A catering proposal template is a reusable document that outlines the event details, menu and per-person pricing, service style, staffing, rentals, bar, fees, deposit schedule, and policies, so a client can approve and sign.
Catering deals stall most often on money terms that weren't written down, like who pays the service charge or when the final guest count is due. The template below spells those terms out, and it comes with three variants: corporate drop-off, wedding full-service, and restaurant off-site.
We've found that a saved template helps caterers save time on every inquiry. Your standard fees and policies are already in place, so potential clients get a complete quote from the first reply.
Quick answer: what every catering proposal needs
- Event details: Date, times, venue, guest count, and an on-site contact.
- Menu with per-person pricing: Every course and package, priced per guest.
- Service and staffing: Service style, staff count, and hours billed.
- Fees: F&B minimum, sales tax, service charge, and optional gratuity, each on its own line.
- Payment, cancellation, and signature terms: Deposit, due dates, refund tiers, and a place to sign.
What to Include in a Catering Proposal
A well-crafted catering proposal should include 14 sections, from the cover note to the signature line. The table below lists each one and what it should say.
This list is specific to catering. A venue-side event proposal template leads with the space, the theme, and the timeline, while a catering proposal leads with the menu and the money.
Filling in every section helps you demonstrate your expertise. Exact service times, staff counts, and allergen questions show the client you've run events like theirs before, which builds trust. That level of detail reflects the professionalism clients expect on the day.
Free Catering Proposal Template (Copy and Paste)
Copy the block below into your document editor and replace everything in [brackets] with your own details. Delete any section that doesn't apply to the event.
Customize the cover note for each client. Add your logo and brand colors so every proposal looks professional and on brand. Personal details, like the couple's names or the company's meeting, show the client you read their inquiry.
CATERING PROPOSAL
1. Cover and intro
[Catering business name] | [Logo]
Prepared for: [Client name]
Event: [Event name]
Proposal date: [Date]
This proposal is valid until: [Date]
Hi [Client first name], thank you for considering [Business name] for [event name]. Below you'll find the menu, pricing, and terms we discussed. Once you sign and pay the deposit, your date is confirmed.
2. Event details
Date: [Day, month, date, year]
Start and end time: [Time] to [Time]
Venue: [Venue name and address]
Load-in and access time: [Time]
Event type: [Corporate lunch / wedding reception / birthday dinner]
Estimated guest count: [Number]
On-site contact: [Name and phone]
3. Menu with per-person pricing
Passed appetizers: [Items]
First course: [Item]
Entree choices: [Item 1 / Item 2 / Item 3]
Sides: [Items]
Dessert: [Item]
Package price: $[Amount] per person
Kids' meals (under [age]): $[Amount] per child
Vendor meals: $[Amount] per vendor
Late-night snack add-on: $[Amount] per person
4. Service style
Style: [Plated / buffet / family style / stations / drop-off]
Service window: [Time] to [Time]
5. Staffing
Servers: [Number] | Chefs: [Number] | Bartenders: [Number] | Captain: [Number]
Hours billed: [Number], including setup and breakdown
Rate: $[Amount] per staff member per hour, or $[Amount] flat
6. Rentals
[Item]: [Quantity] x $[Amount] = $[Amount]
[Item]: [Quantity] x $[Amount] = $[Amount]
Pickup: [Business name / rental company] will collect rentals on [date and time].
7. Bar
Package: [Open bar / consumption bar / cash bar]
Pricing: $[Amount] per person, or $[Amount] per drink
Bar hours: [Time] to [Time]
Bartenders: [Number]
Licensing: Alcohol is served by [licensed party]. [Any state or venue requirement.]
8. Food and beverage (F&B) minimum
Minimum spend: $[Amount] on food and beverage for [date and space]
Counts toward the minimum: [Food, non-alcoholic drinks, alcohol, add-ons]
Doesn't count: [Sales tax, service charge, gratuity, rentals, room fee]
If spend falls short: The difference will be billed as an unmet minimum on the final invoice.
9. Taxes, service charge, and gratuity
Sales tax: [Rate]% on [taxable items]
Service charge: [Rate]% of food and beverage, covering [labor, admin, or other costs]
Gratuity: [Optional, at the client's discretion / not included]
10. Deposit and payment schedule
Deposit: $[Amount] or [Rate]% due at signing
Interim payment: $[Amount] due on [date]
Final balance: Due [number] days before the event
Accepted payment methods: [Card / ACH / check]
11. Cancellation policy
[Number]+ days before the event: [Refund terms]
[Number] to [number] days before: [Refund terms]
Fewer than [number] days before: [Refund terms]
Date changes: [Terms]
Force majeure: [Terms if the event can't happen for reasons outside either party's control]
12. Guest count deadline
Final guest count due: [Number] days before the event
After that date, the count can go up but not down.
Guests added after the deadline are billed at $[Amount] per person.
13. Dietary needs and allergens
Guest dietary restrictions: [List]
Menu preferences and special requests: [List]
Substitutions: [Included / $[Amount] per meal]
Allergen note: Please tell us about any guest allergies, including milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame.
14. Signature and acceptance
By signing below, the client accepts this proposal. [This proposal becomes the agreement once signed. / A separate catering contract will follow.]
Client name: ____________ Signature: ____________ Date: ________
[Business name] representative: ____________ Signature: ____________ Date: ________
Notes on the Bar, Fee, Allergen, and Signature Sections
These four sections can get the most client edits after a proposal goes out.
- Bar. Price each bar tier by what a package costs you per drink served, then add overhead and margin. Building bar packages as set tiers makes this section faster to fill in.
- Taxes, service charge, and gratuity. Keep the service charge and the gratuity on separate lines. The IRS states that "a payment is a tip only if the customer voluntarily decides to pay it and determines the amount." A mandatory charge, like an automatic 18% for large parties, counts as a service charge. How your state taxes a service charge varies, so check your state's rules.
- Dietary needs and allergens. The FDA names nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame. Listing all nine in the proposal prompts clients to tell you about guests before the menu is final.
- Signature and acceptance. Decide whether the signed proposal is the agreement or whether a separate contract follows. If you use a venue booking contract, put your cancellation, liability, and payment terms there and keep the proposal focused on the menu and price.
Catering Proposal Template Variants
The core template stays the same for every event. What changes between catering models is which sections carry the most detail, based on the occasion and how you serve it.
Corporate Drop-Off Catering Proposal
Corporate clients want a clear per-person price and an invoice that fits their purchasing process. Expand the menu section with boxed or buffet pricing per person, and add these lines:
- A delivery window, such as 11:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- Setup and pickup fees, if you charge them.
- A recurring-order discount for weekly or monthly bookings.
- A field for an invoice or purchase order (PO) number.
- Net payment terms, such as net 30.
Cut staffing, the bar, and most rentals. A drop-off order rarely needs them.
Wedding and Full-Service Catering Proposal
A wedding proposal usually covers a large order booked months ahead, so it needs the most detail of the three. Add a tasting date, plated and stations options, your staffing ratio, any cake-cutting fee, vendor meals, and a timeline handoff to the planner.
Couples comparing caterers will look closely at the per-person price. The Knot's 2025 Real Weddings Study put the average wedding catering cost at $80 per person for couples married in 2024. If your price sits above that, show what's included so the number makes sense. Building event menu tiers at different price points gives couples room to choose.
Weddings also need a larger deposit and staged payments. List each payment date in section 10 so nobody has to ask.
Restaurant Off-Site Catering Proposal
A restaurant catering off-site sells its own menu, so pull dishes straight from what your kitchen already makes. Then add the costs of leaving your building:
- A travel or mileage fee.
- A list of what your kitchen sends and what you'll rent.
- Off-site permits and any venue rules, such as a required insurance certificate.
- Staff travel time, billed or built into the price.
Once the client signs, the details move to your kitchen and front-of-house team through a banquet event order. Writing the proposal with the same headings as your BEO saves retyping later.
How to Write a Catering Proposal That Gets Signed
Send it fast, price it per person, put every fee in writing, and make signing and paying one step. Each of those cuts a round of back-and-forth with the client, which helps you close deals faster.
Respond Within Hours
A client who asked three caterers for quotes will usually compare the first ones that arrive. Save your template with your standard menu, fees, and policies filled in, so you only edit the event details and pricing for each inquiry. An editable template also means you spend less time on each quote and make fewer errors in your fees and policies.
Price per Person, Then Show the Total
Per-person pricing lets a client compare your quote with others line by line. Below the per-person price, show the subtotal, service charge, tax, and grand total on separate lines. A client who only sees the per-person price gets a surprise when the service charge and tax land on the final invoice, and that's when disputes start.
Spell Out the Money Terms
Write out the F&B minimum, the service charge, the gratuity, the deposit, and the cancellation tiers. Leaving any of them vague gives the client a reason to push back after the event.
Food costs are also rising. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that food away from home prices rose 3.4% in the 12 months to August 2026. For events booked months out, add a valid-until date and a price-adjustment clause, so a rise in ingredient costs doesn't come out of your margin.
Offer Two or Three Menu Tiers
Give clients good, better, and best menu options, plus add-ons like a late-night snack or a champagne toast. Tiers let the client choose a budget without a new round of quotes. Leave room for menu customization, like an entree swap or a vegan main, and price each change per person.
Add-ons also raise your average order value, which is one of the quickest ways to grow catering sales without finding new clients.
Send Your Catering Proposal With Perfect Venue
Perfect Venue's digital proposal builder turns this template into a link your client can review, sign, and pay from in one flow.
- Build it fast: Create proposals from your saved menu. Search items, add them in one click, and set custom F&B minimums, taxes, and fees. The AI Event Assistant can draft the proposal and follow-up emails.
- Send a secure link: Clients open a branded, mobile-friendly proposal and pick add-ons in real time before they sign. The branding carries through, so the presentation matches your business.
- Get signed and paid: Clients e-sign and pay the deposit online. Perfect Venue tracks payments, stores cards in a PCI-compliant way, and collects the final balance.
- Keep terms consistent: Set policies per event, and lock proposals so changes go through your team.
Catering management software lets you manage proposals, contracts, and payments in one place. You stop copying the same menu between a document, an invoice, and an email.
See how Perfect Venue turns your catering proposal into a sign-and-pay link.
Win More Catering Events With Perfect Venue
A catering proposal gets signed faster when it answers the client's money questions before they ask. This template writes out the F&B minimum, service charge, deposit, cancellation tiers, and guest count deadline, and the three variants adjust it for corporate, wedding, and off-site work.
Perfect Venue turns the same proposal into one link your client can sign and pay from.
Book a demo to see it with your own menu.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a catering proposal include?
A catering proposal should include event details, a menu with per-person pricing, service style, staffing, rentals, bar, and the F&B minimum. It also needs taxes, service charge, and gratuity, the deposit schedule, cancellation terms, a guest count deadline, dietary and allergen notes, and a signature line.
How do I write a catering proposal letter?
Keep the cover letter to three or four sentences. Thank the client, restate the event date and guest count, and summarize the menu they chose. Then give the valid-until date and the next step, which is usually signing the proposal and paying the deposit to lock in the date.
What's the average catering price for 100 people?
It depends on the menu and service style. For weddings, The Knot's 2025 Real Weddings Study put the average at $80 per person, or about $8,000 for 100 guests before service charge and tax. A corporate drop-off order skips most staffing and rentals, so its per-person price covers less.
What's the difference between a catering proposal and a catering contract?
A catering proposal is your offer: the menu, pricing, and terms for the client to approve. A catering contract is the binding agreement both sides sign. You can combine them by adding contract terms and an e-signature to the proposal, so one signed document confirms the event.
How much deposit should a caterer ask for?
The deposit is a business decision based on your costs and cancellation risk. You can ask for a flat amount or a percentage at signing, then set staged payments before the event. Whatever you choose, write the amount and each due date into the proposal, along with what happens to the deposit if the client cancels.
What are common catering proposal mistakes?
Mistakes that lead to disputes include leaving out a guest count deadline, lumping the service charge and gratuity together, and skipping a valid-until date. Missing allergen questions cause trouble too. Each gap leads to a dispute or a last-minute change, so fill in every money and policy section before you send the proposal.
Should a catering proposal include a food and beverage minimum?
Yes, if you cater in your own space or at a venue with a minimum. State the amount, what counts toward it, and what doesn't, such as tax, service charge, and rentals. Then say how a shortfall is billed, so the client knows the cost before the final guest count.
