How much deposit should a caterer charge?
The honest range working caterers actually use, when to collect it, and a fair policy you can copy.
From BookedPlate, the quote page for caterers and food trucks. This guide is free to use. BookedPlate is the version that collects the deposit for you and blocks your calendar the moment it lands.
The range caterers actually use
Most caterers take a percentage of the estimate, commonly 20 to 50 percent. Big events and prime Saturdays sit at the high end of that range. Small weekday jobs sit at the low end. Plenty of caterers use a flat amount instead for small jobs, often $100 to $250, because the math is simpler for everyone.
That is a range, not a rule. The right number for your business covers what the booking costs you before the event: the food you buy ahead, the rentals you reserve, and the other jobs you turn down once the date is held.
When to collect it
At booking. Not the week of the event, and not after you have bought the food. The deposit is due when the guest asks you to hold the date, because holding the date is the moment it starts costing you: every other inquiry for that Saturday gets a no.
The simple way to say it to a guest: your date is not held until the deposit lands.
A fair deposit policy, in plain words
A fair policy says three things clearly: how much, when the balance is due, and what happens if the guest cancels. Here is sample wording you can copy and adjust:
To hold your date, a deposit of [deposit amount, or percent of your estimate] is due when you book. The remaining balance is due [number] days before your event. If you cancel more than [number] days before your event, your deposit is refunded [in full, or minus costs already spent]. If you cancel inside that window, the deposit is kept, because your date was held and other work was turned away. Your date is confirmed once the deposit is paid.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules vary by state, and a local attorney can check your policy if your events are large.
Skip the manual version. BookedPlate asks for the deposit at the moment a guest books, and the money goes straight to your own Stripe.
Free for 14 days. First 25 caterers lock in $29 a month (regular $39). Cancel anytime.
Why deposits end ghosting
Ghosting is easy when a quote costs the guest nothing. A deposit changes the math. Once money is down, the guest has a real event on a real date, and the conversation continues instead of fading.
On BookedPlate, the booking page takes the deposit and the date blocks itself on your calendar, so the same Saturday can never be sold twice. And if a guest gets a quote and stalls before paying, BookedPlate follows up for you until the job is booked or closed.
Want the quote itself to do more of the work? Start with the free catering quote template.
Your next inquiry could hold its own date.
One quote page that prices the job, takes the deposit, and follows up when guests go quiet. You just cook.
Free for 14 days, then $29 to $39 a month. BookedPlate takes no cut of your deposits.