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Email template to ask caterers for quotes

You are feeding a crowd at a wedding, a party, a memorial, or a company event and you want a few caterers to bid on it. A catering quote has more moving parts than a restaurant bill: a per-person price for the food, separate charges for servers and bartenders, rentals like plates and glassware, delivery, and a service charge or gratuity added on top. Two caterers can quote the same per-person number and end up hundreds of dollars apart once the rest is added. Emailing the same request to each of them, with the same facts, is the only way to get quotes you can actually line up against each other.

Before you send

  • The date, the venue, and the event's start and end times. Caterers need to know how long staff will be on site.
  • Your guest count, or a range you are confident in. The final number can change later, but the quote needs a starting point.
  • The style of service: buffet, plated dinner, family style, passed appetizers, food stations, or drop-off with no staff.
  • Dietary needs you already know about, such as vegetarian, gluten-free, halal, or nut allergies.
  • Whether the venue supplies a kitchen, tables, and dishes, or the caterer has to bring everything. Ask the venue first if you are not sure.
Subject Catering quote for [event type] on [date], about [guest count] guests 
Hi [caterer's name],

I'm planning [a wedding reception / a birthday party / a company event] and would like a quote from you.

The basics:

- Date and time: [date], from [start time] to [end time]
- Venue: [venue name and city], which [has a full kitchen / has no kitchen]
- Guests: about [guest count]
- Service style: [buffet / plated / family style / drop-off]
- Dietary needs: [vegetarian options, gluten-free, allergies, or "none known"]

Could you send me a written quote with the per-person food price and, listed separately, staffing, rentals, delivery and setup, and your service charge and tax? A sample menu at that price would be helpful, and please note whether bar service is something you offer.

I'm collecting a few quotes and plan to decide by [date]. A tasting would be great if that's part of your process.

Thank you,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • A good quote itemizes everything and gives you a per-person total that includes staff and service charge. If a reply gives only a food price, ask what the rest adds up to before comparing it with the others.
  • Watch the service charge. Eighteen to twenty-two percent is typical and it is often not a tip for the staff, so ask whether gratuity is separate.
  • Ask about the final headcount deadline. Most caterers lock the count a week or two before the event, and you pay for that number even if fewer people show.
  • If a quote is over budget, say so and ask what they would change to hit your number. Swapping a plated course for a buffet or trimming the appetizer list often gets there.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Get me catering quotes for an event 
Hi StandIn,

Please get catering quotes for an event I'm hosting and help me compare them.

The event: [type, date, start and end time, venue and city].
Guests: about [number].
Service style: [buffet / plated / family style / drop-off].
Dietary needs: [list, or "none known"].
Venue kitchen and rentals: [full kitchen / no kitchen, and whether tables and dishes are provided].
Budget for food and service: [amount, total or per person].
Caterers I already have in mind: [names, if any].

Ask each for an itemized written quote, find a few more if my list is short, follow up with anyone who goes quiet, and bring me a comparison that shows the true per-person total for each.

Thanks,
[Your name]

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