Corporate catering services have become increasingly popular as companies look for convenient ways to provide meals for meetings, events, and employees. Two of the biggest names in corporate catering are ezCater and ZeroCater, but they differ in some key ways.
This detailed comparison looks at the pros, cons, features, and other factors to consider when choosing between ezCater and ZeroCater.
A Brief Comparison Table
| Feature | ezCater | ZeroCater |
| Founded | 2007 | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Boston, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Company Size | 100,000+ clients | 5,000+ clients |
| Catering Focus | Upscale, formal events | Daily meals & snacks |
| Food Quality | Vetted, curated restaurants | Wide variety of restaurants |
| Ordering Experience | Intuitive platform, live tracking | Budget tracker, one-click reordering |
| Delivery Logistics | Through restaurant partners | Own drivers for scheduled routes |
| Pricing | Restaurant prices + delivery fees | Restaurant prices + service fees |
| Technology Integrations | Calendar, Salesforce, Slack, Concur | Calendar, Slack, Concur, accounting tools |
| Support Channels | Phone, email, chat, tutorials | Phone, email, account managers |
Overview Of ezCater
Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Boston, MA, ezCater is an online and mobile catering marketplace that connects corporate customers with over 60,000 local restaurants and caterers. Some key things to know about ezCater:
- Serves over 100,000 companies, including Fortune 500s like WeWork, Uber, and Netflix.
- Offers national reach, allowing companies to order catering from local restaurants in all 50 states.
- Provides live order tracking, catering reviews and photos, secure online payment, and budget management features.
- Emphasizes curating only the best restaurants that meet their standards for food quality, presentation, service, and reliability.
- Received over $300 million in funding from prominent investors like ICONIQ Capital, Insight Venture Partners, and Light Street Capital.
- Current CEO is Stefania Mallett.
Overview Of ZeroCater
Founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, CA, ZeroCater is an online and mobile platform for business catering. Here are some key ZeroCater details:
- Over 5,000 corporate accounts, including major companies like Airbnb, Pinterest, and Evernote.
- Focused primarily on major metro markets like San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Austin.
- Highly customizable ordering with real-time budget tracking, guest management, and reporting.
- Offerings range from snacks, breakfasts, lunches to dinners, drinks, and full-service event catering.
- Integrates with expense software, calendars, Slack, and more.
- Total funding of $35 million from investors like Cleveland Avenue, Struck Capital, and Romulus Capital.
- Current CEO is Arram Sabeti.
Now that we’ve covered the basics on ezCater and ZeroCater, let’s do a detailed side-by-side comparison.
Comparison Of Services and Offerings
Both ezCater and ZeroCater provide a wide range of customizable catering options, from individual meals to group events:
ezCater
- Individual delivery of breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Snack catering including coffee breaks
- Group lunches like sandwich platters, salads, BBQ
- Breakfast catering with bagels, pastry trays, yogurt parfaits
- Formal dinners, appetizer stations, dessert bars
- Full service event catering
ZeroCater
- Individual meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Snacks including drinks, chips, cookies, fruit
- Lunch packages with sandwiches, salads, pizza
- Hot breakfasts with burritos, waffles, egg bakes
- Plated dinners, family-style service, buffets
- Turnkey event catering with staffing
Both offer a wide variety, but ezCater has a much larger focus on upscale, formal catering for corporate events, meetings, and parties. ZeroCater leans more into the everyday catering needs like individual meals, group lunches, and snacks.
Ordering Experience and Process
Ordering food through both services is straightforward and convenient:
ezCater
- Order online or via iOS/Android apps
- Intuitive interface to search menus, customize orders
- Live order tracking after checkout
- Group ordering and guest management capabilities
ZeroCater
- Order online or via iOS/Android apps
- Easy search by cuisine type, dietary needs
- Real-time budget tracker during order
- Reorder favorite meals with one click
- Group ordering with guest management
ZeroCater offers a few more specialized ordering features like budget tracking and one-click reorders that make repeat ordering very simple. But both platforms overall provide a smooth, efficient ordering experience.
Also Read: Comparison Between Valley Food Storage And My Patriot Supply.
Delivery Logistics
When it comes to delivery, ezCater and ZeroCater take different approaches:
ezCater
- Delivers nationwide through restaurant partners
- Local restaurants provide food and delivery
- Delivery fees passed through restaurants
ZeroCater
- Handles own delivery in core metro areas
- Uses couriers for scheduled, route-based delivery
- No delivery fees in core markets
ezCater leverages local restaurants to prepare food and provide delivery. This gives them vast coverage but means delivery fees will be passed through. ZeroCater manages delivery themselves in their core cities and absorbs delivery fees, but has more limited reach.
Food Quality And Variety
Both platforms offer tasty, fresh meals, but ezCater emphasizes vetting and curating restaurant partners:
ezCater
- Vets every restaurant before onboarding
- Focused curation of restaurant partners
- High standards for food, service, presentation
- Emphasis on local, seasonal ingredients
ZeroCater
- Works with wide range of restaurants
- Massive variety of cuisine types available
- Ability to accommodate all dietary needs
- Focus on locally-sourced foods
ezCater takes a selective, quality-driven approach to restaurants. ZeroCater provides more total variety and dietary options. So ezCater may be better for companies who want consistently high-quality meals, while ZeroCater offers more choice.
Pricing And Billing
Pricing is very similar, though ZeroCater has lower delivery fees:
ezCater
- Restaurant prices + delivery fee
- Delivery fees vary, typically $10-20
- Sales tax added automatically
- Accepts all major credit cards
ZeroCater
- Restaurant prices + ZeroCater service fee
- No delivery fee for scheduled orders
- Automatic sales tax calculation
- Credit card payments only
ZeroCater has an edge when it comes to delivery costs. But both apply the restaurant prices directly with tax calculated automatically for easy, transparent pricing.
Also Read: Comparison Between Imperfect Foods And Hungryroot.
Technology Integrations
Both ezCater and ZeroCater integrate with popular workplace apps:
ezCater Integrations
- Outlook Calendar
- Salesforce
- Slack
- Concur Expense
ZeroCater Integrations
- Google Calendar
- Outlook Calendar
- Slack
- Concur Expense
- Expensify
- Bill.com
The integrations are quite similar. ZeroCater has a few more expansive accounting and bill pay integrations, while ezCater has Salesforce. But both integrate with key calendars, messaging, and expense apps.
Support And Customer Service
As larger platforms, both offer solid support channels:
ezCater
- Phone, email, chat support
- FAQ site with search
- Video tutorials
- Catering advisors provide guidance
ZeroCater
- Phone and email support
- FAQ knowledge base
- Setup guides and videos
- Dedicated account manager
ezCater provides more self-service resources like video tutorials and FAQs. ZeroCater assigns account managers for personalized service. Both offer solid customer service through various channels.
Catering Options Summary
ezCater
- Best for higher-end business catering
- Vast national restaurant network
- Focus on food and service quality
- More formal catering choices
- Higher delivery fees
ZeroCater
- Ideal for everyday office catering
- Wide variety of cuisine types
- Route-based delivery model
- No delivery fees in core cities
- Helpful ordering features
Watch this video to know more about ezCater!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Some top ezCater competitors are ZeroCater, Cater2Me, FoodtoEat, and Hungry Machine. However, ezCater is the largest dedicated corporate catering platform.
ezCater is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Their main office is located at 101 Federal Street in Boston.
Major investors in ezCater include ICONIQ Capital, Insight Venture Partners, Light Street Capital, Stripes Group, Victory Park Capital, and Wellington Management.
The CEO and co-founder of ZeroCater is Arram Sabeti. He formerly worked in business development at boundless.com and co-founded officefoods before launching ZeroCater.
Also Read: Comparison Between Chicago Steak Company And Kansas City Steaks.
The Verdict
- Both ezCater and ZeroCater are great choices for corporate catering.
- ezCater has an emphasis on quality, service, and presentation.
- ZeroCater provides massive variety and lower delivery fees.
- ezCater offers more formal, upscale catering.
- ZeroCater is better for everyday meals and snacks.
- The platforms have similar ordering and support resources.
- Integrations are robust for both, with ezCater on Salesforce and ZeroCater offering accounting tools.
- For most companies, the right choice comes down to individual needs and meal types ordered.
Hopefully this detailed side-by-side comparison gives you a clearer sense of how ezCater and ZeroCater compare for corporate catering. When deciding, consider your catering needs, budget, and company culture to determine the best fit. Both platforms make office catering easy and delicious.