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Catering Contract for an Event

Create a catering contract covering the event, guest counts, menu, bar service, staffing, per-guest pricing, deposit, and cancellation. Preview first.

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What this document does

A contract between a caterer and the host of a wedding, corporate event, or private party for the food and beverage service at one event, covering the venue and times, guaranteed and final guest counts, the menu and dietary meals, bar service, staffing and overtime, rentals and equipment, venue access and cleanup, per-guest pricing with a deposit and balance, cancellation and postponement, food safety, allergies, and insurance. It is not a venue rental agreement and does not cover the hire of a planner, photographer, or other vendors.

What it covers

  • Parties
  • The Event and Guest Count
  • Menu and Beverages
  • Staffing
  • Equipment, Venue Access, and Cleanup
  • Pricing and Payment
  • Cancellation and Postponement
  • Food Safety, Allergies, and Insurance
  • Additional Terms
  • General Provisions

A template you fill in yourself from your own answers. LeaseCraft is not a law firm and does not give legal advice; for advice about your situation, talk to a lawyer.

How it works

1

Answer the questions

Plain-language questions about the people, dates and terms.

2

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Read the document built from your answers and change anything before you download.

3

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Included with LeaseCraft Annual ($19.99/year).

Questions about the Catering Contract

The event date, venue, and service times, the estimated and guaranteed guest counts and when the final headcount is due, the menu and any special dietary meals, who provides and serves beverages, the number of staff and the overtime rate, who supplies tables, linens, and tableware, the per-guest price and any service charge, the deposit and payment dates, and what the client owes if the event is cancelled or postponed.

The client guarantees a minimum number of guests at signing and gives a final headcount a set number of days before the event. The contract charges for the greater of the final count and the guaranteed minimum, and prices guests added after the final count at the per-guest price, with an optional surcharge you choose.

You choose one of five arrangements: no beverages, non-alcoholic only, a bar run and stocked by the caterer, alcohol supplied by the client and served by the caterer's staff with an optional corkage fee, or the client's own bartender. When the caterer's staff serve alcohol, the contract adds a responsible-service clause and asks about liquor liability insurance.

The contract multiplies the per-guest price by the guaranteed minimum, adds any bar package, staffing charge, rental charge, cleanup fee, service charge percentage, and percentage gratuity, and prints the estimated total. The deposit, an optional second payment, and the balance are shown as amounts with their due dates, and a final invoice after the event adjusts for the actual headcount and overtime.

You set two cut-offs. Cancelling before the first costs only the non-refundable deposit; between the two, a percentage of the estimated total that you choose; and within the second, the full estimated total. You can also allow one postponement within a set number of months, with the deposit carried over.

Yes. Choose drop-off as the service style and the staffing, overtime, and bar-service questions are skipped. The contract then describes delivery at the arrival time, the client's responsibility for serving and holding the food safely, and the return of the caterer's containers.

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