Banquet event order (BEO) template

A banquet event order, or BEO, is the working plan for one event. It tells every team what to do, when, and for how many people: the kitchen, the bar, the setup crew, the servers and the AV tech all work from the same page.

The sales or catering manager writes the BEO once the event is booked. The client reviews and signs it to confirm the details, and copies go to each department. If anything changes, the manager issues a new revision and the old copies go in the bin.

Hotels, event venues, banquet halls, country clubs and caterers all use BEOs. A multi-day conference usually gets one BEO per function, so the breakfast, the lunch and the evening reception each have their own.

• Header: your venue name, the BEO number, the revision number and the date it was prepared. The revision number tells staff which copy is current.
• Event details: event name and type, the date with the day of the week, the room, access time for setup, and start and end times.
• Guest counts: expected, guaranteed and the number of seats set. Many venues set a few extra seats above the guarantee.
• Client and on-site contact: who signs, who pays, and who your staff should find on the day.
• Timeline or run of show: every moment staff need to hit, from vendor load-in to last call.
• Food: each course with its time, quantity and service style (plated, buffet, stations or passed), plus allergies by table and seat.
• Beverage: the package, bar type (hosted, consumption or cash), bar hours and number of bartenders.
• Room setup: layout, table and chair counts, linens, decor, dance floor and stage. Attach a floor plan for anything unusual.
• AV and equipment, staffing, and outside vendors with arrival times and phone numbers.
• Billing: every line with quantity and unit price, then service charge, tax, deposit received and balance due.
• Terms and signatures: the guest count guarantee policy and a place for both sides to sign.

The three documents come in order. The proposal comes first and sells the event: what you offer, what it costs and why you are the right fit. The contract comes next and makes it binding: the date, fees, payment schedule, cancellation terms and liability.

The BEO comes last and is operational. It turns what was sold into instructions your team can follow. Many venues ask the client to sign the BEO to confirm the details, but it sits under the contract, not in place of it. If you need the earlier documents, use our free event proposal template and event contract template.

Most hotels and caterers ask for a final guaranteed count a few days before the event, often 72 hours or 3 business days. After that deadline, the count can go up but not down. The client pays for the guaranteed count or the number actually served, whichever is higher.

Put the deadline and this rule on the BEO itself, so there is no surprise on the final bill. The template includes a default guarantee policy in the Terms section that you can edit to match yours.

• Use clock times, not phrases like “after dinner”. Staff read the BEO on a clipboard in a loud room.
• List allergies by table and seat, so servers know which plate goes where.
• Bump the revision number on every change and collect the old copies.
• Send the BEO to the client early enough to review it before the final count is due.
• Walk through every BEO at a weekly meeting, so the kitchen, bar and setup crew can ask questions before the day.
• Keep one BEO per function. A breakfast and a dinner on the same day get two BEOs.