How to write a catering proposal

What every catering proposal should include

• Event details — date, time, venue, guest count and service style.
• The menu — organized by course, with any options the client chooses between.
• Pricing — a clear per-head price, plus separate lines for bar, rentals, staffing and delivery.
• What's included — service hours, staff, setup and breakdown, so there are no surprises.
• Deposit & terms — the deposit to secure the date, the balance due date, and your cancellation policy.
• A clear next step — how to approve and pay the deposit.

Make it easy to say yes

The faster a client can approve, the more bookings you win. A proposal that's a single shareable link — readable on a phone, approvable with one click, with the deposit payable on the spot — closes far better than a PDF attachment that needs printing, signing and scanning.

Price it from real cost

The most common proposal mistake is a beautiful quote that quietly loses money. Build the price up from the costed menu so you can see your margin as you write it, and never send a number below your target.

Turn the yes into an invoice

When the client approves, that approved menu and price should become the invoice with nothing re-typed — and the deposit should already be recorded. Keeping the proposal, approval, deposit and invoice as one record is what stops details slipping between the quote and the bill.