Free catering contract template: fill it in, then download Word or PDF

What to put in a catering contract

The template writes each of these from what you fill in. The example is a fictional caterer, Juniper Table Catering, booked for a 140-guest buffet wedding.

Worked example: a 140-guest buffet, from price to balance

The example in the template above is a fictional wedding reception. Each row below is what the template works out from the figures typed into it; change a price, a charge or the deposit in the tool and the contract recalculates the same way.

There is no tax row because the example's rate is 0. Rates depend on the state and sometimes the city, so the template starts at 0 instead of guessing one.

The rule behind each number

The template works in whole cents and follows these rules every time.

• Food is the guest count times the price per guest: 140 times $58.00.
• Flat charges, such as bar service, rentals and cake cutting, are added to the food to make the subtotal.
• The service charge is a percentage of the subtotal. The example uses 20%, which is the caterer's choice and not a standard.
• Sales tax is a percentage of the subtotal, and also of the service charge if you tick the box that says it's taxable. States differ on whether a service charge is taxed, so the box is yours to set; ask your accountant or the state's revenue department.
• The deposit is either a percentage of the total or a flat amount, and never more than the total.
• The balance is the total less the deposit, due on the date you set before the event.

Deposits, final counts and cancellations

The deposit holds the date and pays for early work like ordering and scheduling staff, so it comes with the signed contract. Caterers set it as a flat amount or as a share of the estimated total; Birch & Alder, which publishes its agreement, asks for 50% to book. This template counts the deposit toward the total, and the cancellation schedule says whether any of it comes back.

If you charge the final balance to the client’s card on its due date, or add an extra hour of service on the night, get that in writing first with a credit card authorization form. It lists each charge with a cap and a date, and the client writes the card details on it by hand.

The final count date is when the number stops being an estimate. It needs to be late enough that the client knows who is coming and early enough for you to order and staff; Birch & Alder asks for it within 5 days of the event. After that date the final count is the minimum the client pays for. If the count moves before then, the guest count change checklist lists who else needs the new number and the catering food calculator reworks the order.

Cancellation terms step up as the date gets closer, because a late cancellation leaves you little chance of booking the date again. Birch & Alder’s published schedule refunds the whole deposit more than 90 days out, half of it more than 60 days out, a quarter more than 30 days out and none inside 30 days. The template starts with three steps. Change the days and amounts to your own policy, and ask your attorney whether your state limits what you can keep.

What happens to the price when the final count moves

The contract says two things about the count. Before the final count date, the price follows the number the client gives you. After it, that number is the minimum the client pays for, so guests who drop out later don't lower the bill. The table reprices the example for four final counts. The deposit stays at $3,780.00, since it was paid at signing, and everything else is recalculated.

Each guest is worth $69.60 in this example: $58.00 on the menu plus the 20% service charge on it. Flat charges don't move, because the bartenders, the rentals and the cake cutting cost the same for 120 as for 150. A real caterer may need more staff past a certain number of guests; if so, write that step into the other terms so the final invoice holds no surprise.

Catering contract vs. invoice vs. BEO

The contract sets the terms before the event: what you’ll serve, for how many, at what price, and what happens if plans change. The catering invoice bills against it, using the final count and taking off the deposit. The BEO is the working sheet the kitchen and floor staff run the day from, with timings, courses, setup and dietary counts; the free BEO template fills one in and the banquet event order guide explains what goes on one. The Restaurant HQ’s guide suggests attaching the itemized invoice and the BEO to the contract once they’re settled.

Common catering contract mistakes

A menu that says "buffet" and nothing else is an easy gap to leave. List the dishes, how many choices guests get at each course, and whether bread, dessert, coffee and the kids' meals are in the price. Without that, the argument at the event is about what "dinner" meant.

The final count date needs a number of days, not "close to the event". Set it too far out and the client is guessing; set it too close and you've already ordered. The template has you pick the days before the event, and its guest count clause makes that count the minimum.

Deposits go wrong when one paragraph calls the deposit non-refundable and the cancellation schedule says part of it comes back. Pick one story. Whether a non-refundable deposit holds up varies by state, so ask your attorney before you promise it.

A service charge that isn't explained produces questions on the final invoice. Say what it covers, whether staff tips are extra, and whether tax applies to it; the rules differ by state. Say the same about hours: write when service starts and ends separately from when your crew arrives and leaves, and put an overtime rate in the other terms.

Then there are the things everyone assumes someone else is bringing: tables, linens, power, water, kitchen space, a spot to park the truck. If the venue supplies them, the contract should say so. And agree changes in writing. The template's changes clause counts only what both sides accept in writing, and an email is enough, so keep the email.

What to ask a caterer before you sign

These are the questions a client, a planner or a venue manager can put to a caterer with the quote in hand.

• Is the quote itemized: price per guest, staffing, rentals, service charge and tax?
• What does the service charge cover, and is a gratuity separate?
• When is the final count due, and what happens to the price if guests drop out after it?
• How big is the deposit, when is it due, and does any of it come back if I cancel?
• Who brings tables, linens, plates and glassware, and who cleans up afterward?
• Can I see a certificate of insurance? Some venues ask for one that names them.
• Does the venue require an approved caterer list, a license or a permit?
• How do you handle allergies, and by what date do you need to hear about them?
• What are the service hours, and what does an extra hour cost?

Catering service agreement clauses this template leaves out

This template writes the twelve clauses in the table above. Other catering agreements add boilerplate that it leaves to you. LawDepot’s sample runs from confidentiality and indemnification to notices, assignment, severability and governing law, and Signaturely’s lists dispute resolution and an insurance and indemnity clause. eSign’s short sample caps the caterer’s liability at the fee paid.

To add any of them, type them into the Other terms box, where they print as the last clause, or have an attorney add them to the Word file. Governing law and dispute terms depend on your state, so have an attorney write those.

When this template is enough, and when to get a lawyer first

Opening Day Kit calls a template a good fit for standard events such as drop-off lunches, buffets and plated dinners without alcohol service, and lists four cases that need more. One is serving alcohol, where liquor liability varies by state. One is a venue that requires its own vendor agreement, insurance minimums or indemnity terms. One is a corporate client that sends its own master services agreement. The last is an unusual setup, such as a multi-day event, an international client or a subcontracted kitchen. Its advice for all four is one attorney review of your standard version, plus a read of anything the other side sends.

This template has an alcohol clause you switch on or off, so if you serve alcohol, have your attorney read that clause against your state’s rules.

For venues and coordinators

If your venue runs its own kitchen, these catering clauses can sit inside your venue contract, so the client signs one document instead of two; venue rental agreement clauses covers the venue side. If you work with outside caterers, ask each for a certificate of insurance and a signed contract like this one before the date, so the menu, the count and the service hours on the BEO match what was agreed. In MyVenueHQ the floor plan, the contract and the BEO sit on the same event, so they're opened from one place, and the client signs from a link on their phone with no account. You start from your own contract template. Contracts with e-signature are on the Venue plan; what each plan costs and includes is on the pricing page. To draw the room the caterer will work in, use the free floor plan maker.

Sources

• The Restaurant HQ, Catering Contract Template: the clauses a catering contract needs and what to attach.
• Birch & Alder, Catering Services Agreement: one caterer’s published deposit, final count, cancellation and leftovers terms.
• 15 U.S.C. 7001 (E-SIGN Act), Cornell LII: electronic signatures and contracts can’t be denied legal effect solely for being electronic.
• LawDepot, Catering Contract (page updated May 27, 2026; read October 16, 2026): the clauses in its sample agreement, and on-site, off-site and food truck use.
• Signaturely, Free Catering Agreement Template (no date shown; read October 16, 2026): the clauses in its template, including dispute resolution and indemnity and insurance.
• eSign, Catering Service Contract Template (updated May 17, 2025; read October 16, 2026): the clauses in its short sample, including the cap on liability.
• Opening Day Kit, Catering Contract Template (no date shown; read October 16, 2026): when a template is enough, the writing question, and the statute of frauds.
• UCC 2-201, Cornell LII (read October 16, 2026): a signed writing is needed to enforce a sale of goods priced at $500 or more, with exceptions.