Catering quotation
Quotation template for caterers: event menu preparation, serving staff and tableware rental. Fill it in online, download Excel or Word, or print to PDF.
Templates by industry
- Event menu preparation
- Serving staff
- Tableware rental
Preparation guide
Example workflow
Confirm scope and quantities
Example: start with "Event menu preparation", confirm the required quantity and client inputs, then agree completion criteria for each item.
Review and approve the quotation
Confirm acceptance evidence for "Tableware rental", all line quantities, exclusions and quote validity with the customer, and retain the approved version.
Deliver and prepare billing
Confirm actual operating hours and supplied quantities with the event contact and record approved extras. When the agreed milestone is complete, prepare an invoice using actual quantities and approved changes.
A catering quotation is built around a number that will change: the guest count. Food is prepared per head, staff are booked by the hour and tableware is counted per setting, so a host who adds twenty guests a week before the event needs to see what moves. This template prices the menu, the serving staff and the rented tableware on separate lines and leaves room for the guaranteed minimum and the date by which the final numbers are due.
Fields to prepare
- Deliverables and line items
- Event menu preparation, Serving staff, Tableware rental: specify the planned quantity and delivery scope for each item.
- Event menu preparation
- Price the menu per guest and list the courses, with how vegetarian or allergen-free dishes are counted.
- Serving staff
- Give the number of staff and their hours from set-up to clear-down, not just the service time.
- Tableware rental
- Count tableware per setting plus a spare margin, and say whether breakage and washing are charged afterwards.
- Event details and time
- Record the date, venue, attendance, and setup, rehearsal, operating and removal times.
- Staffing and supplies
- Specify staff counts and hours, supplied items and the responsibilities of external vendors.
- Scope to agree
- Define menus and guaranteed guest counts, serving hours, tableware quantities and return and cleaning arrangements.
Before sending
- Does “Event menu preparation” say what is included and what quantity the price assumes?
- Would the customer read “Serving staff” the way you do, including what it leaves out?
- Can you still honour the price of “Tableware rental” on the last day the quotation is valid?
Show 3 more
- Agree when attendance and schedules are finalized and how later changes are charged.
- Check whether overtime, transport, setup and removal are included.
- Check quote validity, the customer approval method and payment milestones.
Worked example with sample figures
The figures below are invented to show how the template adds up: 3 lines in USD, with an example tax rate of 8%.
| Item | Quantity × unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Event menu preparation | 1 × $450.00 | $450.00 |
| Serving staff | 6 × $450.00 | $2,700.00 |
| Tableware rental | 12 × $450.00 | $5,400.00 |
| Subtotal | $8,550.00 | |
| Sales tax (8%) | $684.00 | |
| Total | $9,234.00 | |
Quoted net amount $8,550.00, sales tax $684.00, quoted total $9,234.00.
What the document must show
The details a quotation has to show, and why each one matters, are set out in the guide below.
The sales tax depends on where the work is supplied, so set the rate that applies to your customer before sending.
Official rate reference: US government: state and local taxes
Full requirements: How to write a quotation: format, example and checklist
Frequently asked questions
What if fewer guests come than were confirmed?
The guaranteed number is usually what is billed. State that minimum and the date for final numbers in the quotation, so both sides know which count applies.
Should drinks go on the same quotation?
They can, on lines of their own. Bar service is often charged by the hour or by consumption, which differs from food priced per guest.
How is the sales tax worked out on this quotation?
The worked example above uses an example rate of 8%: $684.00 on a net amount of $8,550.00, for a total of $9,234.00. The editor recalculates all three when you change a quantity, a price or the country.
How do I turn an approved quotation into an invoice?
Open the approved quotation and convert it. The original stays unchanged, and the invoice carries the same line items so the customer can match the two documents.
Can I change the layout and colour?
Yes. The editor offers other layouts and a document colour for the printed page. Changing them moves no figure: the lines and totals stay as they are, and the PDF, Word and Excel files follow the layout you pick.
Read next
Reading for the Catering quotation: How to write a quotation: format, example and checklist and Quote to invoice: how to convert a quote, step by step. The VAT and GST calculator adds tax to your quoted prices.