Quote checklist
The catering quote checklist
Every catering quote that gets paid on time has the same four lines on it, whether it is your first job or your five-hundredth. Here they are, plus the per-person math to check a price before you send it.
4 lines every catering quote needs
The deposit amount and the day it's due
Put a number and a due date on the quote itself. A verbal yes does not hold a date — a deposit does.
Final headcount cutoff, 72 hours out
Name the day the count locks so you are shopping and prepping against a real number, not a guess made the morning of the event.
What happens if they cancel
Spell out what is refundable and what isn't before the cancellation happens, not in a back-and-forth after it does.
How they can pay: card, bank, Zelle, Venmo
List every rail you actually take. Paying you should never be the question that holds up the date.
How much do caterers charge per person?
Say 40 guests at $18 a head — that's $720 quoted. Food at 35% runs $252. Labor and overhead at 30% is $216. That leaves about $6.30 a head as margin. Change the inputs and the math changes with them — these are example numbers, not a promise.
Send the quote with those four lines already on it
CaterKit builds the quote from your priced menu, puts the deposit, the cutoff, the cancellation terms and your payment links on it automatically, and sends it as a link your client can accept from their phone. Free to start, no card.
Save this for the week you start. Know someone starting a catering business? Send them this page.