What should be optional in a catering proposal?

In this template: Appetizers on arrival ($18.00 USD per guest), Wine pairing ($26.00 USD per guest), Tableware and linen rental ($480.00 USD). Optional lines sit next to the base price with a switch, so clients choose them without a follow-up email.

Pricing guide for caterers

How much to charge for catering

Updated October 23, 2026. Example prices in US dollars from the catering template.

Example starting total$6,130.00 USD

Short answer: Price catering as one fixed line (three-course dinner at $95.00 USD) with a starting total of $6,130.00 USD, then 3 optional lines (appetizers on arrival, wine pairing, tableware and linen rental) the client can switch on, and quantities the client sets within your limits. Set your own numbers; the structure is what gets accepted.

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Below: the price lines from our catering quote, what is fixed, what the client can switch on, and how to show it so the client accepts instead of haggling.

The example pricing

Line	Example price	How it is sold
Three-course dinnerPer guest, cooked on site and served	$95.00 USD per guest	IncludedClient picks 20 to 200
Appetizers on arrivalPer guest, four pieces	$18.00 USD per guest	Optional, on by defaultClient picks 20 to 200
Wine pairingPer guest, a glass with each course	$26.00 USD per guest	Optional, off by defaultClient picks 20 to 200
Tableware and linen rentalPlates, glassware, cutlery, linen, delivered and picked up	$480.00 USD	Optional, on by default

Starting total with the defaults on: $6,130.00 USD, before the client chooses among 3 optional lines, with 3 quantities the client sets within your limits. Example prices in US dollars; the template works in 16 currencies and every number is yours to change.

How to present it

Personal services are chosen on feel. A warm opening paragraph and a clear list of what the day, the term or the month includes do more than a discount ever will.

Price the package, then the countable extras: guests, sessions, hours, dishes. A client who moves a quantity and sees the total settle has already decided.

Put the cancellation and rescheduling terms on the same page as the price, in plain words. Signed together, they are far easier to hold to later.

Questions people ask

How much should I charge for catering?: Price catering as one fixed line (three-course dinner at $95.00 USD) with a starting total of $6,130.00 USD, then 3 optional lines (appetizers on arrival, wine pairing, tableware and linen rental) the client can switch on, and quantities the client sets within your limits. Set your own numbers; the structure is what gets accepted.
What should be optional in a catering proposal?: In this template: Appetizers on arrival ($18.00 USD per guest), Wine pairing ($26.00 USD per guest), Tableware and linen rental ($480.00 USD). Optional lines sit next to the base price with a switch, so clients choose them without a follow-up email.
How do I present catering pricing so it gets accepted?: Personal services are chosen on feel. A warm opening paragraph and a clear list of what the day, the term or the month includes do more than a discount ever will.

Why this structure gets accepted

One fixed line the client can say yes to. Three-course dinner is priced as a whole, so the conversation is about the result, not the hours.
Options on the page, not in follow-up emails. Appetizers on arrival, Wine pairing, Tableware and linen rental sit next to the base price with a switch. People choose what they can see.
The total moves as they choose. On a Quote and Sign page the client toggles lines and sets quantities, watches the total update, and signs with their name. What they chose becomes part of the signed record.

Put it in front of a client

Open this pricing as a real quote, change the words and numbers, and send the link. Your client reads it on a phone or laptop, picks the extras, and taps Accept. You both get the signed PDF.