This is a free BBQ catering quote template with the cookout itemized the way pitmasters price it: per guest, with the proteins tiered, because pulled pork and brisket are different numbers wearing the same smoke. On-site pit service has its own section, the carving station has its own attendant, and the cleanup line exists because BBQ generates evidence. Load it in the builder, set the headcount, and price the rest.
BBQ quotes fail on the meat math. A flat per-person price built on pulled pork gets renegotiated by reality the moment the client upgrades to brisket and ribs, which cost more per pound, yield less per pound, and smoke longer per pound. Tiered menu lines keep the upgrade a visible price move instead of a margin donation, and the on-site cooking section prices the show, the pit, the pitmaster, the live fire, separately from the food, because the show is half of why they called you.
Every section below loads into the builder exactly as listed. This is the actual checklist, not a preview of one. Delete what your job doesn’t need and price the rest.
Per-guest lines with the proteins tiered: pulled pork, brisket and premium meats, chicken and ribs, plus sides, desserts, and the vegetarian mains that keep the whole office invited.
Priced per person. Premium meats carry their own lines.
The pit or smoker on site, the pitmaster by the hour, and the live-fire setup and fuel: the show, priced separately from the food.
Servers priced people-times-hours and the carving-station attendant, because brisket unsupervised is a liability.
Unit: hour. Quantity = staff count, multiplier = hours.
Delivery and travel, chafing and serviceware, the cleanup and haul-off that BBQ always earns, and staff gratuity as its own line.
Open it in the builder and the cookout is already structured: menu tiers per guest, on-site cooking, staffing, logistics. Delete what this event doesn't need. A drop-off pan order for forty is three lines and back to the smoker.
Set the guest count and your per-guest rates by tier; the pit service and staffing price alongside. The P&L updates while you type, so the brisket upgrade carries its real cost instead of your margin.
Export a clean client quote: menu, headcount, prices, one total. It's generated from a copy that never held your costs, margins, or internal notes, so there is nothing in the file to scrub and nothing for a curious client to find.
The full guide (units, tax math, deposits, exports) lives on the Help page. It’s genuinely thorough. We’re as surprised as you.
Four sections: menu and food per guest with the proteins tiered (pulled pork, brisket and premium meats, chicken and ribs, sides, desserts, vegetarian mains), on-site cooking (the pit or smoker, the pitmaster by the hour, live-fire setup and fuel), staffing priced people-times-hours, and service and logistics ending with cleanup and a visible staff gratuity line. The tiers exist because brisket is not pulled pork, financially speaking.
Most BBQ catering lands between $25 and $45 per guest. Basic packages with one protein and two sides run $14 to $22 per person, drop-off service $28 to $40, staffed buffets $35 to $55, and on-site pit service $50 to $75 and up. Premium meats like brisket and ribs typically add a couple of dollars per person or more. Headcount, protein tier, and whether the smoker comes to the party drive the number.
Clients use both, so the document answers to both. Structurally they're the same paper: per-guest menu lines, the pit service, staffing, terms. What matters is saying whether the number is firm or moves with the final headcount, which belongs in the terms either way. This template exports cleanly under either word, and the headcount-deadline line settles the only argument the word choice was hiding.
Yes, with no trial clock. The builder runs without an account, and the free plan includes every export: client PDF, Excel, CSV, an internal budget export, and a read-only share link that carries a client-safe copy inside the link itself. A free account adds one cloud-saved estimate. Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription: your branding on client exports, no Estimatery footer, unlimited cloud saves, and a Saved Items catalog for the packages you quote all summer.
Event packages with minimum guarantees and service windows.
Boxed lunches through plated dinners, delivery to staffed.
Per-guest menu, bar, staffing, rentals, and logistics.