Catering quote & order form template
A reusable catering quote, order form, or price list you can fill in and download as an Excel-ready spreadsheet, or print blank for clients to complete. Free, no signup.
Build your template
Nothing is uploaded. Download it as a spreadsheet or print it blank.
Send before the event to win the booking.
Line items
Catering Quote
Your catering company
Client
Client name
Event date
TBD
Guests
40
Boxed lunch
Sandwich, side, cookie, bottled water
40 guest × $18.00
Vegetarian boxed lunch
Same format, plant-based
8 guest × $18.00
Coffee service
Regular and decaf, urns included
1 event × $95.00
Delivery & setup
Within 15 miles, includes breakdown
1 event × $65.00
A 50% deposit confirms the date. Final guest count is due 7 days before the event. Cancellations within 72 hours are non-refundable. Prices valid for 30 days.
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What to include in a catering quote
A quote that gets signed answers every question the client would otherwise email back. Include your business name and contact details, their name and the event date, the guest count, and every dish or service as its own line with a quantity, unit, and unit price. Then show the subtotal, tax, the deposit needed to hold the date, and the balance due.
Finish with terms. The three that prevent almost every catering dispute are the deposit that confirms the booking, the deadline for the final guest count, and the cancellation window. The template above includes all of them pre-written, and you can edit the wording before you download.
Catering quote vs. order form vs. price list
A quote is priced by you for one specific event and sent to win the booking. An order form is the reverse: the client fills in which dishes and how many, which suits corporate accounts and repeat drop-off customers who order regularly. A price list is a standing menu with per-tray or per-head prices that you hand out or attach to your website.
Choose the format at the top of the tool and the layout and columns change accordingly, so you are not editing a quote into an order form by hand.
How to use the template
Pick the format, start from a blank sheet or a wedding, corporate, or BBQ preset, then edit the line items to match your menu. Set your tax rate and deposit percentage and adjust the terms. The preview updates as you type.
Download it as a CSV to keep working in Excel or Google Sheets, or print it. Nothing you enter is uploaded anywhere, it all stays in your browser.
From template to sent quote
A spreadsheet template is the right tool when you want a file to reuse and adapt. If what you actually need is a finished, branded PDF to send today, use the free catering invoice and proposal generator instead, which produces one in a couple of minutes.
If you are not sure the prices on the template are right, run them through the catering price calculator first so the numbers cover your food, labor, and overhead before the quote goes out.
Frequently asked questions
Is this catering quote template free?
Yes, completely free with no signup. Fill it in and download it as a CSV that opens straight in Excel or Google Sheets, or print it blank for a client to complete by hand.
Can I open the template in Excel?
Yes. The download is a UTF-8 CSV, which Excel, Google Sheets, and Numbers all open directly, with the line items, quantities, unit prices, totals, deposit, and terms laid out in columns you can edit and reuse.
What should a catering quote include?
Your business details, the client and event details, the guest count, itemized dishes and services with quantities and unit prices, the subtotal, tax, the deposit required to confirm the date, the balance due, and your terms. The template includes all of these, with standard terms filled in that you can edit.
What is the difference between a catering quote and an order form?
A quote is what you send to win the booking, with your prices already set. An order form is what the client fills in to choose dishes and quantities. A price list is a standing menu you hand out. This template does all three, so pick the format at the top.
How much deposit should a caterer ask for?
Fifty percent to confirm the date is the most common in catering, with the balance due shortly before or on the event day. The template defaults to 50 percent and standard terms covering the final guest-count deadline and the cancellation window, all of which you can change.
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Software behind the tool
These free tools are a slice of what ZiaPilot automates for restaurants every day.
- Restaurant catering softwareCapture catering inquiries, quote them accurately, and invoice without spreadsheets.
- Catering lead managementStop losing large-order inquiries in a shared inbox.
- Catering invoice softwareBranded quotes and invoices generated straight from the order.
- Corporate catering orderingHandle repeat office accounts and standing weekly orders.
- Wedding catering softwareQuote multi-course weddings with guest counts and dietary splits.
- Indian catering softwareTray sizing and veg/non-veg splits built for Indian menus.
Do this automatically, for every customer
ZiaPilot answers customers on your website and WhatsApp, quotes catering from your real menu, sends payable invoices, and drafts a reply to every review, on autopilot.