Free template
Free catering quote template (with a sample)
A clean, itemized catering quote your client can read in ten seconds and say yes to — plus a filled-in sample below so you can see exactly how the numbers lay out.
The download opens your browser’s print dialog — choose “Save as PDF” for a file, or print a blank copy to fill in by hand.
Catering Quote
Menu & pricing
| Item | Qty | Per unit | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| $ | $ | ||
| $ | $ | ||
| $ | $ | ||
| $ | $ | ||
| $ | $ | ||
| $ | $ |
Totals
| Subtotal | $ |
|---|---|
| Service charge | $ |
| Tax | $ |
| Total | $ |
| Deposit to hold the date | $ |
| Balance due | $ |
A filled-in sample quote
Riverside 40th Birthday · Saturday dinner buffet · 50 guests
| Item | Qty | Unit | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dinner buffet — two mains, three sides, rolls | 50 guests | $36 | $1,800 |
| Passed appetizers — three pieces per guest | 50 guests | $10 | $500 |
| Beverage service — coffee, tea, soft drinks | 50 guests | $6 | $300 |
| Delivery, setup & breakdown | 1 | $200 | $200 |
| Event staff — 2 servers × 5 hours | 10 hrs | $30 | $300 |
| Subtotal | $3,100 | ||
| Service charge (18%) | $558 | ||
| Sales tax (6%) | $186 | ||
| Total | $3,844 | ||
| Deposit to reserve the date (50%) | $1,922 | ||
| Balance due 10 days before the event | $1,922 | ||
This quote is valid for 30 days. A 50% deposit reserves your date; the balance is due 10 days before the event.
The quote that wins reads like a menu
Clients skim a catering quote for three things, in this order: the total, the per-person number, and what is actually included. Everything else is supporting detail. So lead with the food. An itemized menu with quantities lets the client picture the event instead of staring at a lump sum, and it makes the price feel earned rather than plucked from the air.
Put the per-person price next to the total, because that is the number people compare between caterers. Then add the lines a lump sum hides: staffing, delivery and setup, a service charge, and tax. Breaking those out does two things at once — it keeps your food price looking competitive, and it lets you charge honestly for the labor and logistics a plated event actually takes.
The deposit and the expiry are not optional
A date is not held until money holds it. Put a deposit line on every quote with an amount and a due date, and state the balance due date right under it. Just as important, give the quote itself an expiry — thirty days is common — so a price you offered in a slow month cannot be held to during your busiest weekend. The sample above shows both: a 50% deposit and a clear valid-until window.
What stays off the quote
Your ingredient costs, your labor rates, and your margin never appear on the client-facing document. That math is how you price; the client sees the menu and the number. Keep the costing in your own tools and let the quote stay clean.
Send it the same night
The template matters less than the timing. A quote answered the same evening — itemized, priced, and easy to accept — beats a prettier quote that arrives on Sunday. Fast reads as professional, and professional wins the jobs where two caterers are otherwise a tie. If you can make the quote acceptable in a single tap on a phone, the yes and the deposit can both land before the client has talked to anyone else.
CaterKit builds the quote for you
Price your menu once, and CaterKit turns any event into a branded quote — deposit line and expiry included — that your client accepts on their phone. See it before you sign up.
Free to start, no card. See everything CaterKit does.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a catering quote include?
A catering quote should include the event details, an itemized menu with quantities, the per-person and total price, any staffing and delivery lines, a service charge and tax line, a deposit amount with a due date, a balance due, and an expiry date on the quote itself. The template on this page has a labeled place for each of those.
How do I write a catering quote?
Start from the menu, not the total: list the dishes with quantities so the client sees food instead of a lump sum. Price per person, then add staffing, delivery, a service charge, and tax. Put the deposit that holds the date and the balance due right below the total, and give the quote an expiry so a number you quote in January cannot be held to in June. Send it the same evening the inquiry comes in.
What is a good deposit for catering?
A deposit exists to hold the date, so it needs to be meaningful — many caterers ask for somewhere between a quarter and half of the total up front, with the balance due a set number of days before the event. The sample on this page shows a 50% deposit with the balance due before the event. Whatever you choose, put the amount and the due date in writing on the quote.
Should a catering quote show costs and margins?
No. Your ingredient costs, labor rates, and margin are your business, and they stay off the client-facing quote. The client sees the menu and the price; the math that got you there is yours. Keep those numbers in your own pricing tools, not on the document you send out.
Is there a faster way than a template?
A template is a great start. Once you are sending several quotes a week, CaterKit builds the quote from your priced menu, puts it in your brand, adds the deposit line and expiry automatically, and sends it as a link your client can accept from their phone — so the date is held the same evening instead of waiting on a printed PDF to come back.