Catering templates from the first enquiry to the signed contract

How a catering job is sold

A catering job usually starts with an enquiry: a date, a guest count, a budget and a style of food. The caterer replies with a quote priced per guest, with staff, equipment and delivery as their own lines, and often with menu options the client can choose between. When the client agrees, a contract fixes the menu, the final numbers date, the deposit, the balance and what happens if the event is cancelled or the numbers fall. The order form sits beside all of this for smaller drop off orders, such as office lunches and platters, where a contract would be too much.

The details that decide the margin

Catering margins are won or lost on details: final numbers that arrive late, dietary counts that change on the day, staff hours that run over, and equipment that comes back damaged. A contract that sets a final numbers date, charges for extra staff hours and lists the equipment protects the margin without arguing with a client on the day. For corporate clients, a short proposal deck with past events, menus and logistics often wins the panel before the quote is read.

Who the kit is for

The kit is written for event and corporate caterers in Australia, from a home kitchen business to a caterer with a commercial kitchen and staff. Catering businesses must meet the national food safety standards, which now require many food businesses to have a food safety supervisor and trained food handlers. Prices are in dollars with GST at 10%, the businesses are invented, and each card opens a finished example rather than an outline, so the wording can be read in full.

Price per guest, show the rest

Clients compare catering on the price per head, so lead with it, but list staff, equipment hire, delivery and travel as separate lines. Optional extras such as a coffee cart or extra canapes can be ticked by the client when they accept. In the proposal builder the quote goes out as a tracked link, the client changes the guest quantity if it is set as editable, and the totals update before they accept.

Final numbers and dietary counts

The contract should set a date for final numbers, usually five to ten days before the event, after which the client pays for the confirmed count even if fewer guests arrive. Dietary requirements should be counts by type, such as vegetarian, gluten free and nut allergy, confirmed with the final numbers. The catering order form and contract in this kit both ask for counts rather than a free text note.

Food safety and staff

Caterers handle food away from their kitchen, which raises the stakes on temperature control and allergen handling. The national food safety standards set the rules, and Standard 3.2.2A adds food safety supervisor and training requirements for many businesses. Staff at events are paid under the relevant award; the contract should say how extra hours are charged when an event runs late.

The tools behind the kit

• AI proposal generator
• AI form builder
• AI document generator
• E-signature software
• AI presentation maker

Step by step in the builders: Create a quote with AI, then Add a pricing table with optional extras.