Catering Quotation Format: 8 Easy Must-Have Items (Best Guide)

A clear catering quotation format helps you win more orders and avoid arguments later. When a client asks “How much for 300 guests?”, a neat quotation with the rate per plate, the menu and the advance shows that you are a serious caterer.

In this guide, you will learn the 8 items of a good catering quotation format, how to work out the cost per plate, and simple habits that keep your quotations and bookings clean in the wedding season.

Table of Contents

• Why You Need a Catering Quotation Format
• Catering Quotation Format: 8 Must-Have Items
• How to Work Out the Cost Per Plate
• Catering Quotation Format in Excel
• Adding Tent and Decoration Items
• Advance, Balance and Payment Terms
• Sample Layout
• Sending the Quotation on WhatsApp
• Common Mistakes
• A Ready-Made Catering Management App
• Frequently Asked Questions

Why You Need a Catering Quotation Format

A phone call and a verbal rate are easy to forget. A written catering quotation format fixes the details on paper, so both sides agree.

• Trust: clients see a clear menu, rate and total.
• Speed: you reply in minutes instead of hours.
• Fewer disputes: the advance and the balance are written down.

Catering Quotation Format: 8 Must-Have Items

Every catering quotation format should show these eight items.

1. Client details. Name, phone, event date and venue.
2. Number of guests. Mention the minimum and the expected number.
3. Menu or package. List the dishes, such as starters, main course, rice, bread, sweet and drinks.
4. Rate per plate. Show it clearly and say what it includes.
5. Extra items. Tent, chairs, tables, decoration, sound, lights and staff.
6. Total amount and advance. Show the grand total and how much advance is needed.
7. Payment terms. Balance date, payment mode and cancellation rule.
8. Validity and signature. Say how long the rate is valid and add your name and stamp.

How to Work Out the Cost Per Plate

A good catering quotation format starts with the right rate per plate. If the rate is too low, you lose money even with a full booking.

Add these four parts for one plate:

• Ingredients: the grocery, vegetables, milk, oil and sweets for one guest.
• Labour: cook, helper and waiter wages divided by guests.
• Running cost: gas, water, transport and packing.
• Profit: your margin, for example 20 to 30 percent.

Prices change often, so update your ingredient rates before every big quotation.

Catering Quotation Format in Excel

You can build a simple catering quotation format in Excel. Keep one sheet for dishes and rates, and one sheet for the quotation.

Cost per plate, where column C is the quantity and column D is the rate:

=SUMPRODUCT(C2:C20,D2:D20)

Rate per plate with profit, where F1 holds the profit percent:

=ROUND(E2*(1+F1/100),0)

Total for the guests, where B1 holds the number of guests:

=B1*G2

Use data validation for the package name, so spellings stay the same every time. For help with functions, see the Microsoft Excel help centre.

Adding Tent and Decoration Items

Many caterers also give tent, chairs and decoration. List each item with a quantity and a rent, and add the total below the food cost.

• Shamiana or tent with size and rent.
• Chairs, tables and mattresses with quantity.
• Lights, fans, coolers and sound.
• Stage and decoration with a flat charge.

Check your stock for that date, so you never promise more items than you own.

Advance, Balance and Payment Terms

State the payment terms in your catering quotation format. A common plan is a part advance on booking, a part before the event and the balance after the function.

• Write the advance amount and the date.
• Give a receipt for every payment, with the mode (cash, UPI or bank).
• Explain what happens if the guest count changes or the event is cancelled.

Read about UPI on the NPCI website.

Sample Layout of a Catering Quotation

A catering quotation format should fit on one or two pages.

• Top: your logo, business name, phone and address.
• Title: the word “Quotation” with the number and date.
• Client block: name, event date, venue and guests.
• Menu table: dishes grouped by course.
• Rates: rate per plate, extras and the grand total.
• Footer: advance, terms, validity, signature and stamp.

Sending the Quotation on WhatsApp

Most clients reply faster on WhatsApp. Save the catering quotation format as a PDF and send it with a short, polite message. Add your UPI QR for the advance, so the client can pay with one scan.

If you also run a hall, see our guide to the banquet hall booking format.

Common Catering Quotation Format Mistakes

• Giving a rate per plate without counting labour and gas.
• Not writing what is included in the rate.
• Forgetting the advance and the balance date.
• Promising tent items that are already booked.
• Keeping all quotations in notebooks and losing them.

A Ready-Made Catering Management App

If you do not want to build everything yourself, the Catering Management App makes a per-plate quotation in about a minute. It also keeps bookings, advance receipts with UPI QR, tent items, the grocery list and staff wages. It works offline in Hindi, Marathi and English.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a catering quotation include?

It should include client details, guests, menu, rate per plate, extra items, total, advance, payment terms and validity.

How do I calculate the rate per plate?

Add ingredients, labour and running cost for one plate, then add your profit percentage.

Can I make a catering quotation in Excel?

Yes. Use a dishes sheet with rates and a quotation sheet with simple formulas like the ones in this guide.

Should I take an advance?

Yes. An advance confirms the booking and covers your first costs. Write the amount and date in the quotation.

Final Thoughts

A good catering quotation format is clear, quick and fair: a correct rate per plate, a written menu, extras listed and the advance fixed. Set it up once and use it for every booking in the wedding season.

Note: This guide is general information and not accounting or tax advice.