Sample catering agreement

The event

• DateFriday, November 27, 2026
• Guests110
• LocationPecan Hollow Ranch, Bastrop

What is being provided

• 110 × Brisket plate — brisket, two sides, pickles @ $18.00$1,980.00
• 24 × Smoked jackfruit tacos (vegetarian) @ $15.00$360.00
• 3 × Server, 5 hours @ $45.00$135.00
• 1 × Travel & setup — Bastrop @ $150.00$150.00
• Booking fee$9.95
• Total$2,634.95
• Deposit to hold the date$878.32

Terms

1. Deposit and payment

   A deposit of one third of the total shown above holds the date, and the date is not held until it has been received. It may be paid by card from the booking link: the payment is made to Smoke & Signal directly, settles in Smoke & Signal's own account, and the booking fee itemised above is deducted there as CraveZee's charge for arranging the booking. The balance is due on the day, to Smoke & Signal, unless both parties agree otherwise in writing. CraveZee produces this document and keeps the message record, holds no money for either party, and is not a party to this agreement.

2. Cancellation and postponement

   Cancelled by the client more than 14 days before the event, Smoke & Signal returns the deposit in full; between 14 and 7 days the deposit is retained; inside 7 days the full balance remains payable, as food and staff are committed by then. If Smoke & Signal cannot attend, everything paid is returned in full. Any return is made by Smoke & Signal from the account the deposit was paid into, and CraveZee neither makes that decision nor holds the money to act on it. A postponement agreed in writing is not a cancellation and the deposit carries to the new date.

3. Final numbers and the minimum charge

   Final guest numbers must be confirmed in writing at least 7 days before the event. Smoke & Signal caters and charges for the confirmed number, which is the minimum charged even if fewer guests attend. Later increases depend on what can still be bought and prepared, and are charged at the same rate per head.

4. Menu changes and supplier substitutions

   The menu is as itemised above. Where a supplier falls short Smoke & Signal may substitute an item of equivalent quality and quantity, and will raise any substitution affecting an allergen or a stated dietary requirement before service. Changes the client asks for depend on availability and may change the price.

5. Allergens, diets and food after service

   Allergen and dietary requirements must be given in writing by the final-numbers deadline. Smoke & Signal cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment: a mobile kitchen is one small space and cross-contact cannot be ruled out. Food left at the end of service becomes the client's responsibility when it is handed over; it has been out of temperature control, and Smoke & Signal is not responsible for anything eaten after service ends.

6. Arrival, setup and the service window

   The service window is as stated in the quote. Smoke & Signal needs the pitch at least 90 minutes before service starts, to position and level the vehicle and bring the kitchen to temperature, and about 45 minutes afterwards to pack down; neither is part of the window. Access delayed by the venue or the client delays the start by the same amount.

7. Running over

   Service beyond the agreed window is charged at the overtime rate on the quote, in blocks of 30 minutes, and depends on food and staff still being available — a kitchen that has cooked for the confirmed number cannot serve past it.

8. Site access and vehicle size

   Getting the vehicle onto the site is the client's responsibility. Smoke & Signal confirms its length, width, height and weight in writing beforehand, and the client checks gateways, archways, height barriers, gradients and turning space against those figures. A site the vehicle cannot reach is treated as a cancellation on the day it is discovered.

9. Ground, levelling and surface protection

   The pitch must be firm, reasonably level, and reachable without crossing soft ground; Smoke & Signal carries ramps for ordinary variation, not for a slope or a waterlogged field. Where a surface needs protecting the client arranges matting or trackway, and Smoke & Signal is not responsible for marks or ruts where it parked as directed.

10. Power and water

    The quote states whether Smoke & Signal runs from its own generator or needs a site supply, and where a supply is needed it states the draw in amps and the connection required. The client is responsible for having it live at the pitch and within reach of a standard lead; one that is absent, shared or trips repeatedly will delay or reduce service. Smoke & Signal carries its own water unless the quote says otherwise, and the client provides drinking water for a refill on a long event.

11. Parking, pitch fees and site charges

    Parking, pitch fees, entry charges, road or clean-air charges and any levy the venue makes for trading on its land are the client's responsibility, and are not included unless listed above. One Smoke & Signal has to pay on the day to get on site is added to the balance at cost, with the receipt.

12. Permits, licences and permission to be there

    The client obtains the venue's permission for a catering vehicle to trade on the site, and any permit the site or the event requires. Smoke & Signal holds its own food business registration and the certificates its trade requires, and supplies copies on request. An event refused permission is treated as a cancellation on the date the refusal arrives.

13. Weather and events beyond control

    Mobile catering happens outdoors. Where severe weather or another event beyond reasonable control makes service unsafe or impossible, both parties will work in good faith to reschedule and the deposit carries to the new date; costs already committed may not be recoverable. Ordinary bad weather is not grounds for cancellation, and the client provides shelter for the queue and serving area where the event needs it.

14. Insurance

    Smoke & Signal holds public liability insurance and supplies a certificate on request; venues normally ask for one. Insuring the event itself, its guests and anything else on the site is the client's responsibility, and neither party's insurance covers the other's obligations.

15. Waste, grease and leaving the site

    Smoke & Signal takes its own kitchen waste, packaging and used cooking oil away with it. Waste made by guests is the client's responsibility unless it is listed above. Grease and waste water are never put on the ground or into a site drain; where the venue has its own rule on disposal, the client says so before the day.

16. The written record

    The messages exchanged through this booking form part of this agreement, and are the reference for anything discussed but not written into the clauses above. Anything agreed after this document is signed belongs in that thread — or, where it changes these terms, in a re-issued agreement that both parties sign again.

5 messages were exchanged between the parties through CraveZee before this agreement, and remain on record. They form part of what was agreed.

Signatures