Catering Invoice Template (Free) Excel
A free Excel Catering invoice with auto-calculating totals, tax and discount rows. Fill in the industry fields and the workbook does the math.
Get the free catering Excel invoice
Open the generator, fill in your job details, and export a Excel in seconds. Everything stays in your browser.
Why caterers should bill in Excel
An Excel catering invoice is the working version: totals, tax and discounts calculate themselves, and you keep a running history of every job in one workbook. Formulas add up line items and track what is still unpaid; drop-downs for your usual services keep data entry consistent across months; one workbook per client or per season makes year-end bookkeeping a copy-paste job.
Fields a catering invoice must include
Every job is different, but these catering fields belong on the invoice. Keep them on the template so nothing gets missed:
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Guest count | Number of guests the menu and staffing are priced for |
| Menu / package selection | Buffet, plated, or station package chosen |
| Service staff | Servers, bartenders and chefs billed per hour or per event |
| Tableware & furniture rental | Chairs, linens, china, glassware rental charges |
| Setup / decor | Table styling, decor and event setup labor |
| Delivery & transport | Food transport, staging or off-site kitchen fees |
| Deposit & final balance terms | Booking deposit and balance-due-before-event terms |
Real scenario: a 50-guest wedding buffet with service staff
Catering invoices scale with guest count, and rental, staffing and setup are itemized so the client can reconcile the event budget. Here is a worked example using typical caterers pricing:
| Line | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffet package — 50 guests (per guest) | 50 | $38 | $1,900.00 |
| Service staff — 3 servers + 1 lead (per hour) | 12 | $25 | $300.00 |
| Tableware & linen rental | 1 | $240 | $240.00 |
| Setup & decor labor | 1 | $180 | $180.00 |
| Delivery & transport | 1 | $90 | $90.00 |
| Booking deposit paid | 1 | -$500 | -$500.00 |
Subtotal $2,710.00, less the $500 booking deposit already paid, leaves a balance due of $2,210.00 before the event. Staffing is billed per hour; rentals are passed through at cost.
How to make a catering Excel invoice in 3 steps
Download the workbook
Get the Excel catering invoice with formulas and drop-downs already set up.
Fill the line items
Enter the Guest count, Menu / package selection, Service staff and more lines — totals, tax and discounts update automatically.
Save or print
Print a PDF copy for the client or keep the workbook as your running history per client.
Catering Excel invoice questions
How do caterers price a menu?
Per guest, by menu tier — buffet, plated or station packages carry different per-head rates, with staffing and rentals added as separate lines.
When is the deposit invoiced?
A booking deposit (typically 25-50%) is invoiced at contract signing and the balance is due before the event, printed clearly on the invoice.
Should staffing hours be on the invoice?
Yes — servers, bartenders and leads are billed per hour, and the client needs the headcount and hours to reconcile overtime or early-breakdown fees.
Are rentals passed through at cost?
Tableware, furniture and linen rentals are usually passed through at cost with the rental invoice available, plus a small coordination fee if you charge one.