Your POS has got dine-in humming. Delivery and online ordering is sorted. Maybe you’ve even deployed self-ordering kiosks. But there’s one high-margin growth channel most hospitality operators still ignore: catering.

Why catering deserves a seat at your table

The catering services industry in Australia grew 7% annually to $12.7 billion  in 2025. What’s changed? You don’t need to be a traditional caterer or catering company to compete. Research by IBIS World indicates that more and more restaurants and cafes are unlocking catering as a growth channel with the right tools, including purpose-built restaurant catering in Liven Orderup.

Common concerns about expanding into catering (and how we’ve solved for them)

We know what you’re thinking. You see value in catering, but are hesitating to expand because you’re already running a tight ship. You’re not alone.

These are the top concerns we hear again and again:

1. “It’ll create operational chaos” - Managing a second menu, coordinating deliveries, and adding new systems can sound overwhelming.

2. “My team doesn’t have the bandwidth” - Staff are already stretched, adding catering could drain time and energy.

3. “I don’t know how to market it” - Catering needs to be promoted, and not everyone may have the time or tools to do it right.

4. “Delivery is too expensive or unreliable.” - Operators worry about how food will get to clients on time, intact, and without eating into margins.

At Liven, we heard you and built our catering feature to address these worries. Here’s how you can turn tap into a planned, repeatable business that fits snugly alongside your existing operations, with the help of Liven.

The top 3 catering opportunities so far in 2025

Liven can be the technology partner to help make your expansion into the catering business seamless. But what are some of the biggest catering opportunities in Australia for 2025? 

Rather than talk trends, we’ve broken down high-revenue scenarios backed by data:

1. Office lunches are back

In 2024, Australia saw the first decline in people working from home since 2020, with 1/3rd of Australians now back in the office at least 2-3 days a week. Return to office rates are continuing to improve, and many employers are now using food as a perk to lure staff back to office.

Opportunity: Partner with corporate clients or create a group order menu. 

💰2 clients x $500/week = $4,000/month in new revenue

💡Schedule your catering delivery windows before 11.30 am, using the ordering window setting on Liven, preserving your team’s bandwidth for the lunch dine-in rush.

2. Private entertaining:

Catering is seeing a surge driven by private parties. Australians are turning to home hosting to help celebrate in a budget-conscious yet meaningful way. So your everyday walk-in can be your next catering customer.

Opportunity: Make sure you advertise your private party catering capabilities to patrons who visit you already. This way, your regular customers can be informed and easily make you a part of their celebrations

💰$400-$1000/per event booking

💡Easily showcase your catering menu or capabilities along-side your regular menu, using the Magic App and use Liven Engage to send targeted promos

3. Nutrition-Focused differentiation:

Australians are continuing to be increasingly health conscious, with studies showing that consumers are willing to pay a premium price (anywhere from 5-90% more) for healthy foods. 

From corporate wellness events to fitness retreats, demand is rising for meals that are plant-based, protein-rich, or gut-friendly so having a healthy catering menu can be your wedge into a premium, underserved segment.

Opportunity: Create curated health-focused catering menus for offices, events and gyms.
💰These orders often command $600–$1,500/per event.

💡Liven Catering lets you create as many catering-specific menus as you like, all managed from the same backend

How to manage catering at your restaurant with Liven 

Catering isn’t a separate business, it is a high-growth extension of your existing operations. With the catering feature available with Liven OrderUp, you don't need new hardware, new hires or new complexity. It’s all built into what you already use. 

• Integrated end-to-end with your POS, KDS, payments, and loyalty

• Centrally managed, but locally flexible for multi-venue groups

• Fully digital process, from order to payments to fulfillment & delivery

• Write once, update everywhere menus with timed categories, smart upsells, and easy bundling

• Flexible delivery, no and low commission delivery options - use your fleet, third-party, or white-labeled direct delivery.

• Hospitality-specific CRM and loyalty tools to drive repeat business

With Liven, catering becomes not just possible but predictable, profitable, and plug-and-play.

Just 3 to 4 catering orders per week can generate $10,000–$15,000/month in incremental revenue per venue, without disrupting your dine-in or delivery operations. 

Talk to Team Liven to see how Liven’s catering feature can drive value for you!