The Catering Quote Template
A complete catering quote, line by line, that you can copy today. Every field a guest needs to say yes, in the order they look for it.
From BookedPlate, the quote page for caterers and food trucks. This template is free to copy and use. BookedPlate is the version that fills itself in, takes the deposit, and follows up for you.
Why quotes die in the inbox
Most quotes do not die because the price was wrong. They die because the quote was hard to say yes to. No clear total. No date when the price expires. No obvious next step. The guest means to reply, life happens, and the caterer who sent a complete quote with an easy way to book gets the job instead.
A complete quote answers every question a guest has, before they have to ask it.
What a complete catering quote includes
- Event date
- Event time
- Event location
- Headcount
- Menu items with per-person prices
- Add-ons, priced separately
- Delivery fee
- Tax
- The total, added up for them
- Deposit amount and when it is due
- The date the quote expires
- How to book: the exact next step
The template
Copy this into a document or an email, fill in the brackets, and send it. Your guest can check every line, and booking is one clear step at the bottom.
CATERING QUOTE From: [Your business name] For: [Guest name] YOUR EVENT Event date: [Event date] Event time: [Event time] Event location: [Event location] Guests: [Headcount] MENU [Menu item] at [Price per person] per person: [Line total] [Menu item] at [Price per person] per person: [Line total] ADD-ONS [Add-on]: [Price] Subtotal: [Subtotal] Delivery fee: [Delivery fee] Tax: [Tax] TOTAL: [Total] TO BOOK YOUR DATE Deposit due: [Deposit amount], due by [Deposit due date]. Balance due: [Balance due date]. This quote is good until [Quote expiry date]. Your date is held once the deposit is paid. Questions? Call or text [Your phone], or reply to this email.
Skip the manual version. BookedPlate fills this template in for every guest, instantly, from your own menu and prices.
Free for 14 days. First 25 caterers lock in $29 a month (regular $39). Cancel anytime.
Three mistakes that cost bookings
A lump sum with no breakdown
A single number with nothing behind it invites one reply: let me think about it. Guests say yes to quotes they can check line by line.
No deposit ask
A quote with no deposit holds nothing. The date stays open for someone else to take, and the guest loses nothing by disappearing. The deposit is what turns a maybe into a booking.
No follow-up
Most quotes die in silence, not in a no. One polite reminder a day or two later brings back jobs that were never really lost, just buried in an inbox.
Deciding how much to ask up front? Read how much deposit a caterer should charge.
The template still leaves the chasing to you.
BookedPlate turns this template into a page that quotes instantly, takes the deposit, blocks the date, and follows up on its own when a guest goes quiet.
Free for 14 days, then $29 to $39 a month. BookedPlate takes no cut of your deposits.