Catering menu template
Packages priced per person, appetizers by the dozen, sides as add-ons, and staff, delivery, and rentals on their own lines. This is a sample catering price list set in Gaslamp’s Upscale Contemporary design.
No card needed · then $19/mo or $190/yr · cancel anytime
The real menu, first two pages
The sample opens with four packages and the guest minimum, then passed bites by the dozen, mains and sides priced per person, desserts by the dozen, and a Service section for servers, delivery, and rentals.
Sample menu. Dishes and prices are examples. Want to see one on a phone? Scan a live sample menu.
- The filePDF, 41 KB
- Pages4, with a coverThe cover carries the name and a QR code to the live menu.
- PaperUS Letter, portrait
- To download and printfree
No signup, no email. It is a finished sample, so it carries sample dishes. Putting your own menu into it takes the free trial. The trial includes one published live menu with QR codes. PDF downloads and additional menus start when you pick a plan.
What belongs on a catering menu
A catering menu is read by someone building a quote for an event, often at a desk, often comparing you to two other caterers. It has to make the unit of every price obvious: per person, per dozen, per hour, per order.
Packages, per person
Three or four packages from a boxed lunch to a plated dinner, each with what it includes and the guest minimum in the note under the heading.
- Lunch buffet, per person24
- Plated dinner, per person58Staff required
Passed bites, per dozen
Appetizers sold by the dozen with a minimum order per item. Say the unit in the note once and it covers the section.
- Caprese skewers30
- Mini crab cakes48
Mains and sides
The dishes a client swaps into a package, priced per person so an upgrade is easy to quote.
- Braised short rib24
- Roasted potatoes4
Desserts, per dozen
Cookies, bars, mini cheesecakes. Priced by the dozen like the passed bites.
- Assorted cookies24
Service and rentals
Staff by the hour with the minimum, delivery by distance, chafing dishes, real plates. The lines a client forgets to budget for, printed up front.
- Event server, per hour45Four-hour minimum
- Delivery and setup75
Example lines and prices show format only. They are not pricing advice.
How Upscale Contemporary sets it
Upscale Contemporary gives each section a roman numeral, a large name, and a short note to its right. On a catering menu that note carries the unit: “Per dozen”, “20 guest minimum”, “Per person add-on”. The client reads the unit before the prices.
Keep section names short in this design (Packages, Passed Bites, Sides, Service). The spacing that makes it look expensive also means long names wrap.
Catering menus get emailed and printed more than they get scanned. The PDF’s cover page carries your name and the QR code to the live price list, so a client with an old printout can scan to see this season’s prices.
Prices on a catering menu
Every line needs its unit. A package is one line at its per-person price and a tray is one line at its per-dozen price (or two labeled prices, Half and Full, for two tray sizes), with the unit in the item name or the section note.
A package for 20 guests at $24 is a $480 order, which a single line cannot hold as a total; that is fine, because catering is quoted per person. The totals belong in your proposal, not on the menu.
Tax, service charges, and gratuity terms go in the note under the Service heading or in your proposal. Gaslamp prints the menu; it does not build quotes, take deposits, or send invoices.
Set it up in Gaslamp
- 1
Start from this catering price list
Pick Upscale Contemporary and start from this sample. Every section, line, and price is already in place, so you type your own over it instead of building a blank page.
- 2
Type your dishes over it
Replace each name, description, and price in the editor. Delete the lines you do not serve and add the ones you do. The layout reflows as you type.
- 3
Put the unit on every line
Keep “per person”, “per dozen”, or “per hour” in each item name or section note as you type your prices over the samples.
- 4
Publish, then print
Publish the live menu behind one QR code that never changes, print the table tents once, and print the PDF whenever the paper copy needs to catch up.
Running it
10:20 a.m.
Short rib costs jump
The beef quote went up. Change the short rib price on your phone and save; any client who scans the QR on last month’s printout sees the new number.
January
New season, new list
Switch off the holiday items, switch on the spring ones you built hidden in December, and save. Print a fresh PDF for the proposal folder.
Catering menus, straight answers
- Is this catering menu template free?
- Yes. The Upscale Contemporary PDF on this page is free to download and print, with no signup. It is a sample, so it carries sample dishes and prices. To put your own menu into the design, start the 14-day free trial, no card needed. The trial includes one published live menu with QR codes. PDF downloads and additional menus start when you pick a plan.
- How should a catering menu show prices?
- With the unit on every line: per person for packages and mains, per dozen for appetizers and desserts, per hour for staff. Put the guest minimum in the note under the packages heading.
- Can Gaslamp build a catering quote?
- No. Gaslamp keeps the price list, prints it, and keeps the QR version current. Quotes, deposits, and invoices happen in your proposal or accounting tool.
- How do I show a guest minimum?
- In the note under the section heading, like “Priced per person; minimum of 20 guests”. Section notes hold up to 120 characters.
- Can I keep a separate holiday catering menu?
- Yes. On a paid plan you can keep several menus, each with its own QR code and PDF. The trial includes one live menu.
- How much does it cost?
- Start with a 30-day free trial, no credit card needed. Then it is $19 a month, or $190 a year (2 months free). No setup fee. Cancel anytime. The trial includes one published live menu with QR codes. PDF downloads and additional menus start when you pick a plan.
If you run one
Every design takes every menu. Switch between them anytime and your dishes stay put.
For the day-to-day, menu software for caterers covers what changes on menus like yours and how often. For what to serve and how to price it, read how to build a catering menu.
The free QR code menu generator makes a code for whatever menu you have now.
All menu templates
The short rib went up this morning. The price list can too.
No card needed · then $19/mo or $190/yr · cancel anytime