Food truck catering invoice template
Food truck catering invoice template: package per guest, travel and generator, extra service time and disposables, with the confirmed count and hours.
Templates by industry
- Catering package, per guest
- Travel and generator, flat rate
- Extra service hour
- Disposable plates and cutlery, per guest
Preparation guide
Example workflow
Confirm scope and quantities
Example: reconcile the approval and work record for "Catering package, per guest" to establish the quantity for this invoice.
Record delivery and acceptance
Check completion for every line, including "Disposable plates and cutlery, per guest". Confirm actual operating hours and supplied quantities with the event contact and record approved extras.
Send the billing record
Send the final charges, delivery reference and due date to the customer, then reconcile payment against the invoice number.
When a food truck caters a wedding, a company party or a private celebration, the host is billed in one of two ways: a package per guest, or a guaranteed minimum that the guests’ own purchases count towards. Either way the invoice needs the guest count, the hours of service, travel and how the truck was powered. This template is set up for the package model and keeps travel, extra service time and disposables on separate lines.
Fields to prepare
- Deliverables and line items
- Catering package, per guest, Travel and generator, flat rate, Extra service hour, Disposable plates and cutlery, per guest: record the quantities actually supplied and the service period.
- Catering package, per guest
- Bill the guest count the host confirmed by the deadline, and name the menu choices included.
- Travel and generator, flat rate
- Say whether the truck ran on its own generator or the venue’s power, since that changes what is charged.
- Extra service hour
- Record when the extra hour was asked for and by whom, at the rate agreed in the booking.
- Disposable plates and cutlery, per guest
- Count disposables per guest and say whether they are compostable if the venue asked for that.
- 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
- Bill the package for the confirmed guest count, show travel and power as their own line, and record the service window agreed with the host.
Before sending
- Does “Catering package, per guest” show the quantity actually supplied, not the quantity first quoted?
- Is “Travel and generator, flat rate” charged at the rate the customer agreed to, with any change approved?
- Is “Extra service hour” finished and accepted, or does it belong on a later invoice?
Show 4 more
- Does “Disposable plates and cutlery, per guest” show the quantity actually supplied, not the quantity first quoted?
- Agree when attendance and schedules are finalized and how later changes are charged.
- Check whether overtime, transport, setup and removal are included.
- Match completed work to the order or approval record, and confirm the payment due date and amounts already received.
Worked example with sample figures
The figures below are invented to show how the template adds up: 4 lines in USD, with an example tax rate of 8%.
| Item | Quantity × unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Catering package, per guest | 120 × $14.00 | $1,680.00 |
| Travel and generator, flat rate | 1 × $180.00 | $180.00 |
| Extra service hour | 1 × $95.00 | $95.00 |
| Disposable plates and cutlery, per guest | 120 × $0.60 | $72.00 |
| Subtotal | $2,027.00 | |
| Sales tax (8%) | $162.16 | |
| Total | $2,189.16 | |
Net amount $2,027.00, sales tax $162.16, total payable $2,189.16.
What the document must show
The details an invoice 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 an invoice: a step-by-step example
Frequently asked questions
How do I invoice a minimum spend instead of a package?
Record the guests’ own sales during service and invoice the host only for the difference up to the agreed minimum, with the sales total in the notes. If sales passed the minimum, no top-up is due.
Who pays a pitch or venue fee at a festival?
That depends on the arrangement. A pitch fee an organiser charges you is your own cost, not the host’s; if a private host asked you to pay a venue fee for them, bill it at cost on its own line.
How is the sales tax worked out on this invoice?
The worked example above uses an example rate of 8%: $162.16 on a net amount of $2,027.00, for a total of $2,189.16. The editor recalculates all three when you change a quantity, a price or the country.
How should I number invoices?
Use one unbroken sequence per business, never reuse a number, and issue a credit note rather than deleting an invoice you have already sent.
Can I download it as Excel, Word or PDF?
Yes. A PDF needs no account: fill in the template and use Print / PDF. The Excel and Word files download from this page with a free account, and the spreadsheet keeps its formulas, so changing a quantity updates the tax and the total.
Read next
Reading for the Food truck catering invoice template: How to write an invoice: a step-by-step example and Invoice payment terms: Net 15, Net 30, due dates. The VAT and GST calculator works out the tax line for you.