Build a Catering Quote in Minutes
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Catering Estimate
4 itemsFree account required. Add your business details, send to clients, and convert accepted estimates to invoices.
How to Write a Catering Quote
What to Include in a Catering Quote
Food quotes should tie guest counts, dietary accommodations, and staffing ratios to price.
Line Items and Pricing
Break out food per person, beverages, labor, rentals, and disposables. Note tax and service charge treatment.
Tools and Licensing
Alcohol service may need licensed bartenders and liability coverage; list those requirements in the scope section.
Scope of Work
Define tasting policy, final count deadline, and what happens if the venue lacks a prep kitchen.
Timeline
Prep schedule, service window, and breakdown responsibilities reduce day-of confusion.
Tips for Winning More Catering Work
- Offer two menu tiers plus a premium option.
- Show kids and vendor meals as separate lines when relevant.
- Attach photos of similar events to the quote packet.
- Clarify gratuity versus service charge in plain language.
- Send revisions quickly when guest counts shift.
Converting Your Quote to an Invoice
Final guest counts flow straight to invoicing when your line items stay structured.
Quote vs. Estimate
Planners may request a quote with a locked per-person price or an estimate while headcount is fuzzy. Searchers use both words. Explain that the proposal is an estimate until the final count date, then becomes the signed quote. Your estimating workflow should match what you publish online.
Invoicing Catering work
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Invoicing terms explained
- Fixed-price contract A fixed-price contract sets one total price for a defined scope of work, regardless of how many hours or how much material it actually takes. Read definition
- Cost-plus pricing Cost-plus pricing is an arrangement in which the client pays the provider's actual costs for a project plus an agreed fee, either a percentage of costs or a fixed amount, to cover overhead and profit. Read definition
- Deposit A deposit is a partial payment made before work begins or goods are delivered, typically 25 to 50 percent of the total. Read definition
- Retention Retention, or retainage, is a percentage of each progress payment, commonly 5 to 10 percent, that a client withholds until a project is fully complete and accepted. Read definition
- Progress invoice A progress invoice bills a portion of a larger project as work is completed, rather than one invoice at the end. Read definition
- Milestone payment A milestone payment is a payment that becomes due when a defined stage of a project is completed, such as design approval, a prototype delivery, or launch. Read definition
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