ApproveThis manages your FoodStorm approvals.

Let’s cut to the chase: approvals suck. They’re the soggy lettuce in your otherwise crisp workflow sandwich. But when you combine FoodStorm’s catering automation with ApproveThis’ approval superpowers via Zapier? Suddenly you’ve got a five-star meal instead of a desk lunch special. Here’s why companies with 50-5,000 employees are using this combo to stop chasing signatures and start moving faster.

Why FoodStorm Needs a Approval Wingman

FoodStorm’s great at handling orders, contacts, and companies - but it’s not built to answer “Who needs to sign off on this?” or “Why is this order stuck in legal review?” That’s where ApproveThis comes in:

FoodStorm does the work
Manages your catering operations, customer data, and order lifecycle

ApproveThis does the checks
Automates who needs to approve what, when, and how urgently

The Nuts and Bolts of Not Sucking at Approvals

Here’s what happens when you connect these through Zapier:

• New FoodStorm order → Auto-creates approval request with all order details
• Approval in ApproveThis → Automatically updates FoodStorm records

But the real magic’s in the details:

Killer Combo Features

Email approvals that don’t suck
Your approvers can approve/deny directly from their inbox - no logins, no hunting through apps. Perfect for executives who live in email and vendors who shouldn’t see your entire FoodStorm setup.

Thresholds that actually work
Auto-approve orders under $5k? Escalate anything with shellfish allergies to the safety team? Done. Saves your team from reviewing every single salad platter request.

Delegation that doesn’t require a PhD
Karen in accounting is on vacation? Approval requests automatically reroute to her backup. No more “Waiting on Karen” status updates.

Real-World Use Cases That Don’t Feel Like Corporate BS

For Procurement Teams: New Vendor Onboarding

When FoodStorm gets a new company entry (say, a seafood supplier), ApproveThis:

• Routes to legal for contract review
• Pings accounting for payment terms approval
• Requires QA team sign-off on safety certs

Real impact: A national caterer reduced vendor onboarding from 3 weeks to 4 days by setting conditional approval paths based on vendor type.

For Operations: Order Changes That Don’t Ruin Your Day

When a FoodStorm order gets updated (last-minute venue change, dietary restriction add), ApproveThis:

- Automatically calculates if the change affects margins beyond 5% → Escalates to finance if yes
- Requires kitchen manager approval for ingredient substitutions
- Gets driver sign-off on delivery timeline changes

Why it matters: One event company stopped 12+ hour approval delays during peak season by setting up parallel approvals for different change types.

For Sales Teams: Client Contracts That Close Faster

New FoodStorm contact from a enterprise client? ApproveThis:

- Routes NDA approval to legal
- Gets pricing sign-off based on deal size thresholds
- Requires operations capacity check
Pro tip: Use calculated fields to auto-flag deals needing exec approval based on custom formulas (term length × order value).

Setting This Up Without Losing Your Mind

Here’s the basic recipe:

1. Create your ApproveThis account (takes 5 minutes)
2. Connect both apps in Zapier
3. Pick your FoodStorm trigger (new order, contact update, etc.)
4. Map key data points to ApproveThis fields
5. Set approval rules once → forget about it

Pro tip: Start with high-volume/low-risk approvals first (like small order changes) to build confidence before tackling complex workflows.

Why This Isn’t Just Another Integration

What makes this combo actually useful:

No license headaches: Approvers only need ApproveThis access - no extra FoodStorm seats required. Perfect for cross-company approvals with clients or vendors.

Actual visibility: See all pending FoodStorm-related approvals in one dashboard instead of hunting through emails and Slack.

Scale without chaos: Handle 10x more orders without approval bottlenecks - crucial for catering companies managing seasonal spikes.

Who Actually Benefits From This?

Corporate catering providers: Automate client contract approvals while keeping ops teams looped in on menu changes.

Food wholesalers: Speed up PO approvals while maintaining strict budget controls across multiple locations.

Event venues: Coordinate last-minute client requests across kitchen, operations, and billing teams without the 3-hour conference calls.

The Bottom Line

If you’re using FoodStorm manually for approvals, you’re basically running a catering business with a spreadsheet. Connecting it to ApproveThis via Zapier is like upgrading to a commercial kitchen - same ingredients, way more firepower.

Ready to stop being the approval bottleneck? Book a 15-minute demo or start a free trial. No sales jargon, just a straightforward look at how this actually works.