DocketBEO vs Perfect Venue for restaurant private events
Perfect Venue is event-management software for restaurants and venues: a free plan, then Professional at $239 a month ($199 billed yearly) and Premium at $339 ($299 yearly), with an added 0.5% or 0.3% on card payments. DocketBEO is $129 a month for private events plus the restaurant's reservations, floor plan, kitchen screens and website, with no added card fee of its own.
DocketBEO is one system for a restaurant: its website, online reservations with no per-cover fee, the floor plan and host stand, kitchen screens and printers, checkout, private events with BEOs, and QuickBooks sync, priced per location from $49 a month with a 14-day free trial and no card to start.
Who each one is for
Perfect Venue is for a restaurant or venue that wants a focused events tool with proposals, contracts, BEOs and payments, and is fine running reservations and the kitchen elsewhere. DocketBEO is for a restaurant that wants the private event, the dinner book, the floor and the line on one record.
Side by side
| Perfect Venue | DocketBEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan (CRM, BEOs, proposals, payments). Professional $239 a month, or $199 billed yearly. Premium $339, or $299 yearly. Enterprise by quote. Unlimited users. | $129 a month (House), one location, unlimited team. Events, reservations, floor, kitchen and website included. No free plan; 14-day free trial. |
| Payment fees | Card processing 2.9% + $0.30 plus a plan add-on: 0.5% on Professional, 0.3% on Premium, 0% on Enterprise. ACH $5 per payment on Premium and Enterprise. | Deposits and balances go to your own Stripe account at Stripe's rate. DocketBEO adds nothing on top. |
| Contracts and e-signature | Yes: proposals and contracts with e-signature; advanced contracting and custom documents on Enterprise. | The client signs the BEO by typing their name. There is no separate contract document; many venues keep their contract template in their current tool or on paper. |
| BEOs | Yes, built from the proposal. | Drafted the moment the event is created; the kitchen screen reads the same record, with allergies, timeline and notes, in nine languages. |
| Reservations, host stand, floor plan | No. Events only. | Included: online booking on your own site with no per-cover fee, host stand, waitlist, floor plan. A buyout blocks the room on the same book. |
| Kitchen screens and printers | No. | Included: station screens, Star and Epson printers, course firing. |
| Sales team features | Premium: pipeline and team features, marketing and branding tools, guest questionnaires on Enterprise. | Inquiry inbox and client record per event. No pipeline reporting. |
| Website | No. Inquiry form embeds on your site. | Included: your website on your own domain, with the inquiry form, live menu and booking. |
| Free trial and commitment | Free plan; 14-day trial on paid plans, no card; 30-day money-back on paid plans. Monthly or yearly billing. | 14 days free, no card to start, month to month. |
Where Perfect Venue is the better fit
- You only need events and want a free plan to start on.
- You need formal contracts, custom documents and guest questionnaires, not just a signed BEO.
- You run an events sales team and want pipeline and marketing features built for that.
Where DocketBEO is the better fit
- You want the private event and tonight's tables on one book, so a buyout never double-books the room.
- You want the line to read the whole BEO on its screen, not a printout from a different system.
- You would rather pay one flat price for events, reservations, kitchen and your website than three subscriptions plus a percentage.
Questions
Is DocketBEO cheaper than Perfect Venue?
It depends on what you count. Perfect Venue has a free plan; its paid plans are $239 and $339 a month ($199 and $299 billed yearly) and add 0.5% or 0.3% to card payments. DocketBEO's House plan is $129 a month with no added payment fee, and it includes reservations, the floor, kitchen screens and your website, which Perfect Venue does not offer.
Does DocketBEO have contracts and e-signatures like Perfect Venue?
DocketBEO has a client portal where the client signs the BEO by typing their name and pays deposits into your Stripe account. It does not have a separate contract builder or custom legal documents. If your events need a formal contract, keep that in your current tool or on paper, or use Perfect Venue.
Can a private event block the dining room?
In DocketBEO, yes. The event sits on the same book as reservations, so a buyout or a private room booking takes those tables out of inventory for that night. Perfect Venue does not manage reservations.
DocketBEO pricing
$49 (Website), $79 (Counter) or $129 (House) per location per month; $297 for up to 3 locations, $790 for up to 10. 14-day free trial, no card to start, month to month. Full pricing.
Where the Perfect Venue numbers come from
- As of 2026-10-29, from https://www.perfectvenue.com/pricing: Perfect Venue pricing page: Free; Professional $199/mo yearly or $239 monthly (+0.5% card); Premium $299 yearly or $339 monthly (+0.3% card, ACH $5); Enterprise by quote; 2.9% + $0.30 base card rate; 14-day trial; 30-day money-back. Competitor pricing changes; check their page before you decide.
- As of 2026-09-16, from https://www.perfectvenue.com/pricing: Earlier read of the same page ($59/$119/$189 yearly, $239 to $339 monthly) in marketing/strategy/2026-09-90-day-acquisition-plan.md; prices have since changed. Competitor pricing changes; check their page before you decide.
Related
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