Free template · Contract

A catering contract that earns its signature

A complete catering contract template in Word — deposits, headcount cutoffs, cancellation tiers, market-price substitutions, and the clauses most caterers add only after they've been burned once.

The clauses that actually protect a caterer

Most catering contract disputes come down to four moments: the client cancels, the headcount changes late, an ingredient price spikes, or someone disagrees about what was included. A good catering contract template handles all four before anyone is upset:

Cancellation tiers.Flat “no refunds” language feels tough but invites fights. Tiers are fairer and hold up better: e.g. deposit non-refundable after 14 days; 50% of contract due if cancelled within 30 days of the event; 100% within 7 days, when you've already bought the food.
Final headcount cutoff. Name a date — commonly 7 to 10 days out — after which the count can go up (billed per person) but never down. This is the single most valuable sentence in the document.
Market-price substitution.Reserve the right to substitute comparable ingredients or adjust pricing if a market item (seafood, beef, produce in a bad season) moves more than an agreed percentage. Your margin shouldn't die because salmon did something dramatic.
Scope language.Spell out what's included — service hours, staff count, rentals, cake cutting, cleanup — and state that anything else is a billable change order. “Can you also just…” is how margins evaporate.

Deposit and payment schedule that keeps you solvent

The standard structure for independent caterers: 25–50% deposit to reserve the date (non-refundable after a short grace window), an optional midpoint payment for large events, and the balance due before the event— typically 7–14 days out, which conveniently matches your final headcount cutoff. Collecting the balance on event day means chasing money while you're plating; collecting it after means sometimes not collecting it.

The template pairs with our free catering invoice template, which tracks deposit received and balance due so the numbers in your contract and your invoice can't disagree.

How to use this template

Download the Word file and add your business details and logo.
Set your three numbers: deposit percentage, headcount cutoff days, and cancellation tiers. Write them once, reuse forever.
Have a local attorney review it once (state law varies — this template is a starting point, not legal advice).
Send it with every quote. The contract converts better attached to a clean per-person quote than as a surprise after the handshake.

And when you'd rather have proposals, contracts, and e-signatures in one flow — that's exactly what we're building. Join the PerPlate waitlist and skip the paperwork shuffle entirely.

Common questions

What should a catering contract include?

At minimum: the parties and event details, menu and service scope, pricing and what can change it, deposit and payment schedule, a final-headcount cutoff date, cancellation and refund tiers, a substitution clause for market-price ingredients, liability and damage terms, and signatures. The template covers all of these with plain-language explanations.

How much deposit should a caterer require?

Most independent caterers require 25–50% to hold the date, with the balance due 7–14 days before the event. Whatever you choose, the contract should state when the deposit stops being refundable — that single sentence prevents most disputes.

Is this catering contract template legally binding?

A signed contract based on this template is generally enforceable, but contract law varies by state and this isn't legal advice. Use it as a strong starting point and have a local attorney review your final version — a one-hour review is cheap insurance for a business that books five-figure events.

Why is the template free?

We're building PerPlate — catering software with e-signable proposals and contracts built in — and giving caterers genuinely useful tools is how we earn waitlist signups. No watermark, no catch.