Same meal, same questions
Ask the caterer
what the price includes.
Two per-person prices are not comparable until they describe the same service. Use these questions after you have chosen a format and a guest range. They do not pick a caterer for you.
By EventDoIt · Updated 3 October 2026 · 7 min read
Price one thing
One format and one guest range
Ask first
Staff, hours, glassware, drinks and dietary plates
Lock later
The date the count can still change
Record it
Net, VAT, deposit and cancellation
01
Give every caterer the same brief
Send the format, the guest range, the date, the room and the hour service should end. Say whether children are eating, whether the bar is yours or theirs, and which foods you will not serve. A caterer who receives a different guest count from another caterer will not send a price you can compare. The format guide is the place to choose plated, shared, buffet or standing food before you ask for menus.
Format
Guest range, labelled
Start and latest finish
Room and kitchen, if you know them
Foods you will not serve
02
Ask what one guest’s price includes
Ask whether the figure includes service staff, their hours, glassware, linen, bread, coffee, soft drinks and the bar. Ask what is charged per hour after the agreed finish. Ask how leftovers, wastage and a late increase in guests are billed. A lower price that excludes staff and glassware is not a lower meal.
Staff and the hours included
Glassware, linen and furniture
Soft drinks and the bar
Coffee, bread and late-night food
The overtime rate
03
Ask how a dietary plate reaches the right seat
A caterer needs a count of allergies and diets, not a story about each guest. Ask how those plates are marked, what happens if someone sits in a different chair, and which dishes can be served separately when the rest of the table is sharing. The guest-needs guide is where you collect that summary. Do not send a caterer every private detail.
04
Ask about the kitchen, the path and the power
A menu written for another venue may not fit this one. Ask whether they cook on site, what the venue must provide, and whether the service path crosses the guests. Ask who clears, and where waste goes. If you are also hiring furniture, tell them the table size so platters and place settings fit the same plan.
05
Ask when the booking is actually made
A tasting and a friendly email are not a booking. Ask for the net amount, the VAT rate, the deposit, the date the balance is due, and the cancellation terms if the guest count drops or the date moves. Ask which company name will be on the invoice. Put those answers on the quote sheet. Ask which date the guest count locks, and do not promise a final number before your own RSVPs close.