How to Review a Catering Contract: A Clause-by-Clause Checklist

How to review a catering contract before you sign Most catering disputes come down to four questions the contract should answer without argument: how many guests are you paying for, what is on the menu and at what price, what happens to the money if the event changes, and who carries the risk if food goes wrong. Read the contract with those four in hand and the weak clauses stand out quickly. Work through the checklist below clause by clause. Whether you are the host or the caterer, the test for each clause is the same: is the rule clear enough that a dispute could be settled by reading it? This is general information, not legal advice; for a large or high-value booking, have a lawyer check the final draft. ## The clause-by-clause checklist ### 1. The event and the guaranteed count

• Are the date, service times and venue exact? Is there a guaranteed guest count and a clear date it is locked?
• Red flag (host): a high guaranteed count you may not reach. Red flag (caterer): no cut-off date, so a last-minute drop leaves you with food already bought and no cover. ### 2. Menu and service
• Is the full menu in a schedule, with courses, items, dietary options and service style? Are staff numbers and hours stated?
• Red flag: a one-line menu with no schedule, so the host expected dishes the caterer never priced. ### 3. Price and what it includes
• Is the price basis clear (per plate or fixed fee), is GST stated, and are service charges, staff, equipment, taxes and gratuities spelled out?
• Red flag: a headline per-plate price that excludes service, staff and equipment, so the final invoice is far higher than expected. ### 4. Extra guests and overtime
• Is there a stated rate for guests above the guarantee and for service beyond the agreed hours?
• Red flag: open-ended charges for extra guests or overtime that were not flagged up front. ### 5. Deposit and payment
• Are the deposit and balance amounts and dates clear? Is any deposit refundable, and on what terms?
• Red flag (host): a large non-refundable deposit with no matching commitment. Red flag (caterer): the balance due only after the event. ### 6. Food safety and FSSAI
• Does the caterer hold a valid FSSAI licence, and does the contract require compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 across preparation, storage, transport and service? Are notified allergies and dietary needs recorded?
• Red flag: no mention of food safety or licensing, and no record of the allergen requirements the host raised. ### 7. Cancellation and postponement
• Is there a fair sliding scale of cancellation charges, and a separate postponement option?
• Red flag: a flat 100% charge regardless of notice, or a term letting the caterer cancel and keep the deposit with no consequence. ### 8. Force majeure
• Does it cover natural disaster, government order and epidemic, and say what happens to sums already paid?
• Red flag: no force majeure clause, or one that protects only the caterer. ### 9. Liability, indemnity and insurance
• Is the caterer responsible for food safety, does it indemnify the host for food-borne illness from its food, and does it hold public and product liability insurance?
• Red flag (host): the caterer excludes liability for the safety of its own food. Red flag (caterer): uncapped liability for everything, including matters outside its control. ### 10. Leftovers, waste and permits
• Is ownership of leftover food, waste removal and any venue or liquor permission addressed?
• Red flag: silence, so these become an argument on the day. ### 11. Substitution and quality
• Can the caterer substitute menu items, and must substitutes be of equal quality? Is there a remedy if quality falls short?
• Red flag (host): an unrestricted right to substitute cheaper items without notice. ### 12. Service charge, taxes and gratuity
• Are service charge, GST and any gratuity shown separately from the food price, and is it clear whether service charge is optional?
• Red flag: a compulsory service charge buried in the total, or tax quoted as "extra" without a figure, so the final bill is well above the quote. ### 13. Governing law and disputes
• Is the governing law stated and the forum fair and convenient?
• Red flag: an inconvenient exclusive forum that makes a modest claim uneconomic. ## Read it in this order Do not review a catering contract top to bottom. Start with the guaranteed count and the price (clauses 1 and 3), because together they decide the bill. Then read cancellation, postponement and force majeure together (7 and 8), because they decide what happens to the money if the event changes. Then check food safety and liability (6 and 9), because they decide who carries the risk if food goes wrong. Reviewing in that order keeps your attention on the clauses that move money and manage real risk. ## A quick note on the law A catering contract is a services contract governed in India by the Indian Contract Act, 1872, with food safety under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and FSSAI licensing, GST on the services, and consumer-protection rules where the host is a consumer. These rules differ by jurisdiction, so for the UK, Ireland, Singapore, Australia or the US, check local food-safety and consumer rules. This is not legal advice. ## Where a contract workspace helps Reviewing one catering contract by hand is manageable. The strain shows across many bookings: catching the per-plate price that hides the real cost, applying a consistent cancellation ladder, confirming the caterer's FSSAI licence and insurance are current, and tracking deposits and final-count cut-offs for every event at once. Reviewing a catering contract clause by clause, catching the per-plate price that hides the real cost and the one-sided cancellation terms, and tracking deposits, guaranteed-count cut-offs and licence renewals across many bookings can sit in one AI workspace tuned to how your company runs its events, rather than event by event. Adira is one such workspace. This checklist is enough to review one contract well; a workspace is what applies the same discipline across every booking.