Catering quotes go wrong in two predictable ways: food is priced from a guess instead of a recipe cost, and the non-food costs (staff, rentals, travel) are forgotten or given away. Price both from the numbers and the quote protects your margin.
Build a quick per-guest figure with the free Catering Quote Calculator.
Start from cost per portion
Every dish needs a cost per portion from your recipe costing: ingredients, garnish and a little for waste. Multiply by portions per guest. Two canapés at $0.85 and one main at $3.40 is $5.10 of food per guest before sides and dessert.
Price food to a target food-cost percentage
Divide food cost per guest by your target food-cost percentage to get the menu price. Many caterers aim for 25-35%. $14.50 of food per guest at 32% is a menu price of about $45.31 per guest. The lower the percentage, the more room there is for overhead and profit.
Quote staff, rentals and travel separately
Staff hours are where small caterers lose the most. Count every person and every hour, including set-up and clear-down: four servers for six hours is 24 hours, plus the chef. Add rentals, travel and disposables, each with a modest markup for the time it takes you to arrange them. Showing them as separate lines makes the quote easier to defend when a client asks why it costs more than the menu price.
Add service charge and tax correctly
A service charge (often 15-22%) is usually applied to the food and event subtotal. Tax rules for catering and service charges differ between places, so check what applies to you and whether the service charge is taxable.
Plan quantities, not just prices
For a standing reception of two to three hours, a common planning range is 8-12 canapé pieces per guest; for a plated dinner, roughly 150-200 g of protein per guest. The free Food Quantity Calculator turns a guest count into totals with a safety margin.
Put deposits and final numbers in writing
Hold the date with a deposit, ask for final numbers ten days out and the balance a week before. Charge for the confirmed number even if fewer guests attend. The Catering Event Quote Workbook calculates the totals, deposit and margin; the Catering Proposal & Menu Templates give you the proposal, menu card, run sheet and terms.
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Example prices and portions are illustrative.