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ezcater.com

place-catering-order

Installation

Adds this website's skill for your agents

 

Summary

Build an ezCater catering delivery order end-to-end — search caterers near an address that can fulfill the date/time/lead-time, set delivery date/time and headcount, size packages/trays to the guest count, add items to cart, and proceed to checkout (which gates behind an authenticated account before event details, delivery instructions, and payment). Stops before payment.

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SKILL.md
179 lines

Place a Catering Delivery Order on ezCater

Purpose

Drive an ezCater catering delivery order end-to-end: given a delivery address, date, time, and guest count, search for caterers that can fulfill the slot (respecting each caterer's lead-time/minimum-notice and order-minimum rules), set the delivery date/time and headcount, browse a caterer's menu and size packages/trays to the guest count, add items to the cart with their required options, and proceed toward checkout. The entire cart (address, date/time, headcount, items) is built anonymously, but the checkout page itself — event details, delivery instructions (floor/suite/contact), tip, payment, and post-order status — is gated behind an authenticated ezCater account. This skill also covers searching caterers near an address, checking whether a specific date/time slot is available, and the order-status lifecycle (Submitted → Accepted by Restaurant). It is read-only up to the payment step (never submits payment).

When to Use

  • "Find caterers that can deliver to {address} on {date} at {time} for {N} guests."
  • "Is {caterer} / are any caterers available for delivery on {date} at {time}?"
  • "Build a catering order for {N} people from {caterer} and take it to checkout (but stop before paying)."
  • "Size a boxed-lunch / tray order to {N} guests and confirm it clears the order minimum."
  • "What's the status of my ezCater order — has the restaurant accepted it yet?"

Workflow

ezCater is a JavaScript-heavy Next.js app fronted by Cloudflare WAF. Use a remote browser session with stealth + residential proxies on (browse cloud sessions create --verified --proxies --keep-alive). The homepage loads directly, but the search route throws a Cloudflare "Just a moment…" interstitial that a verified session clears in ~5 s — always poll the page title/URL after navigating before acting.

There is a useful URL deep-link for steps 1–2 that skips homepage interaction; the rest of the flow is necessarily browser-driven.

Step 1 — Search caterers near a delivery address

Navigate directly to the search route with address query params:

https://www.ezcater.com/catering/search/new?city={City}&state={ST}&latitude={lat}&longitude={lng}&street={Street+Address}

This 301-redirects to a canonical https://www.ezcater.com/catering/search/{searchUuid}?... results page (the {searchUuid} is the order/fulfillment id that threads through the rest of the flow). Wait for the title to become "{City}, {ST} Caterers - Order Online from ezCater".

The proxy's IP geolocates a default address if you omit params (often Portland, OR on the usw2 proxy, Boston, MA on the homepage). Always pass explicit latitude/longitude/city/state/street to control the delivery location — these override IP geolocation. latitude/longitude drive distance and which caterers appear.

Results are caterer cards with name, rating, review count, distance, and delivery fee. The header has three filter buttons: the address button, the date/time button (initially "Anytime"), and "Event details" (headcount).

Step 2 — Set the delivery date and time

Click the date/time button ("Anytime"). A calendar (past days are disabled — earliest selectable is today) plus 15-minute time slots from 10:00 AM appears, with the note "To ensure on-time delivery and setup, your order may arrive earlier." Pick a date button, pick a time button, then click "Update results". The button label updates to e.g. "Tue Jun 30th" and the URL gains &orderId={searchUuid}.

Availability / lead-time semantics: after setting a date/time, the results list re-filters to only caterers that can fulfill that slot — caterers whose minimum-notice/lead-time or operating hours don't allow it are dropped from the list. So "is this slot available for {caterer}?" = "does {caterer} still appear in the results after the date/time is applied?" Past dates and same-day-too-soon times are non-selectable in the picker.

Step 3 — Set the headcount (Event details)

Click "Event details", fill "Number of attendees" (and optional "Event name"), click "Update results".

Step 4 — Open a caterer's menu

Click a caterer card, or deep-link to:

https://www.ezcater.com/catering/{caterer-slug}/{YYYY-MM-DD}?fulfillmentDetailId={searchUuid}

The menu page shows the delivery summary (address / Tue 6/30, 12:00 PM / headcount, each with Edit/Change), the order minimum ("Minimum order $50.00 — $50 food & beverage delivery minimum"), the delivery fee ("$30.00 & up"), and menu categories. Items are either per-person (boxed lunches priced "$16.98 / person") or trays/group items labeled "Serves N" (e.g. Serves 10, Serves 12). Some menus show an "Order by {cutoff}" deadline (the caterer's lead-time cutoff for that date).

Step 5 — Size packages to the guest count

  • Per-person items (boxed lunches): quantity = guest count (25 guests → 25 boxes).
  • "Serves N" trays/group items: quantity = ceil(guests / N) (25 guests, Serves 10 → 3 trays). Mix categories (entrée + sides + drinks) as needed, and ensure the running subtotal clears the food-&-beverage minimum (delivery fee does not count toward it).

Step 6 — Add items to the cart (the quantity widget is the tricky part)

Click an item to open its configuration dialog. It contains: required modifier radiogroups (e.g. "Select bread", "Select chips" — each defaults to "Most Popular"), optional add-ons, a "Select quantity" combobox, an "Add special instructions" field, and an "Add to Cart $price /person" button.

CRITICAL — the quantity selector is a Radix UI combobox <button role="combobox">, NOT a native <select>. browse select returns selected: [] and browse get value returns ""; ref-clicking it can dismiss the dialog. Drive it by keyboard:

  1. Focus the dialog's combobox button (document.querySelector('[role=dialog] button[role=combobox]').focus() via browse eval, or click it precisely).
  2. Press Space (or ArrowDown) to open — this renders ~61 [role=option] items in a portal.
  3. Typeahead the number: browse type "25" jumps to "25 boxes", then browse press Enter.
  4. Confirm the trigger text now reads "25 boxes", then click "Add to Cart" (or "Update Item" when editing an existing cart line).

Simple items (chips, bottled drinks, single cookies) have direct "Add {item} to cart" buttons that add quantity 1 with no dialog.

Step 7 — Review the cart and verify the minimum

The right-rail cart lists each line (qty + name + price + size), an editable Tableware line ($0.00 — plates/napkins/utensils), subtotal, delivery fee, and Order total. If below the minimum it shows "$50.00 minimum for delivery" and the Checkout button won't proceed. Below the total: "After checkout, you can make changes until {cutoff}." Add or up-size items until the food-&-beverage subtotal clears the minimum.

Step 8 — Proceed to checkout (stops at the auth wall)

Click "Checkout". If not signed in, ezCater redirects to https://www.ezcater.com/create_account?redirect_url=%2Fcheckout%2F{orderId}.

Confirmed: there is no guest checkout. Event details, delivery instructions (floor / suite / dock / on-site contact), tip, and payment all live on the /checkout/{orderId} page, which requires an authenticated account. To continue you must Sign in or Sign up (First name, Last name, Email, Password [min 8 chars, upper+lower+number+special], Phone). With a valid logged-in session, the redirect lands on /checkout/{orderId}, where you fill event details + delivery instructions and stop before clicking the final pay/place-order button.

Step 9 — Read order status after placing

Once an order is placed (post-payment, in the authenticated Orders area / confirmation page), ezCater's lifecycle is: Submitted (order sent to the caterer, you can still edit until the change cutoff) → Accepted by Restaurant (the caterer confirmed). Surface whichever status the order page shows; "Submitted" means awaiting caterer acceptance.

Site-Specific Gotchas

  • Cloudflare WAF is mandatory-stealth. The homepage 301s and loads, but /catering/search/... shows a "Just a moment…" interstitial. A --verified --proxies session clears it in ~5 s — poll browse get title/get url until the title changes before interacting. A bare remote session (no --verified/--proxies) will stall on the challenge.
  • The quantity selector is a Radix combobox, not a <select>. browse select/browse get value silently fail (selected: [], value ""). There are zero <select> elements on the item dialog. Open it with keyboard (focus button → Space) and pick via typeahead + Enter. This is the single biggest automation trap on the site.
  • Ref-clicking the open combobox can close the whole item dialog (stale-ref coordinate lands on the backdrop). Prefer browse eval .focus() + keyboard over ref-clicks for the quantity widget; use ref/JS clicks for normal buttons (Add to Cart, Update Item, Checkout).
  • Address comes from proxy IP geolocation unless you pass explicit params. Default seen: Portland, OR (usw2 proxy). Always pass latitude/longitude/city/state/street in the search URL — they override IP and drive distance + which caterers appear.
  • The {searchUuid} is the spine of the order. It appears as the search-page path segment, as orderId= after applying date/time, and as fulfillmentDetailId= on menu URLs. Reuse the same id to keep address/date/time/headcount context across pages.
  • Menu URL embeds the date: /catering/{slug}/{YYYY-MM-DD}?fulfillmentDetailId={searchUuid}. Changing the date changes the path segment.
  • Order minimum vs delivery fee. The "$50 minimum" is food & beverage only; the delivery fee ($30 here) does not count toward it. The Checkout button is gated until the food/bev subtotal clears the minimum.
  • Availability = presence in results. There's no per-caterer "sold out" badge for delivery; a caterer that can't meet the chosen date/time/lead-time is simply omitted from the filtered results. The date picker disables impossible dates (all past days; earliest = today).
  • Required modifiers default to "Most Popular." Boxed lunches force bread + chips selections — they pre-select "Most Popular (…)" so you can add to cart without choosing, but the radiogroups must exist/validate. Note dietary needs in special instructions.
  • Don't waste time looking for guest checkout — confirmed it does not exist. Checkout always redirects unauthenticated users to /create_account?redirect_url=/checkout/{orderId}. The cart-building half is anonymous; the checkout half (event details, delivery floor/suite, payment, status) requires login.
  • Tableware is added free by default ($0.00, plates/napkins/utensils) and is editable from the cart.

Expected Output

Emit a JSON object describing the stage reached. Representative shapes:

Caterer search / availability check:

{
  "stage": "search_results",
  "delivery_address": "1000 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205",
  "date": "2026-06-30",
  "time": "12:00 PM",
  "guests": 25,
  "search_uuid": "3922bf0b-651e-495e-b98a-ce618bab1505",
  "available_caterers": [
    {"name": "Cheryl's on 12th", "rating": 4.9, "reviews": 669, "distance_mi": 0.6, "delivery_fee": "$35", "fulfills_slot": true},
    {"name": "Potbelly Sandwich Shop", "rating": 4.8, "reviews": 158, "distance_mi": 0.3, "delivery_fee": "$30", "fulfills_slot": true}
  ]
}

Cart built, ready for (gated) checkout:

{
  "stage": "cart_ready",
  "caterer": "Potbelly Sandwich Shop",
  "menu_url": "https://www.ezcater.com/catering/potbelly-sandwich-shop-portland-sw-th-ave/2026-06-30?fulfillmentDetailId=3922bf0b-651e-495e-b98a-ce618bab1505",
  "order_minimum": "$50.00 food & beverage",
  "line_items": [
    {"item": "Turkey Breast & Swiss Boxed Lunch", "type": "per_person", "unit_price": 16.98, "quantity": 25, "options": {"bread": "Most Popular (White)", "chips": "Most Popular (Assorted)"}}
  ],
  "tableware": "included ($0.00)",
  "subtotal": 424.50,
  "delivery_fee": 30.00,
  "order_total": 466.95,
  "meets_minimum": true
}

Checkout reached an auth wall (anonymous session):

{
  "stage": "auth_required",
  "reason": "Checkout requires a signed-in ezCater account; no guest checkout.",
  "redirect_url": "https://www.ezcater.com/create_account?redirect_url=%2Fcheckout%2F5f2fb536-3abe-4e1e-a5cc-475b4a83a942",
  "order_id": "5f2fb536-3abe-4e1e-a5cc-475b4a83a942",
  "completed_before_payment": false
}

Order status read (authenticated):

{
  "stage": "order_status",
  "order_id": "5f2fb536-3abe-4e1e-a5cc-475b4a83a942",
  "status": "Submitted",
  "status_detail": "Order sent to caterer; awaiting acceptance. Editable until the change cutoff.",
  "accepted_by_restaurant": false
}