T14:11:34.595470+00:00",
    "period_label": "Dated snapshot",
    "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services account AOV: median $47.85; middle 50% $25.86 to $90.51. Snapshot read 11 October 2026. https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark",
    "source": {
      "name": "Madgicx Research & Labs",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark"
    }
  },
  "metric_definitions": [],
  "metric_definitions_scope": "Definitions only; no ACV, MRR or ARPU benchmark or measured correlation is supplied.",
  "brands": null,
  "answers": [
    {
      "group": "In this category",
      "id": "answer-hrtv1-catering-services-1",
      "question": "Does catering headcount equal the number of acquired paying customers?",
      "text": "Chipotle's group-order page lets multiple people choose individual meals while the organizer pays for the group order. Label the paying order and the people fed separately before comparing campaign purchase value; a larger headcount does not establish more separately acquired buyers.",
      "context": "",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-hrtv1-catering-services-1",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. Does catering headcount equal the number of acquired paying customers? Chipotle's group-order page lets multiple people choose individual meals while the organizer pays for the group order. Label the paying order and the people fed separately before comparing campaign purchase value; a larger headcount does not establish more separately acquired buyers.  Source: https://www.chipotle.com/order/group/create Answer: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-hrtv1-catering-services-1",
      "source_url": "https://www.chipotle.com/order/group/create"
    },
    {
      "group": "In this category",
      "id": "answer-hrtv1-catering-services-2",
      "question": "Is a catering order minimum an extra charge to add to revenue?",
      "text": "ezCater describes a restaurant's order minimum as the spend required for it to accept an order, not a separate customer charge. Evaluate the selected food and applicable checkout charges; adding the minimum on top would misstate the order's value.",
      "context": "",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-hrtv1-catering-services-2",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. Is a catering order minimum an extra charge to add to revenue? ezCater describes a restaurant's order minimum as the spend required for it to accept an order, not a separate customer charge. Evaluate the selected food and applicable checkout charges; adding the minimum on top would misstate the order's value.  Source: https://www.ezcater.com/lunchrush/office/catering-order-minimums-service-fees/ Answer: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-hrtv1-catering-services-2",
      "source_url": "https://www.ezcater.com/lunchrush/office/catering-order-minimums-service-fees/"
    },
    {
      "group": "In this category",
      "id": "answer-hrtv1-catering-services-3",
      "question": "When is a submitted catering request an accepted, paid event?",
      "text": "ezCater describes payment authorization, caterer acceptance and fulfillment as separate steps after submission; its terms also distinguish authorization from payment. A campaign inquiry or submitted request alone does not establish a paid, completed event. Define the outcome being reported and verify its later status.",
      "context": "",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-hrtv1-catering-services-3",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. When is a submitted catering request an accepted, paid event? ezCater describes payment authorization, caterer acceptance and fulfillment as separate steps after submission; its terms also distinguish authorization from payment. A campaign inquiry or submitted request alone does not establish a paid, completed event. Define the outcome being reported and verify its later status.  Source: https://www.ezcater.com/lunchrush/office/how-to-order-catering-with-ezcater/ Answer: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-hrtv1-catering-services-3",
      "source_url": "https://www.ezcater.com/lunchrush/office/how-to-order-catering-with-ezcater/"
    },
    {
      "group": "In this category",
      "id": "answer-hrtv1-catering-services-4",
      "question": "Can a canceled catering order retain some of its booked value?",
      "text": "ezCater's terms allow provider cancellation charges covering some or all of an order, including no-shows, subject to the applicable policy. Evaluate the retained amount against that order's conditions rather than assuming all canceled catering bookings generate zero revenue or retain the full quoted amount.",
      "context": "",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-hrtv1-catering-services-4",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. Can a canceled catering order retain some of its booked value? ezCater's terms allow provider cancellation charges covering some or all of an order, including no-shows, subject to the applicable policy. Evaluate the retained amount against that order's conditions rather than assuming all canceled catering bookings generate zero revenue or retain the full quoted amount.  Source: https://www.ezcater.com/terms_of_use Answer: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-hrtv1-catering-services-4",
      "source_url": "https://www.ezcater.com/terms_of_use"
    },
    {
      "group": "Read the benchmark",
      "id": "answer-median-aov",
      "question": "What is the average order value benchmark for Catering Services?",
      "text": "The median account AOV for Catering Services is $47.85 USD. This is the middle account-level average order value in the benchmark.",
      "context": "USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026.",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-median-aov",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. What is the average order value benchmark for Catering Services? The median account AOV for Catering Services is $47.85 USD. This is the middle account-level average order value in the benchmark. USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026. Source: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark Answer: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-median-aov",
      "source_url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark"
    },
    {
      "group": "Read the benchmark",
      "id": "answer-aov-range",
      "question": "What is the typical AOV range in Catering Services?",
      "text": "The middle 50% of account AOVs runs from $25.86 to $90.51 USD. This is the interquartile range, not the minimum and maximum.",
      "context": "USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026.",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-aov-range",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. What is the typical AOV range in Catering Services? The middle 50% of account AOVs runs from $25.86 to $90.51 USD. This is the interquartile range, not the minimum and maximum. USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026. Source: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark Answer: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-aov-range",
      "source_url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark"
    },
    {
      "group": "Read the benchmark",
      "id": "answer-lower-quartile-aov",
      "question": "What is the lower-quartile AOV?",
      "text": "The 25th-percentile account AOV is $25.86 USD. It marks the lower edge of the middle 50% of this distribution.",
      "context": "USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026.",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-lower-quartile-aov",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. What is the lower-quartile AOV? The 25th-percentile account AOV is $25.86 USD. It marks the lower edge of the middle 50% of this distribution. USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026. Source: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark Answer: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-lower-quartile-aov",
      "source_url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark"
    },
    {
      "group": "Read the benchmark",
      "id": "answer-upper-quartile-aov",
      "question": "What is the upper-quartile AOV?",
      "text": "The 75th-percentile account AOV is $90.51 USD. It marks the upper edge of the middle 50%, not a performance target.",
      "context": "USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026.",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-upper-quartile-aov",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. What is the upper-quartile AOV? The 75th-percentile account AOV is $90.51 USD. It marks the upper edge of the middle 50%, not a performance target. USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026. Source: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark Answer: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-upper-quartile-aov",
      "source_url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark"
    },
    {
      "group": "Read the benchmark",
      "id": "answer-aov-calculation",
      "question": "What does this AOV benchmark show?",
      "text": "Median and middle 50% of observed account-level average order values in USD, with each account weighted equally. Use this range as a comparison, not a profitability measure.",
      "context": "USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026.",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-aov-calculation",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. What does this AOV benchmark show? Median and middle 50% of observed account-level average order values in USD, with each account weighted equally. Use this range as a comparison, not a profitability measure. USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026. Source: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark Answer: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-aov-calculation",
      "source_url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark"
    },
    {
      "group": "Put it in context",
      "id": "answer-median-or-mean",
      "question": "Is this the mean AOV across all orders?",
      "text": "No. It is the median of account-level average order values. Each account receives equal weight; it is not a pooled average of every order.",
      "context": "USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026.",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-median-or-mean",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. Is this the mean AOV across all orders? No. It is the median of account-level average order values. Each account receives equal weight; it is not a pooled average of every order. USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026. Source: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark Answer: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-median-or-mean",
      "source_url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark"
    },
    {
      "group": "Put it in context",
      "id": "answer-benchmark-period",
      "question": "When was this benchmark snapshot read?",
      "text": "The snapshot was read on 11 October 2026.",
      "context": "USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026.",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-benchmark-period",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. When was this benchmark snapshot read? The snapshot was read on 11 October 2026. USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026. Source: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark Answer: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-benchmark-period",
      "source_url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark"
    },
    {
      "group": "Put it in context",
      "id": "answer-benchmark-coverage",
      "question": "Which industry or subcategory does this benchmark cover?",
      "text": "This benchmark covers exact Catering Services classifications under Restaurant & Food Services. It excludes the parent industry and sibling subcategories.",
      "context": "USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026.",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-benchmark-coverage",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. Which industry or subcategory does this benchmark cover? This benchmark covers exact Catering Services classifications under Restaurant & Food Services. It excludes the parent industry and sibling subcategories. USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026. Source: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark Answer: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-benchmark-coverage",
      "source_url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark"
    },
    {
      "group": "Put it in context",
      "id": "answer-compare-aov",
      "question": "How can I compare my AOV with this benchmark?",
      "text": "Enter your AOV in USD in the comparison field above. It shows the difference from the median and whether your value falls below, within or above the middle 50%. Your entered amount stays on this page.",
      "context": "USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026.",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-compare-aov",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. How can I compare my AOV with this benchmark? Enter your AOV in USD in the comparison field above. It shows the difference from the median and whether your value falls below, within or above the middle 50%. Your entered amount stays on this page. USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026. Source: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark Answer: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-compare-aov",
      "source_url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark"
    },
    {
      "group": "Put it in context",
      "id": "answer-aov-performance",
      "question": "Does an above-median AOV mean better advertising performance?",
      "text": "The comparison describes position in the account AOV distribution, not profitability. It is not a performance score.",
      "context": "USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026.",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-aov-performance",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. Does an above-median AOV mean better advertising performance? The comparison describes position in the account AOV distribution, not profitability. It is not a performance score. USD · Equal-weight AOV benchmark. Snapshot read 11 October 2026. Source: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark Answer: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-aov-performance",
      "source_url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#benchmark"
    },
    {
      "group": "Use this research",
      "id": "answer-download-research",
      "question": "Can I download this industry research?",
      "text": "The exports section provides this edition in Markdown and JSON, along with a research index. Credit Madgicx Research & Labs and link to the exact source. Keep its snapshot date and scope.",
      "context": "",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-download-research",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. Can I download this industry research? The exports section provides this edition in Markdown and JSON, along with a research index. Credit Madgicx Research & Labs and link to the exact source. Keep its snapshot date and scope.  Source: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#reuse Answer: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-download-research",
      "source_url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#reuse"
    },
    {
      "group": "Use this research",
      "id": "answer-cite-research",
      "question": "How should I cite a finding from this page?",
      "text": "Credit Madgicx Research & Labs and link to the exact source. Keep its snapshot date and scope.",
      "context": "",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-cite-research",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. How should I cite a finding from this page? Credit Madgicx Research & Labs and link to the exact source. Keep its snapshot date and scope.  Source: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#reuse Answer: https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-cite-research",
      "source_url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#reuse"
    }
  ]
}