Catering Order Form Template (Free, Printable)

Catering inquiry (short version)

[Restaurant name] · [Catering phone] · [Catering email]

Tell us a little about your event and we'll send a quote within [timeframe]. This isn't an order: your date is reserved once you [approve the quote and pay the deposit], and we confirm in writing.

Field	Details
Name	[First and last name]
Company or organization	[Company]
Email	[Email]
Phone	[Phone]
Event date	[Day, month date, year]
Serving time	[Time guests start eating]
Headcount	[Number of guests]
Delivery address or ZIP	[Address, or "pickup"]
What you're interested in	[Package, menu items, or "please suggest"]
Budget per person	[If you have one]
Vegetarian or vegan meals	[How many]
Food allergies in your group?	[No / Yes: which allergen, and how many meals]
Anything else we should know	[Notes]

Catering order form (detailed confirmation)

[Restaurant name] · [Street address], [City, State ZIP] · [Catering phone] · [Catering email]

We fill this in with you once you've had our quote, on a call or by email. It gives our kitchen and driver everything they need. Your date is reserved once you [approve the quote and pay the deposit], and we'll confirm the order in writing within [timeframe].

Client details

Field	Details
Name	[First and last name]
Company or organization	[Company]
Role	[Office manager, assistant, HR, other]
Email	[Email]
Phone	[Phone]
Mobile for order-day updates	[Mobile]
OK to text you about this order?	[Yes / No]
Billing contact	[Name and email, or "same as above"]
Billing address	[Address]
PO number or cost center	[If your company needs one]
Tax-exempt?	[No / Yes, certificate attached]
How did you hear about us?	[Guest, referral, search, other]

Event details

Field	Details
Occasion	[Team lunch, training session, client meeting, party]
Event date	[Day, month date, year]
Serving time	[Time guests start eating]
Delivery or pickup window	[Window start] to [window end]
Headcount	[Number of guests]
Delivery address	[Street, city, ZIP]
Floor, suite or room	[Details]
On-site contact	[Name and mobile, if different from above]
Building access	[Security desk, ID needed, loading dock, elevator]
Parking	[Where the driver can stop]
Setup space	[Tables available? Power outlet nearby?]

Service style (check one):

Pickup at [Restaurant name]
Drop-off
Drop-off with setup
Staffed service: [number] staff for [number] hours

Menu selections

Item or package	Qty	Unit	Unit price	Line total	Notes
[Item or package]	[Qty]	[Per person / per tray / each]	$[0.00]	$[0.00]	[Sauce on the side, no onions]
[Item or package]	[Qty]	[Unit]	$[0.00]	$[0.00]	[Notes]
[Side or salad]	[Qty]	[Unit]	$[0.00]	$[0.00]	[Notes]
[Dessert]	[Qty]	[Unit]	$[0.00]	$[0.00]	[Notes]
[Drinks]	[Qty]	[Unit]	$[0.00]	$[0.00]	[Notes]
Food subtotal				$[0.00]

Dietary needs and food allergies

Dietary preference	Number of meals	Label with guest names?	Notes
Vegetarian	[Number]	[Yes / No: names]	[Notes]
Vegan	[Number]	[Yes / No: names]	[Notes]
[Halal / kosher, if you offer it]	[Number]	[Yes / No: names]	[Notes]
Other: [describe]	[Number]	[Yes / No: names]	[Notes]

If a need is medical, such as a food allergy or celiac disease, list it in the table below instead, so our kitchen can review it.

Food allergies: one row for each guest, or for each group of meals with the same need. The major food allergens are milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame; list any other ingredient too.

Guest name or meal label	Allergen or ingredient to avoid	Meals affected	Your instructions	Our decision after kitchen review
[Name or "box 3"]	[Allergen]	[Number, and which items]	[What the guest needs from us]	[Filled in by our manager: what we can and can't do]
[Name]	[Allergen]	[Meals]	[Instructions]	[Decision]
[Name]	[Allergen]	[Meals]	[Instructions]	[Decision]

Our kitchen handles [the allergens you use]. Our kitchen manager reviews every allergy request, and we'll tell you in writing what we can and can't do before we confirm the order. Packing a meal separately doesn't by itself prevent cross-contact during preparation, and we can't guarantee any item is free of allergens.

Delivery, setup and serveware

What should we bring? (check all that apply)

Plates
Napkins
Cutlery kits
Serving utensils
Cups and ice
Chafing dishes and fuel for hot food
Food labels and table signs
Setup on your table
Trash bags and cleanup

Item	Details
Delivery fee	$[0.00] ([zone or distance])
Setup	[$0.00, or "included"]
Equipment pickup	[Time, or "everything is disposable"]
Special instructions	[Anything the driver should know]

Payment

Field	Details
Payment method	[Card by secure payment link / ACH / check / invoice]
Invoice terms	[Due on delivery / due a number of days after the invoice date]
Deposit	$[0.00], due [when]
Balance	$[0.00], due [when]
Send invoice and receipt to	[Email]
PO number	[If required]

Please don't write a card number on this form or send it by email. We'll send you a secure payment link.

Policies

Lead time: [Number] hours' notice for standard orders and [number] days for orders over [number] guests.
Headcount changes: Final headcount by [time] on [day or number of days before the event]. After that, we charge for the confirmed headcount.
Menu changes: Free until [cutoff]. After that, they depend on what the kitchen has already prepared.
Cancellation: [Your cancellation terms, by how far ahead the client cancels.]
Delivery: We arrive within the window above. If access holds us up for more than [number] minutes, [what happens].
Service charge: [Percent]% of food, covering [what it covers]. It is not a tip or gratuity; any tip is optional.
Food safety: Each label shows the time the food should be eaten or refrigerated by. Throw away anything left out past that time.
Allergies: Tell us about every food allergy before you confirm, including any new ones after you order. We confirm in writing what we can do after our kitchen's review. We can't guarantee any item is allergen-free.
Equipment: Missing or damaged equipment is charged at [replacement cost].

Confirmation

I confirm the details above, including the allergy decisions, and agree to the policies.

Confirmation	Client
Name	__________
Signature	__________
Date	__________

For [Restaurant name] use

Field	Details
Order number	[Number]
Quote number	[Number]
Date and time received	[Date, time]
Taken by	[Name]
Channel	[Phone / email / web form / walk-in / marketplace]
Quote approved and deposit received	[Dates]
Allergy requests reviewed by kitchen manager	[Name, date; recipes, sauces and supplier labels checked]
Allergy decisions sent to client in writing	[Date, by whom]
Order read back to client	[Yes, date]
Written confirmation sent	[Date]
Details reconfirmed two days before	[Date, by whom; any new allergies sent to kitchen review]
Kitchen ticket and labels printed, with confirmed allergy instructions	[Date]
Allergy meals checked against the ticket at packing	[Name, time]
Driver	[Name]
Invoice sent	[Date]
Next-day check-in sent	[Date]

How to use this template

Short inquiry. Send this, or put it on your website, when someone first asks about catering. It asks only for what you need to quote. Don't make a first-time buyer fill in the operations checklist.

Detailed confirmation form. Fill this in with the buyer once they've had the quote. The bracketed booking line should match your quote: in our catering quote template, the date is reserved once the buyer approves the quote and pays the deposit.

Client details. Get a mobile number for order-day updates, ask before you text it, and record the answer. That yes covers texts about this order; don't treat it as permission for marketing texts.

Event details. The on-site contact, building access, parking and setup space decide whether the driver arrives on time. Don't let them stay blank.

Menu selections. Use the same item names, units and prices as the quote, so the kitchen ticket, the invoice and the quote all match.

Dietary needs and food allergies. Ask for counts of vegetarian and vegan meals. For each allergy, record the allergen, the meals it affects and what the guest needs. The form doesn't ask how severe an allergy is, because the answer shouldn't decide whether the kitchen takes precautions. The list names the nine major food allergens identified by the FDA.

Kitchen review before you confirm. Your kitchen manager checks each allergy request against current recipes, sauces, supplier labels and how the dish is prepared, then writes the decision in the last column: what you can do, with what changes, or that you can't safely make it. Send that decision to the buyer in writing before you confirm. Packing a meal separately doesn't control cross-contact during preparation, so never promise an allergen-free meal.

Delivery, setup and serveware. Check off what goes in the bag, and print the list for the driver.

Payment. Never collect a card number on a paper or emailed form. Send a secure payment link from your payment system instead, and note any PO number or tax-exempt certificate on the invoice.

Policies. Copy the same terms you put on your quote, so the buyer never sees two versions.

The back-of-house box. It tracks the order from quote to check-in. The allergy rows carry the confirmed instructions onto the kitchen ticket, the labels and the packing check, so the decision made at review is the one that reaches the box.

Tips that keep the order on track

Read the order back before you hang up. Date, serving time, headcount, address, dietary counts and allergy decisions. It catches mistakes while they're still easy to fix.

Reconfirm two days before. Headcount, dietary needs, address, on-site contact, parking and access, in writing. If a new allergy comes up, it goes through kitchen review like the first ones. How to get corporate catering clients covers this step in making a first order go right.

Keep the web version short. If you put a form online, use the short inquiry. MONKEY's State of Catering 2026 page reports that 43% of catering carts are abandoned before checkout. Collect the rest on the confirmation call.

Send the confirmation, invoice and payment link on one thread. The buyer shouldn't have to hunt for any of them.

Route every form to one person. Forms sent to an inbox nobody watches are one of the leaks in why restaurants lose catering revenue.

Check in the morning after. Ask how it went. Email 3 in our catering follow-up email templates is written for that.

If you're still setting up catering, how to start catering from your restaurant covers the menu, packaging, food safety and delivery decisions this form assumes you've made.

Can the order-taking run itself?

Kutlerri.ai's Catering Sales Agent answers catering inquiries by phone, email, text and web form, and drafts quotes and invoices from your catering menu; you approve every quote before it goes out. In the RASA case study, it captured headcount, date, budget and dietary needs on each inquiry and passed the conversation to Kutlerri's team whenever a customer asked to speak with a person. Allergy decisions still belong to your kitchen.

FAQ

What should a catering order form include?

For a first inquiry, only what you need to quote: contact details, date, serving time, headcount, delivery address, budget and any dietary needs or allergies. Once the buyer has the quote, the detailed form adds billing, building access, the on-site contact, menu lines, allergy details and your kitchen's decision on each, serveware, payment and your policies, plus a section for your own team to track the order.

How should a restaurant take allergy information on a catering order?

Ask which allergen, which meals it affects and what the guest needs, rather than how severe it is; severity shouldn't decide whether you take precautions. Have your kitchen manager review each request against recipes, supplier labels and preparation, tell the customer in writing what you can and can't do before you confirm, and copy the confirmed instructions onto the kitchen ticket, labels and packing check. Packing a meal separately doesn't by itself prevent cross-contact, so don't promise an allergen-free meal.

Should my catering order form be online?

An online form helps if someone answers it quickly, but keep it to the short inquiry: ask only for what you need to quote, then collect the rest on the confirmation call. Route every submission to one person, and confirm the order in writing.

Is it safe to collect credit card numbers on a catering order form?

Don't write card numbers on paper forms or accept them by email. Send the buyer a secure payment link from your payment processor, or take payment through your point-of-sale system.