LawDepot’s step-by-step questionnaire will guide you through the basic terms of your catering agreement. Discuss the event(s) with your caterer or client in advance to fill in the following:
1. Event and catering details
A Catering Contract must include all relevant event information, such as:
- Whether the services are required for a single or multiple events
- The date and location of the event(s)
- The service details, such as the number of guests, menu, amount of food and beverages, and whether serving staff, dishware, cutlery, and linens are included
2. Party details
First, our template prompts you to specify whether the caterer is an individual (i.e., a sole trader) or another business structure (e.g., a company or a partnership). Then, you must provide the caterer’s name and address.
Next, our template will ask for the client’s information. Specify whether the client is an individual or business and provide their name and address.
The billing section will outline whether billing is a flat or hourly fee. You may also specify the following:
- Whether payment includes Value Added Tax (VAT)
- Whether a deposit is required
- How long the client has to pay the invoice after it’s submitted
- Whether late payments will incur any interest
4. Cancellation terms
Outline if cancellation of the contract is permitted. If so, specify the time each party has to provide written notice. We recommend that most short-term contracts require seven days' notice, and long-term contracts require 15-30 days' notice. However, this is at the discretion of the parties.
5. Intellectual property and confidentiality terms
We include an option to address intellectual property rights. If a caterer creates new and specific recipes for a client, the contract should clarify who retains ownership of that intellectual property.
Also, you can specify whether the parties have a duty towards each other not to reveal any confidential information.
A confidentiality clause ensures that both parties retain confidential, private, or sensitive information. For example, caterers may hear private information if they provide lunch for a client’s important business meeting. A confidentiality clause prevents the caterer from disclosing the client’s information.