Catering contracts turn on one number: the guarantee.

Everything commercial in catering hangs on the guaranteed headcount and when it locks. Food is bought, staff are rostered, and a client who drops forty covers two days out has moved cost onto you that cannot be recovered. The rest of the contract exists to make that number, and the consequences of changing it, unambiguous.

What goes wrong in this trade

Five things this document has to handle.

The final number	When it locks, and that it is a floor rather than an estimate. Without a lock date you are buying for a number that can fall.
Allergens and dietary requirements	A deadline for notifying them, and what you can and cannot guarantee about cross-contamination. This is a safety issue before it is a commercial one.
Cancellation	Staged by how close to the date, because your exposure rises as the date approaches. A single cancellation fee is either unfair or inadequate.
Service charge and gratuity	What it is, whether it is discretionary, and where it goes. Increasingly regulated and frequently misunderstood by clients.
Venue and access	Kitchen facilities, power, water, load-in times, parking. A venue change after quoting can change the price substantially.

The clauses

What to put in, and what each one is for.

Guaranteed numbers and lock date

The final count, when it is due, and that charges are based on the guarantee or the actual number served, whichever is higher.

Menu and substitutions

Agreed menu, the deadline for changes, and your right to substitute for equivalent items on availability.

Dietary and allergen notice

Deadline for requirements, and a plain statement of what you can guarantee in a shared kitchen.

Cancellation schedule

Tiered: a percentage at 30 days, more at 14, more at 72 hours. Tied to when your costs are committed.

Deposit and payment

Booking deposit to hold the date, balance due before or on the day.

Staffing

How many, for how long, and what overtime costs if the event overruns.

Service charge

Stated clearly and separately from the food price.

Venue requirements

Facilities, access times, and what happens if the venue changes after the quote.

Leftovers and liability

Who takes them, and that you are not liable for food taken away and consumed later.

Commercial norms

How catering is usually priced

Per head	The norm. Charged on the guarantee or the actual number, whichever is higher.
Minimum spend	Common for venues and peak dates. Say what counts toward it.
Staffing separately	Per member, per hour, with an overtime rate after a stated finish.
Cancellation tiers	Rising as the date approaches. 25% at 30 days, 50% at 14, 100% inside 72 hours is a common shape.

Worth its own section

Allergens are not a commercial clause

Dietary requirements sit in the contract for commercial reasons, but allergen handling is a safety obligation and should be written as one. Set a notice deadline so requirements arrive while the menu can still change, state plainly what you can and cannot guarantee about cross-contamination in a shared kitchen, and record what was notified. A client who tells you about a severe allergy on the morning has created a situation the contract should already have addressed.

One sentence in

This much is enough.

Catering for Northwind's client dinner, 120 guests, three courses, final numbers locked 7 days out, dietary requirements by the same date, $95 a head plus staffing, 25% deposit, cancellation 50% inside 14 days and 100% inside 72 hours.

Out comes the agreement with the clauses above, the figures computed from your catalog, the signers set and the signature fields placed. Send it as a link and they sign on a phone on site. Once signed, the terms are read back so a renewal or a defects period does not surprise you.

Questions people actually ask

Straight answers.

What is a guaranteed number in catering?

The headcount the client commits to by a stated deadline, usually three to seven days out. Charges are based on the guarantee or the number actually served, whichever is higher, because by that point the food is bought and the staff are booked. Without a lock date you are carrying the client's uncertainty.

How should cancellation charges be structured?

In tiers that rise as the date approaches, matching when your costs commit. A common shape is 25% at 30 days, 50% at 14 days and the full amount inside 72 hours. A single flat fee is either unfair to the client early on or leaves you exposed late.

How do I handle allergies in the contract?

Set a deadline for notification so requirements arrive while the menu can still change, state plainly what you can guarantee about cross-contamination in a shared kitchen, and keep a record of what was notified. Treat it as a safety clause that happens to sit in a commercial document.

Should service charge be separate?

Yes, always shown separately from the food price, with a plain statement of whether it is discretionary and where it goes. It is increasingly regulated and it is the line clients query most often.

General guidance for this trade, not legal advice. Requirements vary by state and by the work, particularly around licensing, insurance and lien rights. Have your standard agreement reviewed once by a lawyer who knows your jurisdiction, then produce every job from it.

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