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3 Reviews 2 Complaints
- 3 out of 5
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Cater Nation overview
Cater Nation is a national catering marketplace catering to administrative, sales, and other professionals with drop-off catering needs. Founded in October 2009, Cater Nation has roots that trace back to 2003, when online catering was in its early stages of development.
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Cater Nation is a national catering marketplace catering to administrative, sales, and other professionals with drop-off ...Read more
Address
14241 Midlothian Turnpike # 247 Midlothian, VA 23113
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621
Frustrating Online Portal
Cater Nationโs customer service is excellentโquick, helpful responses every time. But the online portal makes managing group orders harder than it should be. As an admin, itโs frustrating to have to re-enter participant info (name, email, phone) every time, instead of selecting from a saved list. Thereโs also no way to limit which menu sections attendees can order from. Many people didnโt know how to properly close their orders, so they werenโt logged. The running total is visible to everyone, which isnโt ideal, and the system defaults to delivery, requiring extra effort to clarify that we prefer pickup. Overall, great support team, but the platform needs serious improvements.
Great Service
This service is great. Itโs convenient to have all the catering options in one place, and I love that my corporate account is saved, so I donโt have to look up account numbers every time. The only downside is that many restaurants have high minimums, which feels excessive. Also, some areas, like Detroit, should have more restaurant choices. I was surprised by the limited options for an office delivery there.
I really appreciate how easy and convenient CaterNation is to use. Itโs a great concept and makes ordering food pretty simple. That said, I wish there were more vendor options available in my areaโand I know thatโs also the case in some smaller or more remote locations. For example, Chick-fil-A is advertised as a partner in some areas, but itโs not available where I live. Right now, I only have two vendors to choose from, even though I know there are plenty of local restaurants around. Expanding the selection would definitely improve the overall experience.
Beware of Delivery Issues and Poor Customer Support
Iโve been happy with Cater Nation until todayโs disaster. My suggestion would be that if a vendor canโt handle a large order or deliver at a specific time, they should make that clear upfront. They should also remove that vendor as an option if they canโt meet those needs. I really didnโt appreciate being lectured by the customer service rep about how "the caterer is a one-man operation," "you had bad traffic," and "it was a large order," especially on the day my delivery was supposed to arrive. How about Cater Nation and the vendor take some responsibility for not being able to fulfill an order properly?
Poor Communication and Late Orders
Iโve been planning meetings successfully for years, but my experience with Cater Nation was disappointing. I found their staff unable to communicate updates and details effectively to the caterers at the restaurants. I placed two orders, and both were late because the staff failed to relay delivery details and order updates properly. There was total confusion about my contact information. I ordered from On the Border and Abe's Deli, and both drivers complained about the miscommunication when working with Cater Nation. Why use a middleman when you can deal directly with the restaurant and ensure orders are correct and delivered on time?