Banquet & catering terms, plain English.

Banquet Event Order (BEO)

A single-page document that tells the kitchen, bar and floor team exactly what an event needs: timing, headcount, menu, room setup, dietary notes, staffing and any special requests. The BEO is the operational source of truth — once an event is confirmed, the BEO is what every staffer references on the night.

Example: A BEO for a 90-guest cocktail gala lists 4:00 PM setup, 6:00 PM service start, buffet menu B, premium bar, 2 vegan + 1 GF dietary notes, captain D. Naidoo.

Function sheet

Identical concept to a Banquet Event Order. "Function sheet" is the term you'll hear in UK, European, South African and Australian venues. North American venues tend to say BEO. Both are the printable one-pager kitchen and floor staff work from.

Run sheet

A minute-by-minute timeline of the event — usually narrower in scope than a BEO. Where the BEO covers menu, headcount and setup, the run sheet focuses on timing: "6:00 PM doors open, 6:30 PM first speech, 7:00 PM dinner served, 9:00 PM cake cut." Often a tab inside the BEO rather than a separate document.

Vendor list

The list of external vendors the client has booked alongside the venue's services — florist, photographer, DJ, cake supplier, transportation, decorator. Captured on the BEO so house staff know who's loading in when, where each vendor sets up, and who to call if a vendor goes missing.

Proposal

A non-binding document sent to a prospective client showing what the event would cost — menu, packages, headcount, rentals, taxes, terms. The proposal is what wins the booking; the contract turns it into a commitment. Most venues set a validity window (commonly 30 days).

Contract

The signed agreement between client and venue covering the accepted proposal — total cost, deposit schedule, cancellation policy, headcount-change rules, dietary disclosure, force-majeure terms. Usually generated from the proposal once both parties agree.

Invoice

The billing document — itemised charges, gratuity, taxes, payments received, balance due. Generated from the accepted proposal so figures match without re-typing. Most venues issue a deposit invoice up front and a final invoice after the event for any adjustments (extra guests, bar usage).

On-premise catering

Food and service delivered at the venue's own location — banquet halls, hotel ballrooms, restaurant private dining rooms. The venue controls the space, the kitchen and the staff. Pricing typically includes room rental.

Off-premise catering

Food prepared at the caterer's kitchen and transported to the client's location — corporate offices, private homes, outdoor venues. Adds logistics: transport, on-site equipment (chafing dishes, generators), and a more complex BEO with load-in/load-out timing.

Floor plan

A scale diagram of how the room is set up for an event — table positions, dance floor, stage, bar, registration desk, entrance/exit paths. Drives capacity calculations and is referenced on the BEO so setup crew knows exactly where everything goes.

Capacity

The maximum number of guests a room can safely and comfortably hold for a given setup style — usually quoted three ways: standing reception capacity, banquet (seated rounds) capacity, and theatre/lecture capacity. Capped by local fire code; the same room may seat 120 at rounds but hold 200 standing.

Headcount

How many people the event is expected to serve. Distinct from the final guarantee: the headcount is the working estimate during planning; the guarantee is the locked number used for billing and prep.

Final guarantee

The final guest count the client commits to in writing — usually due 72 hours before the event. The client is billed for the guarantee even if fewer guests show up; the kitchen prepares for the guarantee plus a small buffer (commonly 5%).

Menu tasting

A scheduled pre-event meal where the client samples the proposed menu and finalizes choices. Often included free for higher-value bookings (commonly weddings over 100 guests, contracts over a set total) and charged per-person for smaller events.

Dietary requirements

Per-guest food restrictions captured during the planning phase — vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, kosher, halal, plus allergies (nuts, shellfish, dairy). Logged on the BEO and broken down by count so the kitchen plates accurately. Modern BEOs separate "preferences" from "medically critical" allergies.

Bar package

A flat-priced beverage bundle billed per guest or per hour — typical tiers are beer + wine, house bar, premium bar, top-shelf. Simpler than consumption billing; protects the client from a runaway bar tab and gives the venue a known number for staffing and inventory.

Plated service

A meal where each guest is served a pre-chosen course at the table. Requires advance menu selection (usually 2–3 options per course collected from the guest list), more servers, and tighter timing. Higher labour cost than buffet; perceived as more formal.

Buffet service

Self-serve from a line of dishes laid out at one or more service tables. Lower labour cost per guest, more flexible for dietary preferences, and typically priced lower than plated. Common for galas, weddings of 100+, and corporate luncheons.

Stations

A buffet-style format where food is prepared or finished in front of guests at distinct stations — pasta, carving, sushi, dessert. More social and theatrical than a plain buffet; higher labour cost (one chef per station) but commands higher per-guest pricing.

Passed hors d'oeuvres

Small bite-sized appetizers carried through the crowd on trays by servers, rather than set out on a station. Quoted in pieces-per-person (typical: 4–6 pieces for a cocktail hour). Higher labour than stationary stations but considered more upscale.

Cocktail reception

A standing-room mingling period — typically 45–90 minutes — before a seated dinner. Usually includes a bar, passed hors d'oeuvres, and sometimes a small station. Distinct from "cocktail-style event," which means the whole event is standing/lounging without a sit-down dinner.

Deposit

An advance payment that confirms the booking and reserves the date. Typical structure: 25%–30% non-refundable at signing, balance due 7–14 days before the event. Tracking deposits (sent → received → cleared) is the single most-missed admin task in venue operations.

F&B minimum

The minimum spend on food and drink the client must commit to in order to book a space — separate from room rental. Used by venues to make smaller bookings still worth the staffing cost. Example: "Saturday evening Grand Hall: $8,000 F&B minimum."

Bar minimum

The minimum bar spend the client must hit, sometimes separate from the F&B minimum and sometimes bundled into it. Common when the venue provides bar staff and inventory — without a minimum, a dry crowd makes the bar staffing unprofitable.

Room rental

A flat charge for use of the space, separate from food and beverage. Some venues waive or reduce it once the F&B minimum is met. Tax treatment varies — room rental is often taxed differently than F&B in some jurisdictions.

Setup fee

A one-time charge covering pre-event labour: assembling tables, dressing linens, placing chairs, AV setup, signage. Sometimes itemized separately on the invoice, sometimes bundled into the service charge — depends on the venue's pricing model.

Corkage fee

A per-bottle charge for opening and serving wine the client brings in, rather than buying from the venue's list. Typical range: $15–40 per bottle. Some venues prohibit BYO entirely; some negotiate corkage as part of bigger packages.

Cake cutting fee

A per-person charge (typically $1–4) for cutting, plating and serving a wedding or celebration cake the client supplied from an outside baker. Covers labour and plating-ware. Most venues waive it when the cake comes from their own kitchen.

Damage deposit

A refundable amount held by the venue against post-event damage to the space, linens or equipment — common for high-energy events (weddings, milestone parties) and outside-vendor-heavy events. Refunded after a post-event walk-through if no damage is found.

Service charge

A percentage added to the food-and-beverage subtotal (typically 18%–22%) that the venue keeps to cover service overhead — staff wages, setup, cleanup, breakage. Distinct from gratuity. Service charges are usually taxable; gratuity usually isn't.

Gratuity

An optional or mandatory amount added to the bill that goes directly to the service team. Some venues combine "service charge + gratuity" into one line; others itemise them separately. Tax treatment varies by jurisdiction — always check before quoting.

Cancellation policy

The schedule of forfeits for cancelling — typically tiered by how many days out: e.g. 25% of total kept beyond 90 days, 50% inside 90 days, 100% inside 30 days. Captured on the contract; force majeure (see below) often carves out exceptions.

Force majeure

A contract clause that suspends both parties' obligations during events neither could foresee or control — natural disasters, government shutdowns, pandemics. Defines whether deposits are refunded, postponed, or held. Worth keeping crystal clear after 2020.

Room hold

A non-binding reservation of a date and room while the client decides. The venue typically gives the client a window (24–72 hours) to confirm before releasing the hold. First-right-of-refusal language is sometimes added: if another client wants the date, the holder gets a short window to confirm or release.

Banquet captain

The senior front-of-house staff member running the event on the night. The captain owns the BEO execution: briefing servers, managing timing, talking to the client lead, escalating issues. Every event needs one named captain on the BEO.

Server ratio

How many servers per guest a venue staffs by service style. Common ratios: 1 server per 12–16 guests for plated; 1 per 25–35 for buffet; 1 per 40 for cocktail. Ratio directly drives labour cost — captured on the BEO so the captain knows who's working.

Point of contact (POC)

The single person each side designates to handle questions and decisions during the event — one named lead from the client, one from the venue. Avoids the chaos of multiple people giving conflicting instructions. Captured by name and phone on the BEO.

AV (Audiovisual)

Microphones, speakers, projectors, screens, lighting boards, livestream rigs — anything technical the event needs beyond the basic room. Either provided by the venue (often at extra cost) or brought by an outside AV vendor (captured on the vendor list).

Linens

Tablecloths, napkins, runners, chair covers, skirting. Most venues include a basic colour as standard and charge for upgrades (specialty colours, premium fabrics). Linen rental from outside vendors is common for design-heavy weddings.

Strike

The post-event cleanup: removing linens, breaking down tables, returning rentals, resetting the room for the next booking. Always budget time for it — back-to-back bookings without enough strike window are the most common cause of late starts.