Client Consultation, Menu Design & Quote: the full procedure

Capture the client’s event vision, build a menu to their budget and headcount, and deliver a clear written quote.

What you need

The procedure, step by step

  1. Log the inquiry — Record client name, contact, event date, venue, estimated headcount, and how they found you before the call so nothing is re-asked.
  2. Confirm date availability — Check the master calendar for the event date and load-in window; flag any conflicting bookings before quoting.
  3. Run the discovery questions — Ask about event type, guest count, service style (plated, buffet, family-style, stations, drop-off), formality, venue constraints, and total budget.
  4. Note dietary and allergen flags — Record any stated allergies, vegetarian/vegan/halal/kosher needs, and child counts; mark them for the allergen SOP and do not promise handling beyond your safety plan.
  5. Build the menu to budget — Select courses and quantities that hit the per-head target, accounting for service style and venue equipment; propose tiers if budget is unclear.
  6. Price the full quote — Add food cost, labor, rentals, delivery, gratuity policy, and tax; show per-person and total so the client can scale headcount.
  7. Document inclusions and exclusions — State exactly what is and is not included (staff hours, rentals, cake cutting, cleanup) to prevent scope creep.
  8. Send the written quote — Deliver the quote with a validity date and next step (sign and deposit to book), then log the send date.

Quality check before you finish

This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Catering business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.

Sources

About Free Catering Consultation & Quote SOP

Free printable catering consultation, menu design, and quoting SOP — discovery questions to written quote, source-anchored, no signup.

How to use

  1. Read the full procedure top to bottom before the work — the SOP runs in order and each step builds on the last.
  2. Toggle Ink-saver (black & white) for a cheaper mono print for the binder; leave it off for the full-color version.
  3. Click Print SOP to print or save as PDF. Print one per crew, laminate it for the binder, or attach it to the job in your scheduling system.
  4. Train new hires on it and have staff sign off. Found something out of date? Use the feedback link — flagged SOPs are re-researched against the source list.

Frequently asked questions

Should I promise specific allergen handling during the consultation?
State only what your safety plan and staff certification can deliver. Note the client’s allergies and dietary needs in writing, but the actual safe preparation, cross-contact controls, and any holding-temperature requirements defer to your allergen SOP, ServSafe certification, and the FDA Food Code. Over-promising at the quote stage creates liability you cannot control in the kitchen.
How do I price for menu items that hold differently during transport?
Price the labor and equipment, not the safety threshold. Items that must stay hot or cold across delivery and service drive your packing and holding plan, and those temperature targets come from the FDA Food Code and your local health department — not from the quote. Build the right hot-holding or cold-holding equipment into the price, and let the food code govern the actual temperatures.

Part of ToolFluency’s library of free online tools for Printables. No account needed, no data leaves your device.

You might also need

🥂Catering Manual 🔪Kitchen Prep & Production 📦Packing & Loading 🖨All Printables