That matters now, at the end of the UK summer wedding rush. School holidays and festival trading can make weekends valuable, while couples may still be filling gaps in their plans at short notice. Take the booking only if the numbers work better than your usual pitch.
Start with a minimum booking value
Set a minimum spend before sending a price. This protects you when a wedding has a small guest list but still requires a full day’s operation.
Your minimum should reflect:
- Prep and packing time
- Travel and vehicle costs
- Setup and breakdown
- Staff wages and employer costs
- Ingredients and packaging
- Gas, power, water and cleaning
- Admin, insurance and payment fees
- The trading income you are giving up
An illustrative quote might look like this:
- Food: £14 per guest for 70 guests = £980
- Two staff for service, setup and breakdown = £360
- Travel and vehicle charge = £90
- Equipment, fuel and disposables = £120
- Admin and contingency = £100
- Total before profit: £1,650
A 10% margin on top would make the quote £1,815, or roughly £26 per guest. The exact figures are yours to calculate; the point is that a “£14 per head” quote is not a £980 job once the truck leaves its normal pitch.
Quote the service window, not just the meal
Wedding days rarely run to a neat lunch or dinner slot. Ask for:
- Arrival and access time
- Guest service time
- Whether food is served in one rush or over several hours
- Breakdown deadline
- Parking distance from the service area
- Whether the venue provides power, water, shelter or tables
- Who handles rubbish and leftover food
Charge for extended availability. A truck that must remain ready from 4pm until 10pm is not doing the same job as one serving 80 meals in a 45-minute window.
Include a clear service limit in the quote, such as one main service window plus a defined dessert or evening-food option. Extra hours should have an hourly rate rather than being absorbed into goodwill.
Use packages to control complexity
Offer two or three menus, not an open-ended customisation exercise.
For example:
- Core package: one main, one side and a defined dietary alternative
- Choice package: two mains, with guest selections confirmed in advance
- Extended package: canapés, dessert or late-night food at an additional charge
Every extra choice creates more prep, slower service and more waste. If guests choose on the night, price for the operational cost—not just the additional ingredients.
Allergen information also needs managing properly. The Food Standards Agency guidance sets out responsibilities for food businesses. Ask the couple for dietary requirements by a fixed date, record them, and state how substitutions or late requests will be handled.
Protect the quote from late changes
Your written quote should state:
- Deposit or booking payment required to secure the date
- Final guest-count deadline
- Price basis and what happens if numbers fall
- Overtime and additional-service charges
- Travel, parking and access assumptions
- Weather plan for outdoor service
- Cancellation and postponement terms
- VAT treatment, if applicable
Do not promise that a lower guest count automatically means a lower total. Your fixed costs remain. A sensible structure is a minimum charge, with the final balance adjusted upwards if numbers increase.
Two actions to take this week
- Build a wedding costing sheet with separate lines for labour, travel, prep, service time and lost trading capacity. Do not send another quote from memory.
- Rewrite your enquiry form to capture guest numbers, service window, venue access, power, weather cover and dietary requirements before discussing price.
A wedding booking can be excellent revenue—but only when it is priced as a mobile catering operation, not as a pile of ingredients.