Ask about a catering budget without quoting a package

The decision this workflow supports

A budget helps staff understand an organizer’s expectations, but an intake conversation is not a quotation. Clarify whether the number means a total allowance or a per-person target so the manager does not interpret it incorrectly.

Put the review process in place

Ask whether the organizer wants to share a range and what it is intended to cover. Preserve the wording and any uncertainty. Do not reverse-engineer a menu from the amount or promise that a particular package will fit before staff review.

Worked example for your team

A fictional organizer mentions a budget of eight hundred without saying whether that is the whole event or a per-person figure. The assistant should clarify the meaning before adding it to the note. The amount is a planning example, not a suggested restaurant price. If the organizer says it must include several services, record those expectations for the manager. Review the summary for any phrase suggesting the restaurant can meet the amount. A useful budget field helps staff ask better questions; it does not establish a package or an agreed total.

Sample wording to approve

“If you have a planning budget, I can include it for the catering team. Is that a total range or a per-person target, and are you expecting it to cover anything beyond food?” This wording is a draft for the restaurant owner to approve before use.

Fields for the staff handoff

Staff need budget type, optional range, intended inclusions, guest estimate, and manager quotation task. Mark uncertain details explicitly and keep the requested action separate from anything restaurant staff have already confirmed.

Acceptance tests before use

A total budget is not shown as per-person. Declining to share a budget does not block the inquiry. No amount is converted into a binding quote. Record the observed result, assign any mismatch, and repeat the affected scenario after correction.

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