Build a catering quote in minutes - with the cost already calculated
Create detailed catering quotes directly from your recipe library. MenuCost calculates the full event cost, estimated profit, deposit amount, and price per guest — automatically, as you build.
WHY THIS MATTERS
A catering quote without a cost calculation is a guess with a number on it
Every catering job is different - a different client, a different headcount, a different menu. Most businesses quote from experience: a per-head estimate built up over time, adjusted by gut feel on the day. The problem is that experience-based pricing becomes inaccurate the moment ingredient prices change, staff costs shift, or a client asks for a menu you don't usually serve.
MenuCost's Catering Quotes tab gives every event its own cost-based quote. You select menu items from your recipe library, enter the quantities, add any delivery, setup, or staff charges — and MenuCost builds the quote summary in real time. By the time you send a price to the client, you already know the estimated cost, the estimated profit, and the price per guest. The quote is built on numbers, not instinct.
Example: A restaurant quotes a corporate annual celebration for ABC CO — 10 guests, two menu items (Saffron Basmati Rice and Manthi Chicken), plus delivery, setup, staff, and equipment charges. MenuCost calculates the menu item total (SAR 1,125), adds the additional charges (SAR 80), and shows the total quote value of SAR 1,205 with an estimated profit of SAR 976.23 and a price per guest of SAR 120.50. The client accepts. Win rate: 100%.
Catering Quote Management builds the quote from your recipe costs - so the price you give a client is one that covers your costs and delivers the margin your business needs.
HOW IT WORKS
Five things Catering Quote Management does for you
Fill in the event details
Enter the client name, event name, email, phone, venue, event date, number of guests, and quote validity date. These details populate the quote document and give you a complete record for every job — searchable and filterable from the Catering Quotes tab.
Add menu items from your recipe library
Select items directly from your costed recipe library. Set the price per serving and the quantity for each item. MenuCost calculates the line total for each item and shows a running subtotal as you build. You can mark items as Modified if the version served differs from the standard recipe.
Add additional charges
Enter any job-specific charges — delivery charge, setup charge, staff charge, and equipment rental. These are added to the menu item subtotal to produce the full event total. Each charge field is independent so you can include only what applies to each job.
Set deposit terms and payment conditions
Enter the deposit percentage - the quote automatically calculates the deposit amount from the total. Add payment terms (e.g. 50% deposit, 50% on delivery), notes for the client, and your terms and conditions. Everything needed for a complete, professional quote is in one place.
Quote Summary updates in real time
The Quote Summary panel on the right shows the full financial picture as you build - menu item total, additional charges, subtotal, total, deposit amount, estimated cost, estimated profit, and price per guest. Every number updates the moment you change anything in the form. You see the profit before you commit to the price.
REAL EXAMPLE
What a costed catering quote looks like
Every quote tracked in one place with its quote number, client, event name, date, guest count, and current status. Filter by All Quotes, open, accepted, or draft. Create a new quote in seconds.
Each quote row shows the quote number, client, event name, date, guest count, and a status badge. You can edit, duplicate, or delete any quote from the action icons. The status dropdown lets you move a quote from Draft to Pending to Accepted as the job progresses.
WHAT YOU GET
What changes when catering is quoted from cost
- Know the profit before you send a price. The Quote Summary shows estimated cost and estimated profit as you build. The price you give the client is one you've already checked — not one you're hoping works out.
- All job details in one record. Client, event, venue, date, guest count, menu, charges, deposit, and notes - all stored in the quote. No separate spreadsheets, no lost WhatsApp threads about what was agreed.
- Headcount changes handled in seconds. A client moves from 10 to 15 guests. Update the item quantities and the totals, deposit, and per-guest price all recalculate immediately.
- A clear picture of your catering pipeline. Total quotes, win rate, and open quotes visible from the Catering Quotes tab. Know at a glance what's in the pipeline and how well your quoting is converting.
QUESTIONS
You need a recipe in your library to add it to a catering quote - the quote pulls its cost from the recipe. If an item isn't costed yet, add it as a recipe first. Once it's in the library, it's available in any quote. This keeps your catering costs accurate rather than relying on manually entered estimates per job.
Each item in a catering quote has its own quantity field. A corporate breakfast might have 60 croissants, 40 lattes, and 60 fruit tarts — you set each quantity independently. MenuCost scales the cost for each item separately and sums them into the total event cost.
Estimated cost is calculated from the true cost per serving of each recipe in the quote — which includes ingredients, labour, packaging, and overhead — multiplied by the quantity. It reflects what the event will actually cost to produce, based on your costed recipes. The estimated profit is the total quote value minus this estimated cost.
The catering quote uses the full cost per serving from each recipe — which includes all four cost layers: ingredients, packaging, labour, and overhead. The overhead per serving is already factored into the recipe cost, so when you multiply by quantity in a catering quote, overhead is included in every line total.
MenuCost's catering quotes are internal costing and pricing tools — they show you item-level costs and margins that you wouldn't share with a client. What you take from the quote is the final price to put in your own client proposal, invoice, or order form. The quote tells you what to charge; how you present that to the client is up to you.
Quote catering orders with the cost already done
Join bakeries and coffee shops who stopped guessing and started growing.
✓ 7 days free · ✓ Cancel anytime