Events template
A board for running one catering job: enquiry and a written quote, menu and a headcount cut-off, ordering and a prep schedule counted back from service time, then equipment, transport, the service day itself and the follow-up.
No account and no email needed. Opens in Excel or Google Sheets.
Fourteen tasks across six stages, each with a completion criterion and its own checklist, plus a suggested day. The prep schedule counts backwards from service time rather than forwards from today, which is how the timings actually have to work.
A catering job goes wrong in the week before it, not on the day. The headcount keeps moving, the quote was a number in a message thread, the prep plan lives in someone's head, and the thing that gets forgotten is always loaded last — or not at all.
What that looks like
A caterer running a catering job, rather than the client hosting the event.
Group is the stage of the job: gate and enquiry, menu and dietary needs, ordering and prep, equipment and transport, service day, close and follow-up. Status and priority already use the product's own fixed values, so they map without edits.
Download the CSV
It opens in Excel or Google Sheets. Edit the tasks first if you like, or import it as it is.
Create a board in TaskSiddhi
Give it a name, such as the week, the project or the client.
Open the spreadsheet import
Upload the CSV. Columns are matched automatically; map Group, Done when and Checklist to a text column or to custom fields.
Preview, then import
Check the rows before anything is written, then import.
Make it yours
Copy the board once per job. Set the service date first, then work the suggested days backwards from it rather than forwards from today.
All fourteen tasks, with their completion criteria and checklists. Owner and due date are left blank on purpose.
14 tasks in 6 groups, 51 checklist items
Check that the product owner's decision record names the approved warning and controls for guests' dietary, contact and payment details. This task does not replace that approval.
Done when
A product-owned decision record identifies the approved warning and controls; this task does not substitute for that approval.
Checklist0 of 3 ticked
Record what the client wants, using ranges where they are unsure, and the date by which they need a quote, under a job reference. Discuss budget in the quoting system and record only its reference.
Done when
An enquiry record under a job reference holds the service date, headcount range, venue type, service style, quote-by date and the quoting-system reference for the budget discussion, with no amounts or personal details.
Checklist0 of 5 ticked
Send the quote from your quoting system, stating inclusions, exclusions, the validity period and what happens if the headcount changes; amounts stay in that system, not on the board.
Done when
The quote reference is recorded, the quote states inclusions, exclusions, validity and the effect of a headcount change, and the client's reply is logged; no amounts are on the board.
Checklist0 of 4 ticked
Use the caterer's current approved terms for the location and job, covering deposit, cancellation and the headcount cut-off; take qualified advice when establishing or changing them. Record the client's acceptance and the terms version by reference.
Done when
The terms version in use is recorded by reference, the client's written acceptance is recorded by reference before any ordering begins, and qualified advice was taken whenever the terms were established or changed.
Checklist0 of 3 ticked
Ask the client for dietary and allergy requirements and record them only in the caterer's approved system, noting on the board just that the step is complete and who holds the information.
Done when
Requirements are recorded in the caterer's approved system, and the board shows only that the step is complete and the role that holds the information.
Checklist0 of 3 ticked
Agree the menu in writing, state the date after which the headcount cannot change, and say what happens to costs if numbers change after it.
Done when
The client has confirmed the menu in writing, and the headcount cut-off date and its cost effect are agreed and recorded by reference.
Checklist0 of 3 ticked
Name the role responsible for allergen information, have that person check every dish against the approved system, and record only that the check is done and by which role.
Done when
A responsible role is named and each dish has been checked in the approved system; any change to a dish, ingredient or supplier triggers a recheck there before service; the board records only completion and the role, and the template states no allergen rules.
Checklist0 of 4 ticked
Work out quantities from the confirmed menu version and the current headcount estimate, list each supplier and delivery date, then reconcile quantities against the final headcount after the cut-off before the order is marked final.
Done when
A provisional order is linked to the confirmed menu version and current headcount estimate with suppliers and delivery dates recorded; after the agreed cut-off, quantities are reconciled against the final headcount and supplier changes confirmed before the order is marked final.
Checklist0 of 4 ticked
List each prep task with an owner role and a start time counted back from the service time, allowing time for holding and travel.
Done when
Each prep task has an owner role and a start time counted back from the service time, including holding and travel allowances.
Checklist0 of 4 ticked
Ask the responsible person to confirm storage, holding and handling arrangements for this job under the caterer's approved procedures and local requirements; this template states no food-safety rules.
Done when
The responsible person has confirmed in writing that storage, holding and handling arrangements for this job follow the caterer's approved procedures and local requirements.
Checklist0 of 3 ticked
List equipment, serving ware and disposables needed for the headcount, pack against the list, and count each category as it is loaded.
Done when
Required and loaded counts are recorded by category, and each shortfall is resolved or assigned an approved substitute before departure.
Checklist0 of 3 ticked
Plan loading order, travel time, arrival time and where to unload, and record which role at the venue confirms access; keep phone numbers and codes out of the board.
Done when
Loading order, travel time, arrival time and unloading point are planned, the venue role has confirmed access, and no phone numbers or codes are on the board.
Checklist0 of 5 ticked
Work from a timeline of setup, service and pack-down with an owner role for each item, and log each issue by a short reference with its owner and outcome rather than describing guests.
Done when
Each timeline item is marked done or carried over, and each issue has a reference, owner role and outcome, with no guest details.
Checklist0 of 3 ticked
Count equipment back against the packing list and record losses or breakages, note that the final invoice and feedback request have gone out by reference, and record one change for the next quote or prep plan.
Done when
Returned counts are recorded against the packing list with any loss or breakage, the final invoice and feedback request are recorded as sent by reference, and at least one change for next time is recorded or a no-change reason is given.
Checklist0 of 4 ticked
Open a task to see what counts as finished and its checklist. Ticks here are just to try it out and are not saved.
The same rows as a CSV. Columns in the file: Task, Group, Status, Priority, Owner, Due date, Suggested day, Done when, Checklist, Notes.
Download catering job (CSV)The measured demand behind this template, and what it does not prove. We publish it so the page cannot be mistaken for a forecast.
| Keyword | India | US | UK | UAE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| catering checklist(target) | 20 | 110 | 10 | 10 |
Mixed. The term draws people hosting an event and ordering catering as well as caterers running the job; this template is written for the caterer. Because the mix is unverified, no traffic claim is made.
What we hold this page to
Thin or mismatched demand — no traffic expectation
Not checked for this template.
For the caterer running the job. If you are hosting an event and ordering catering in, the stages here — prep schedules, transport checks, service-day timings — are the supplier's side of the work rather than yours.
No. The board records that the responsible person has confirmed food handling for the job, but the requirements themselves come from your local rules and your own qualified judgement, not from a task template.
In your own approved system, alongside the guest and payment details. The board should carry the task and the check that it was done, not the individual requirements, which identify people.
Because service time is the only fixed point. Scheduling forwards from today produces a plan that looks fine and arrives late; counting back from service tells you when each item actually has to start.
Copy the board per job so each has its own timings and checks. If you want an overview across jobs, filter or group by owner and date rather than merging them into one board.
See boards and viewsImport the template, assign owners and see what is overdue at a glance. Free, with no paid plan.
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