Catering Invoice Template

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A catering invoice is sent to a client before or after an event has been properly supplied with food, drinks, and staff to serve the guests. A caterer is requested by a client before an event with enough time to prepare the items that are requested. For smaller events, 2 days to a week should suffice, for larger events such as a wedding, the caterer may need two (2) weeks to a month to assemble what is needed.

Table of Contents

What is Catering?

Catering is the act of an individual or company of providing food and drinks to an event such as a wedding, company banquet, or another occasion such as a birthday party. If the food is to be made on-site, the caterer will be responsible for hiring the chef and for the servers to distribute the food, most typically, by walking around the space and approaching guests.

Catering Events

  • BBQ
  • Corporate Event
  • Family Reunion
  • Holiday Party
  • Wedding (most popular)

Catering Types

  • Bento (sushi style)
  • Buffet
  • Food Truck
  • Full Service (most popular)
  • Office Catering
  • Restaurant
  • Take-Away

Does a Caterer Need to be Licensed?

A caterer needing to be licensed depends entirely on how they prepare and supply the event with food and drinks.

Food License

  • Required – If a caterer is to be preparing the food themselves a license is required in all 50 States. The caterer will be required to apply through their local municipality and State while also registering with the FDA (effective December 12, 2003, CPG Sec. 110.300)
  • Not Required – If the caterer is to be acting as the middle-person and providing food that is prepared to serve then a license is not required.

Drink License

  • Required – If the caterer is to be serving alcoholic beverages a license is required. Obtaining a liquor license is not easy in most States and will require hefty fees and a thorough background check.
  • Not Required – If the caterer is to be serving non-alcoholic beverages a license is not required. The caterer can simply purchase soda and juice drinks from a wholesaler or Sam’s club and re-sell to the host of the event.

Caterer Salary & Hourly Rate ($/hr)

Salary: $34,861 (source: glassdoor)

Hourly Rate: $12.26/hr (source: payscale)