{
  "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 account aggregate · Reporting period not supplied",
    "methodology": "Median and middle 50% of account-level average order values. Each account value is purchase ROAS multiplied by cost per purchase in USD. Successful classifications, including manual corrections, with positive finite spend, purchases, ROAS and cost per purchase. Accounts are counted once with equal weight. Quartiles use linear interpolation. Root cohorts include direct root classifications and their child categories; exact-child cohorts exclude parent and sibling categories. The source selects the highest-spend coverage row per account among snapshots dated within the preceding 30 days; the underlying reporting period is not supplied. This is a dated aggregate advertising-data snapshot, not business-wide AOV or a census.",
    "read_at": "2026-10-11T14:11:34.595470+00:00",
    "period_label": "Dated snapshot · underlying reporting period not supplied",
    "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services account AOV: median $47.85; middle 50% $25.86–$90.51. Snapshot read 2026-10-11T14:11:34.595470+00:00; underlying reporting period not supplied. 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 account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied.",
      "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 account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied. 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 account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied.",
      "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 account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied. 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 account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied.",
      "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 account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied. 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 account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied.",
      "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 account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied. 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": "How is account AOV calculated for this benchmark?",
      "text": "Each account value is purchase ROAS multiplied by cost per purchase in USD. The benchmark reports the median and middle 50% of those account values. Accounts are counted once and receive equal weight.",
      "context": "USD · Equal-weight account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied.",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-aov-calculation",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. How is account AOV calculated for this benchmark? Each account value is purchase ROAS multiplied by cost per purchase in USD. The benchmark reports the median and middle 50% of those account values. Accounts are counted once and receive equal weight. USD · Equal-weight account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied. 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 account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied.",
      "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 account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied. 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": "What dates does this AOV benchmark cover?",
      "text": "The snapshot was read on 11 October 2026. The underlying reporting period was not supplied. The October 2026 label identifies the page edition, not the period in which the advertising results were measured.",
      "context": "USD · Equal-weight account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied.",
      "url": "https://madgicx.com/labs/industries/restaurant-food-services/catering-services#answer-benchmark-period",
      "citation": "Madgicx Research & Labs. Catering Services. What dates does this AOV benchmark cover? The snapshot was read on 11 October 2026. The underlying reporting period was not supplied. The October 2026 label identifies the page edition, not the period in which the advertising results were measured. USD · Equal-weight account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied. 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 account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied.",
      "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 account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied. 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 account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied.",
      "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 account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied. 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 account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied.",
      "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 account aggregate. Snapshot read 11 October 2026; underlying reporting period not supplied. 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. This private draft is not licensed for public redistribution.",
      "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. This private draft is not licensed for public redistribution.  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": "When reuse is permitted, credit Madgicx Research & Labs and link to the exact source. Keep its snapshot date and scope. This private draft is not licensed for public redistribution.",
      "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? When reuse is permitted, credit Madgicx Research & Labs and link to the exact source. Keep its snapshot date and scope. This private draft is not licensed for public redistribution.  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"
    }
  ]
}