Catering contract, Wren and Halloran wedding at Bellbrook Farm

Catering contract template with a menu table and a guest numbers lock

Catering is priced per head and delivered per plate, which is why the two clauses that matter most are the one that locks the number and the one that says who gets what. This contract prices six courses per head, freezes numbers 14 days out, and puts every dietary requirement in a matrix with the main and the dessert each guest is served.

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Saltbush Catering

ABN 88 517 220 946 · Food business licence FB-20114 · 2 Ridley Lane, Mudgee NSW 2850 · 02 6372 4180

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Catering contract

This contract is made on 2 December 2026 between Saltbush Catering Pty Ltd, ABN 88 517 220 946, of 2 Ridley Lane, Mudgee NSW 2850, called the Caterer, and Alice Wren and Josh Halloran, called the Clients. It covers the catering for their wedding at Bellbrook Farm on Saturday 20 March 2027.

120

Guests

$120

Per head

$14,400

Total

6 Mar 2027

Numbers lock

1. The event

1.1

When and where

Bellbrook Farm, 440 Henry Lawson Drive, Mudgee, on Saturday 20 March 2027. Canapes from 4.30 pm, seated service from 6 pm, dessert from 8.15 pm, and the kitchen closes at 9.30 pm. The Caterer is on site from 1 pm and is packed and clear of the site by 11.30 pm.

1.2

Site and facilities

The venue has a covered prep area with two power circuits, running potable water and a cool room. The Caterer brings its own ovens, benches, refrigeration, crockery, cutlery, glassware and linen. The Clients confirm the venue allows outside catering and that the access road takes a two tonne van.

2. The menu

2.1

What is served

The menu below was chosen at the tasting on 28 November 2026 and is priced per head. Alternate drop means two dishes served alternately down the table, and the Caterer will swap a guest to the other dish on request on the night where one is available.

Course	Dishes	Service	Per head
Canapes	Six pieces: prawn toast, lamb kofta, corn fritter, mushroom arancini, fig and goat cheese tart, oyster	Roaming	$26.00
Entree	Burrata with heirloom tomato, or cured kingfish with fennel	Alternate drop	$22.00
Main	Slow roast lamb shoulder, or barramundi with salsa verde	Alternate drop	$42.00
Sides	Roast potato with rosemary, charred broccolini, leaf salad	Shared	$12.00
Dessert	Lemon tart, chocolate delice, seasonal fruit	Grazing table	$14.00
Late night	Beef sliders and hot chips	Roaming, 9 pm	$4.00
Per head total			$120.00

2.2

Dietary requirements

The matrix below is the current count. It is confirmed with the final numbers and no later. Each dietary guest is served the same courses at the same time as everyone else, plated separately in the kitchen and delivered by a named staff member who knows which seat it belongs to.

Requirement	Guests	Main served	Dessert served
Vegetarian	9	Mushroom and barley risotto	As menu
Vegan	4	Mushroom and barley risotto, no cheese	Fruit and sorbet
Gluten free	7	Lamb or barramundi, gluten free sides	Chocolate delice
Dairy free	3	Barramundi, no butter	Fruit and sorbet
Nut allergy, severe	2	Lamb, prepared on a cleared bench	Lemon tart, nut free
Shellfish allergy	1	Lamb, no shellfish canapes	As menu

Severe allergies are a kitchen procedure, not a note on a list

The two severe nut allergy meals are prepared on a cleared bench with separate utensils, plated first, labelled, and handed to a named staff member who takes them directly to the seat. The Clients tell the Caterer at the numbers lock which seat each allergy guest is in.

3. Numbers and staffing

3.1

The final numbers lock

Final guest numbers and the seating plan are confirmed in writing by 6 March 2027, being 14 days before the event. That number is what is charged, even if fewer people attend. Numbers may rise by up to 8 guests after the lock at the same per head rate, and cannot fall.

3.2

Staffing

The Caterer supplies a head chef, three kitchen staff and one floor staff member for every 20 seated guests, being six floor staff at 120 guests, plus a supervisor. Staff are on site from 3 pm and work until the site is clear. No beverage service is included.

3.3

Children and suppliers

Guests aged 3 to 12 are charged at half the per head rate and receive a smaller portion of the same main. Photographers, the celebrant and the band are charged at $45 each for a hot meal, counted separately from the 120 and confirmed at the lock.

4. Payment

4.1

Deposit and balance

A deposit of 25 percent, being $3,600 including GST, is payable on signing and holds the date. The balance is payable seven days before the event, based on the locked numbers. Additional guests and supplier meals are invoiced after the event and payable within 14 days.

Payment	Due	Amount
Deposit, 25 percent	9 Dec 2026	$3,600.00
Balance on locked numbers	13 Mar 2027	$10,800.00
Total, 120 guests at $120		$14,400.00
Includes GST of		$1,309.09

4.2

Cancellation

Cancelled more than 90 days out, the deposit is refunded less $600. Between 90 and 30 days, the deposit is kept. Inside 30 days, 50 percent of the total is payable, and inside 7 days the full total is payable, because the food has been ordered and the staff booked.

5. Food safety, insurance and general

5.1

Food safety

The Caterer holds a current food business licence, works to a documented food safety program, keeps temperature records for the event, and has a qualified food safety supervisor on site. Food is not left out of temperature control for more than two hours, and leftovers are not released to guests to take home.

5.2

Insurance and consumer guarantees

The Caterer holds public liability cover of $20 million and workers compensation as required by law, and gives certificates of currency on request. The services carry the consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law, including due care and skill, and nothing in this contract limits them.

5.3

Weather, changes and whole agreement

Where the venue moves the event under cover for weather, the Caterer works to the new plan at no extra charge provided the kitchen area is unchanged. A change to the menu, the numbers or the times takes effect only in writing. This contract and its two tables are the whole agreement and replace the quotation dated 18 November 2026.

For Saltbush Catering Pty Ltd

Name

Position

Date

The Clients, Alice Wren and Josh Halloran

Name

Date

Section by section

What each section is for, so you can keep the ones you need and drop the rest.

Parties and key terms: Caterer and clients with ABN and licence, then the guest count, per head price and numbers lock.
1. The event: The venue and the service timeline from canapes to kitchen close, and the site facilities.
2. The menu: Six courses priced per head to $120, and a six row dietary matrix with the allergy callout.
3. Numbers and staffing: The 14 day lock, the staffing ratio, and rates for children and suppliers.
4. Payment: A 25 percent deposit and balance table to $14,400, and the cancellation ladder by date.
5. Food safety, insurance and general: The licence and food safety program, cover, consumer guarantees, and the weather plan.
Signatures: A block for the caterer and one for the clients.

How to adapt this agreement

For a corporate function, replace the wedding timeline with a start and finish time, drop the cake and first dance references, and add a purchase order number and 30 day invoice terms instead of a balance before the event. For a cocktail event, delete the entree and main rows and price canapes by piece per guest per hour, which is how that style is actually costed. For a venue with its own kitchen, cut the equipment list in clause 1.2 and add a clause on what the venue supplies and who cleans it, because a shared kitchen is where most event catering disputes start.

Which law the terms follow

The caterer holds a food business licence from its local council and works to a documented food safety program under the state food legislation, with a qualified food safety supervisor on site and temperature records kept for the event. The two hour rule for food out of temperature control and the refusal to release leftovers both come from that framework rather than from preference. Consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law apply to the services and cannot be excluded, which is why clause 5.2 states them. Prices in the payment table include GST at 10 percent, shown as a separate line on a tax invoice carrying the caterer's ABN.

What makes this document work

The per head price is built from six courses

Canapes at $26, entree $22, main $42, sides $12, dessert $14 and a late night slider at $4 add to $120 a head. A client removing the late night food knows immediately that it saves $480 across 120 guests.

The dietary matrix names the plate, not the diet

Six rows give the requirement, the guest count, the main served and the dessert served, down to the two severe nut allergy guests whose meals are prepared on a cleared bench. A warning callout turns that into a kitchen procedure with a named staff member.

Numbers can rise but cannot fall

Clause 3.1 locks the count 14 days out, charges the locked number even if fewer people attend, and allows up to 8 more at the same rate. Food is ordered against that number, which is why the rule runs one way.

Questions people ask

What should a catering contract include?

The event times and venue, the menu with a per head price by course, dietary requirements with what each guest is served, when final numbers lock, the staffing ratio, the deposit and balance dates, a cancellation ladder, and food safety and insurance obligations.

When do wedding catering numbers lock?

Commonly 14 days before the event, which is what clause 3.1 sets. That is when food is ordered and staff are rostered, so the locked number is charged even if fewer guests attend, while up to eight extra can still be added at the same rate.

How many catering staff are needed for 120 guests?

This contract commits to one floor staff member for every 20 seated guests, being six at 120, plus a head chef, three kitchen staff and a supervisor. Publishing the ratio rather than a headcount means it scales correctly if the numbers move.

How should severe allergies be handled at an event?

As a procedure, not a note. The two severe nut allergy meals here are prepared on a cleared bench with separate utensils, plated first, labelled, and handed to a named staff member who takes them to the seat identified at the numbers lock.

Are supplier meals charged separately?

Yes, and they should be counted separately so the guest number stays clean. Photographers, the celebrant and the band are $45 each for a hot meal here, confirmed at the numbers lock rather than discovered by the kitchen on the night.

What does a catering deposit usually cover?

Holding the date and the crew. This contract takes 25 percent, being $3,600 including GST, on signing, with the balance due seven days before the event once numbers are locked, and anything added after the event invoiced within 14 days.

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Sources

Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked 12 September 2026.