AI-powered, SMS-first staffing for catering and events. Build the grid from a BEO, confirm every shift by text, and run event day from one screen — without the chaos that quietly burns out your best people. And multi-task options that help you match the speed of our industry.
No credit cardNo app for staffA full 45 days
I've spent two decades in arenas, stadiums, and in the field — literally setting up weddings in farm fields, where the event lives or dies on the things nobody sees from the guest side: the van that breaks down on the shoulder an hour before load-in, the cook tent that has to go up the day before, the rental truck that's late, the staff you're still confirming while you load the last hotbox. I managed a mid-sized off-premise catering company and helped it grow from $2.7M to $5.8M in five years — living every 6 a.m. callout, the texts about missing equipment at an event two hours away, and every Wednesday-night scramble to find staff along the way.
That same work took me to the biggest events in the country — Director of Operations at Levy Restaurants across NASCAR tracks and stadiums, Director of Premium Services at Aramark running NBA & NHL arenas on a $22M P&L, and a Venue GM role with Sodexo. NASCAR speedways to outdoor festivals to elegant 800-person galas. But the tool I always needed didn't exist — I was spending too much time building workarounds for systems that weren't designed for what I do.
The late-night staffing texts instead of dinner. The callouts an hour before doors. The 6 a.m. scramble to fill a shift. The Wednesday-night dread before a full weekend — not knowing if the team will show.
So I built my own — and made it customizable, so it fits how you actually run events, not the other way around. Built for me — for you.
GridMaster HQ isn't a software company that learned your business. It was built by your business.
The event is Saturday. It's Wednesday night. Half your confirmations are still pending. You've sent the same reminder three times. Your coordinator stayed late again. This is the job — but it doesn't have to feel like this.
How many bartenders do we need for 400 guests? I always seem to guess wrong on corporate events.
Three people just called out. Who do I call first?
My coordinator is also the institutional memory, the event-day backup, the captain substitute, and the last one to leave. I don't know what I'd do if she left.
The agency invoice came back wrong again. I have no idea where we went over.
Can I even fill this last-minute event? We're slammed — I honestly don't know who's available.
My coordinator just moved out of state. Who's going to learn to staff before busy season starts in three weeks?
Drop in a PDF or use Quick Event — a handful of fields, a couple of minutes. GridMaster HQ reads your BEO and starts the grid for you. No copy-paste, no reformatting.
Role and shift counts, sections and zones, fixed and staggered call times, and live labor cost — suggested from event type and guest count. You review and adjust the details only you know.
Your best-rated people get first call, with the right mix of experience built in. Staff confirm by text — no app, no account, no password, no training. They reply YES and they're in.
Live check-ins, no-show alerts, one-tap replacements while you're on site, and captain coordination — all on one screen. From your desk or your phone.
Upload a banquet event order and GridMaster HQ reads it — pulling the details that matter and turning them into a working staffing grid. The thing you used to retype by hand now happens for you.
Role counts, sections, FOH and BOH — suggested and ready to approve in minutes. You bring the judgment only you have; GridMaster HQ handles the first 80%.
Shifts go out by text to qualified staff, ranked by rating. Wave 1 to your best people; later waves open it wider only if you need them. Confirmations come back in minutes.
Your staff confirm, get reminders, and check in over regular text. No download, no account, no login, no lost password. A text opens in minutes; an app notification might never fire at all.
Captains rate staff after every event. Ratings drive who gets called first — so your most reliable people are always front of the line, and newer staff earn their way up.
Watch labor cost update as you build the grid. On event day, every section, captain, and open position is on one screen — reassign, fill callouts, and manage from your desk or your phone.
Built-in training your team learns from as they work — so a new coordinator or captain runs an event the same way your best one does. Consistent training means consistent events, and consistent events are how you grow.
GridMaster HQ runs on one shared foundation — so as your operation grows, the platform grows with it.
Off-premise, corporate, hotel & university catering.
Arenas, tracks & concessions, department by department.
Campus catering & concessions from football games to track & field. Staffing everything — everywhere.
Volunteers, ops crews, VIP & work-to-play staffing. One tool, many needs.
Event-based vending staff who know when and where to be — even across multiple locations at once.
Guards, posts & coverage scheduled by event. One-time events or recurring posts — staff it your way.
Banquets, outlets & recurring weekly culinary schedules.
High-volume, multi-department event calendars — for both F&B and operations teams.
Roughly 25 hours a week goes into chasing confirmations, answering basic questions, and texting staff by hand. GridMaster HQ takes that off their plate — time your team can spend on the next client, the next event, or just getting home for dinner.
Illustrative model based on the founder's operational experience. Your numbers depend on your team size and event volume.
GridMaster HQ's founder spent 20+ years as the person who needed this tool — from setting up weddings in farm fields and growing an off-premise caterer from $2.7M to $5.8M, to Director of Operations at Levy Restaurants and Director of Premium Services at Aramark on a $22M P&L. He knows what it costs when a coordinator burns out, when the van breaks down two hours out, and when the agency invoice comes back wrong. The first people to try GridMaster HQ were former colleagues who said the same thing: "I've been waiting for this."
We're to catering, events, and operations teams what the best restaurant tools are to restaurants — built for exactly what you do.
Most platforms charge per staff member, so every reliable name you add raises your bill. GridMaster HQ doesn't. Add 20 backup staff and your price doesn't move.
Every other tool makes workers download an app and keep an account. GridMaster HQ reaches them where they already are — looking at texts. Nothing to install, nothing to forget.
Built for BEOs, call times, sections, captains, and event-day chaos — not weekly retail shifts with an "events mode" bolted on.
All features at every tier. One subscription that grows with your business — not with your headcount.
A per-worker model penalizes growth. GridMaster HQ rewards it.
We'd rather you see the product first. Start your trial, and we'll talk pricing, options, and customizations that fit how you actually operate.
Request your trial below. It's founder-reviewed — I read every one personally, then reach out to get your GridMaster HQ set up around how your operation actually runs. That's how I would have wanted it to work — so you get started the right way.
A text is opened by 98% of people within minutes. An email, maybe 1 in 5. Your staff are already checking their phones for texts — GridMaster HQ meets them there.
Tell us a bit about your operation. We'll be in touch to get you set up.
Thanks — I've got your request and I'll personally reach out shortly to get your GridMaster HQ set up around your operation. Keep an eye on your phone and email.