FOR CATERERS / BETTER QUOTES
A good quote.
A clearer decision.
Help a customer understand exactly what you can provide, what it costs and what still needs to be agreed. Start with the event in front of you.
Read the request before you price it.
Check the date, area, guest count, total budget and catering style. Compare those details with your availability, capacity and service area. A saved matching preference helps find potentially relevant requests; it does not confirm that a job is suitable or that you are available.
Ask about missing operational details before making a commitment. A buffet delivered to a reception desk is a different service from a staffed meal, and both differ from cooking outdoors. Be clear when your quote depends on a venue check or a final menu.
| Include | Make it specific |
|---|---|
| Food and portions | Menu, guest count, portions, service style and agreed dietary requests. |
| People and time | Arrival, setup, serving window, staffing, clearing and finish. |
| Equipment and access | What you bring, what the venue supplies and any separate hire. |
| Full price | Total, price unit, applicable taxes, travel and any confirmed extras. |
| Your terms | Quote expiry, booking process, payment schedule and cancellation terms. |
Make assumptions easy to spot.
State which costs are included, which are optional and which cannot be confirmed yet. If the menu or guest count might change, explain how that affects the price. Do not make the customer infer whether a per-person figure includes staffing, delivery, crockery or clearing.
Use realistic photographs of your own work and an accurate business profile. Describe the service you can actually deliver. Avoid unsupported allergy-safety promises or guarantees about an event you have not assessed.
A useful response has three parts.
- The fit: what you understand about this event and why your proposed service fits.
- The offer: the menu, scope, full price and any clearly stated assumptions.
- The next step: what the customer needs to check before agreeing arrangements directly.
Keep the next step clear.
Use the real request in your workspace to send a quote when you are ready. A customer selecting it requests an introduction; it does not itself confirm a catering booking. Agree availability, the written supplier contract and payments directly after contact details are exchanged. Update the shared event record as appropriate, and keep your own booking records.
KEEP THE PLAN MOVING
One useful next step.
Turn the details you have into a brief and compare the scope behind each price.