What a catering event order contains
A catering event order brings together the current booking details for the people doing the work: the event, approved menu quantities, venue instructions, timings and responsibilities. You may also see it called a banquet event order, or BEO. Toast's BEO resource describes this type of event documentation.
This template focuses on the internal operational brief. Keep your customer-facing prices and commercial terms in the quote and your private costs in the costing worksheet. Share only the information each recipient needs.
For a new catering business, the useful question is whether the kitchen and delivery team can identify the same agreed plan and see which details remain unresolved.
Start from the current approved booking
Record the event reference, date and timezone, then the exact approved quote reference and revision. Give the paper event order its own copy revision and issue date so a revised working sheet can be identified. A paper-copy number does not replace the quote reference.
Copy the agreed service format, menu quantities and exclusions. Record a change request separately until a new quote revision is approved. Retain the earlier approval so you can see what changed and when.
Use the inquiry questionnaire to close information gaps. An inquiry, a downloaded form and a proposed menu are different stages from an approved booking.
Confirm the venue and each time separately
Record the complete address, access arrangements and any operational instructions your team needs. Keep a restricted office contact list for private customer and venue contact details. Resolve questions through the person responsible for the booking; do not turn a venue name into an assumed street address or access permission.
Identify each relevant time explicitly:
| Milestone | What it tells the team |
|---|---|
| Prep review | When the responsible person will review preparation and outstanding requirements. |
| Packing review | When food and equipment checks will be reviewed. |
| Departure | When the delivery team plans to leave, after reviewing its own route and readiness. |
| Venue access and arrival | When access is allowed and when the team plans to arrive. |
| Agreed drop-off or ready time | The separately agreed delivery or ready milestone. |
| Customer service time | When food service is intended to begin. |
| End, collection or handover | What is included after the main delivery or service, and who owns it. |
A service time does not establish a driving duration, departure time or access window. Use To confirm where an answer is missing, Proposed for a target awaiting review and Not included where the agreed scope excludes the work. If a task crosses midnight, write the date on that row as well.
The Western Australian Office of Multicultural Interests' event management guide illustrates run sheets with times, activities and responsible people, and recommends briefing the team on its duties. The timings below are our own fictional exercise, not a schedule from that source.
Write quantities and responsibilities people can use
Copy the approved quantity and unit or basis beside each menu line. State whether requested alternative meals are part of the total guest count, so they are not added twice. Review dietary and allergy questions with the responsible operator; a request label does not establish suitability.
Assign a person to each role before the real booking. A solo owner may hold several roles, but the work still needs a reviewed sequence. The template does not recommend staffing ratios, preparation durations, portion sizes or food-handling procedures.
Use the food-quantity calculator for a separate quantity plan based on your selected portions and allocations. Use the prep and packing checklist for detailed preparation, food packing and equipment packing records. The event order points to those records instead of treating a timeline target as a completed check.
Follow the fictional Cedar Room example
The filled document continues the Cedar Room training case in the first-booking teaching pack. Practice Catering and every event detail, date and decision are invented teaching material. The paper order label TRAIN-EO-2 is illustrative and is not an application-generated ID. This example has not been run in CaterScale.
| Detail | Current fictional position |
|---|---|
| Event | Cedar Room training lunch, November 16, 2026, America/Edmonton. |
| Earlier approved quote | CLASS-Q1, revision 1, approved October 26: 50 guests, including 48 standard lunches and 2 requested alternatives. |
| Current approved quote | CLASS-Q2, revision 2, approved October 29: 60 guests, including 57 standard lunches and 3 requested alternatives. |
| Agreed drop-off | 12:00. |
| Customer service time | 12:30. |
| Scope | Drop-off only. Setup, on-site service and collection are not included. |
| Still unresolved | Complete address, access instructions, venue contact, allergy information and operator review of requested alternatives. |
| Actual work records | No kitchen acknowledgment, preparation, packing or handover completion is recorded. |
The allocation is 57 + 3 = 60, with the three requested alternatives already inside the guest count. The example does not prescribe dishes, recipes or suitable replacements.
The worksheet adds two invented planning targets to illustrate the run sheet: a prep review at 10:30 and a packing review at 10:45 on November 16. These are proposed, not validated durations or completed actions. Departure and venue arrival remain To confirm because the address and access plan are unresolved. The example does not establish whether those targets leave enough time for a real job.
CLASS-Q2 becomes current only after its fictional approval. While it is awaiting a decision, CLASS-Q1 remains the approved version. A new guest count in a message does not silently replace the old working plan.
Fictional first-event timeline
Draft operational brief with unresolved details
Paper label TRAIN-EO-2 · Working copy 2 · November 16, 2026 · America/Edmonton
| Local time on November 16, 2026 | Task or milestone | Responsible role | Planning status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:30 | Review prep and outstanding requirements | Kitchen lead | Proposed target only |
| 10:45 | Review food and equipment packing | Packing lead | Proposed target only |
| To confirm | Departure from kitchen | Delivery lead | Route and travel plan not set |
| To confirm | Venue access and arrival | Delivery lead | Address and access pending |
| 12:00 | Agreed drop-off time | Delivery lead | Agreed in fictional scenario |
| 12:30 | Customer service time | Venue host | No catered on-site service included |
| Not included | Setup, staffed service and collection | Not assigned | Outside this training scope |
Manage your first booking in CaterScale
Add your own business and menu details, prepare customer quotes, collect customer approval and organise kitchen prep from the approved plan.
The event order is a separate manual resource. It does not import a BEO, build an event timeline in the app or create an account, menu or booking. Normal setup is required.
Brief the team and record actual work
Before the booking, confirm that each responsible person has the current reference, knows the relevant instructions and understands any unresolved issue. Check the date, timezone, quantities, exclusions and access details together. Keep private contacts, costs, margins, quote prices, payment information and private office notes out of the kitchen copy.
Record who read the current revision and when. Keep preparation checks, food and equipment packing checks and actual handover records separate. Acknowledging the brief does not show that the food is packed or the delivery has occurred. Record actual activity only after it happens.
If an unresolved detail changes the agreed scope or quantities, review the customer quote and approval before issuing instructions. Do not label a draft brief ready merely because its fields contain text.
Replace working copies after an approved change
Issue the new approved reference and copy revision, tell each affected role what changed and mark earlier paper copies Superseded. Retain them with their original records. Recheck quantities and timings, obtain fresh acknowledgment and start new prep and packing checks for the replacement plan.
CaterScale keeps approved quote revisions and organises kitchen prep from the approved plan. The manual files require you to distribute and replace copies yourself. They do not synchronise, withdraw old printouts or record acknowledgments in the app.
Questions about the event order template
Is an event order the same as a quote?
The quote describes the customer-facing offer and price. This event order focuses on operational instructions from the current approved booking. Use the separate quote template for the commercial details.
Can I use this as my first-event timeline?
Yes. Page two has space for local times, tasks, responsible roles and planning status. Supply and review your own dates and timings for the actual scope, venue and team.
What if I do not know the departure or arrival time?
Leave it To confirm and assign someone to resolve it. Service time alone does not establish the travel or access plan.
What should happen when the guest count changes?
Keep the request separate until the revised quote is approved. Then issue the replacement working copy, preserve the old approval and records, and obtain fresh acknowledgment and checks for the current plan.
Who should receive the event order?
Share the operational details each responsible role needs. Keep private customer contact, financial and office information in restricted office records rather than adding them to the kitchen copy.
Can I edit the PDF?
The PDF is a static printable copy, not a fillable form. Use the Word file to replace prompts and add reviewed detail, then check its layout in your editor before sharing or printing.
Will downloading start a trial or create an event?
No. The downloads are free without an account or email. The separate trial button opens CaterScale's signup flow, and business, menu and booking setup is still required.
Keep planning your first booking
Use the resources hub for the companion tools, or follow the new-business guide to prepare your first booking in CaterScale.
Manage your first booking in CaterScale
Add your own business and menu details, prepare customer quotes, collect customer approval and organise kitchen prep from the approved plan.
The event order is a separate manual resource. It does not import a BEO, build an event timeline in the app or create an account, menu or booking. Normal setup is required.