Worked example · brief FM-2026-0814
One brief. Three quotes. One table.
This is the product. Everything else on this site exists to make this table possible — and to make sure the differences in it are real differences rather than four caterers formatting a PDF four different ways.
The brief all three priced
- Occasion
- Wedding reception
- Date
- Saturday 12 September 2026
- Where
- Barn venue, Chew Valley, BS40
- Guests
- 120 adults, 8 children
- Service
- Hot buffet, seated, plus canapés on arrival
- Dietary
- 6 vegan, 4 gluten-free, 2 nut allergy
| Line item | Harbourside Kitchen | Copper & Coal | Two Fields Catering |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | |||
| Menu, per head | £4,620 £38.50 per head × 120 | £5,040 £42.00 per head × 120 | £4,320 £36.00 per head × 120 |
| Canapés on arrival | £1,140 £9.50 per head × 120 | Included Three canapés included in menu | £1,020 £8.50 per head × 120 |
| Children's meals | £144 £18.00 × 8 | £160 £20.00 × 8 | £128 £16.00 × 8 |
| Service | |||
| Service staff | £1,296 6 staff × 8 hrs | £1,160 5 staff × 8 hrs | £800 4 staff × 8 hrs |
| Chef time on site | £450 2 chefs, on site from 14:00 | Included Included in menu price | £300 1 chef, on site from 15:00 |
| Travel, set-up, clear-down | £85 12 miles, set-up and clear-down | £145 18 miles, set-up and clear-down | £220 22 miles, set-up and clear-down |
| Hire | |||
| Crockery, cutlery, glassware | £384 £3.20 per head | Included Included in menu price | £460 £3.83 per head |
| Linen | £160 12 tables plus top table | Included Included in menu price | £190 Hired in, 13 tables |
| Serving equipment | Included Included in menu price | £120 Chafers and carving station | £150 Chafers and urns |
| The bottom of the page | |||
| Subtotal, excluding VAT | £8,279 | £6,625 | £7,588 |
| VAT20% where the caterer is registered | £1,655.80 | £1,325 | Not registered |
| Total to pay | £9,934.80 | £7,950 | £7,588 |
Seeded sample corpus · not live trading. Three real caterers would price a real brief differently; the point of the table is the shape, not these particular numbers.
What the table shows
The headline rate told you nothing.
Ordered by per-head menu price, this brief runs Two Fields, Harbourside, Copper & Coal. Ordered by what you actually pay, it runs the other way round at the top. Total spread: £2,346.80, or £19.56 a head.
£42 a head is the highest menu rate in the table, and it carries canapés, chef time, crockery and linen inside it. Harbourside's £38.50 carries none of those: £544 of hire and £450 of chef time arrive on separate lines further down, where a PDF would have put them on page three.
Which is worth £1,517.60 on this brief and is the single largest reason they finish cheapest. It is also a fact about the business, not a discount — turnover under the threshold, and a reason to ask about capacity for 120 covers.
A 50% deposit that is non-refundable inside 28 days is a materially different commitment from a £500 deposit on a sliding scale from 60 days. On a date fifteen months out, that difference is worth more than the price gap.
The rest of the quote
Terms, side by side.
The half of a catering quote that nobody compares, because it usually arrives as a paragraph on page four.
| Terms | Harbourside Kitchen | Copper & Coal | Two Fields Catering |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deposit | 25% on booking | £500 on booking | 50% on booking |
| Balance due | 14 days before | 7 days before | On the day |
| Final numbers | Final numbers 14 days before | Final numbers 10 days before | Final numbers 21 days before |
| Cancellation | 50% chargeable inside 30 days | Sliding scale from 60 days | Deposit non-refundable inside 28 days |
| Dietary requirements | Priced in, no surcharge | Priced in, no surcharge | Priced in, no surcharge |
| Insurance | £5m public liability | £10m public liability | £5m public liability |
| VAT registered | Yes | Yes | No |