Catering Quote Per Person: A Pricing Template With a Worked Example

BOTrento Team7 November 20267 min read

Price around five variables, not one number

Every catering quote moves on the same few variables. If you do not know one of them, the quote is a guess. Ask for these before you price anything:

• Covers: expected guests, the minimum you will charge for, and the date by which the final number is locked.
• Menu: canapés, buffet, sharing plates or plated courses, plus dietary needs.
• Service level: drop-off, self-service buffet, full waited service, or chefs cooking on site.
• Drinks: soft drinks only, a fixed package, or consumption on account.
• Venue conditions: kitchen access, loading, stairs, time slots, what the venue already provides.

Food per head is the part clients compare. Service level and venue conditions are the parts that decide whether you make money on the job.

The structure of a catering quote

Keep the structure the same on every quote. Clients can then compare versions, and you stop forgetting lines.

1. Event summary: date, venue, arrival and service times, guest count and assumptions.
2. Food: price per head, with the menu listed underneath.
3. Menu premiums: upgrades such as a premium main or an extra course, priced per head.
4. Beverages: package per head or a stated account basis.
5. Staff: number of people, hours and hourly rate, including prep, travel and clear-down.
6. Rentals: crockery, glassware, linen, equipment, with a note on breakage.
7. Setup, transport and breakdown: one line, not hidden in the food price.
8. Terms: final numbers date, deposit, cancellation, quote validity, exclusions.

Show the total and the effective price per head at the bottom. That second number is what the client will quote internally.

Worked example: a seated dinner, line by line

We use letters instead of prices on purpose. Your costs, margin and market will differ, so plug in your own figures.

Let G be the confirmed number of guests. Each line gets a basis and a formula:

Note that P is always higher than the menu price per head, because staff, rentals and setup sit on top of it. If the client says “we just want the basic menu”, you can now show what the difference between P and the menu price pays for. That makes the conversation about scope, not about your price.

Before sending, check two things: the staff lines include prep, travel and clear-down hours, and your margin is added once, in a way you can explain.

Where caterers usually underprice

Staff time outside service hours

Prep, loading, travel, setup and clear-down are paid hours. If you only count the hours guests are in the room, the job loses money before the first plate goes out.

Headcount drift

Guest numbers usually fall after the quote and rise just before the event. State the date the final number is locked, the minimum you will charge, and the price for each additional cover.

Drinks on account

If drinks are billed on consumption, say so and state what is included. Open-ended drinks without a cap is how a profitable dinner becomes a break-even one.

Rentals and breakage

Hired equipment, collection fees and breakages should be visible lines or a clear term. Do not absorb them into the food price.

Scope changes after acceptance

Late dietary requests, an extra course or an earlier start all cost money. Put a short change clause in the terms and send a revised quote when scope changes, rather than agreeing by phone.

Ask the right questions before you price

If the enquiry says only “dinner for a large group, what is your price per head?”, reply with a short clarification email instead of a number. The same principle applies to custom manufacturing enquiries, as in our guide to quoting custom parts without burying the team.

Hello [Name],

Thank you for your enquiry for [date]. To give you an accurate quote today, could you confirm:

1. Expected guests, and the date you can confirm the final number
2. Style of service: buffet, sharing or plated
3. Any dietary requirements you already know about
4. Drinks: soft only, a package, or on account
5. Venue and whether it has a kitchen and loading access

If you are unsure about any of these, tell me your best estimate and I will state my assumptions in the quote.

Kind regards,
[Your name]

Replying within the same working day matters more than a perfect first draft. We cover the routine in how to reply to sales enquiries faster.

Follow up on every quote you send

Catering quotes often sit while the client compares a few suppliers. A simple rhythm helps: confirm receipt the same day, ask one specific question after a few working days, and agree a decision date. Write the date in the quote validity line.

The hard part is not the email, it is remembering. If you promised “I will check availability and come back on Friday”, that promise needs a reminder. For the general approach, see how to stop forgetting quote follow-ups. A weekly slot for open quotes also works for other trades, as described in this reply routine for installers and tradespeople.

How BOTrento helps with catering quotes

BOTrento Chief of Staff is a managed process for enquiries, quotes and follow-ups. It watches your mailbox and uploaded data for enquiries and quotes. Each working morning it shows a “Today 1+3” overview, by email and in the app. It prepares draft replies, quotes and follow-ups in four languages and notes promises such as “I will get back to you by Friday” so they are reminded.

Nothing is sent without a person approving it. BOTrento does not send anything itself, confirm dates or bookings, or replace your CRM or accounting software. You can see the principle in the process demo, and read how it fits event and production companies.

AI use is included in the plan, within a monthly usage limit. The trial lasts 14 days, free, with no card and no own API key needed. The 14 days start with your first successful data upload, and a person from our team contacts you within 24 hours on working days to help connect your mailbox. You can test it on your own enquiries from the trial page.