How to quote a private catering job without underpricing it

Public market trading has a built-in price check — customers walk past a menu board and decide. Private catering doesn't, which is exactly why so many mobile operators underquote their first few jobs, then wonder why a 'successful' corporate event barely covered its costs.

Start from cost, not from what feels reasonable

Work out food cost per head, packaging per head, and staff hours needed (including setup and pack-down, not just serving time) before you think about a headline price. A per-head quote built backwards from a round number is how margin quietly disappears.

Price the minimum spend, not just per head

Small bookings under roughly 40-50 heads often don't cover your fixed costs — fuel, staff minimum call-out, equipment wear — even at a healthy per-head margin. Set a minimum total job value below which you either decline or add a flat callout fee.

Quote travel and access separately

A venue with no vehicle access, multiple flights of stairs, or a 90-minute drive changes your labour cost meaningfully. Build a simple travel-and-access tier into your quote template rather than absorbing it as goodwill.

Build a template, not a blank page

A repeatable quote template with your standard packages, per-head add-ons and payment terms turns a one-hour quoting task into a fifteen-minute one — and means every client gets consistent pricing, which protects you if quotes ever get compared.

Deposit and cancellation terms protect the job

A non-refundable deposit (commonly 20-30%) locks in the ingredient order and staff roster. Without it, a cancelled corporate event a week out can leave you holding purchased stock and a rostered team.

Track catering separately from public trading

Catering margins usually run higher than market trading once travel and minimums are set correctly — but only if you can see it. CartFlow lets you tag events as private catering and compare their profit against your public markets side by side.