Catering Cancellation Policy

A cancellation policy is what stops a single client decision from costing the coffee cart a Saturday in October that could have been booked at $2,500. Without a clear tiered policy, a cancellation 14 days out feels like a refund obligation to the client and a full loss to the operator. With one, both sides know exactly where they stand.

It also protects the relationship. Operators who try to keep the entire deposit for a 90-day-out cancellation often end up in chargeback disputes, lost referrals, and bad reviews. A graduated policy is fair, defensible, and significantly easier to enforce, both informally and in small claims if it ever gets that far.

A common coffee cart tiered policy: 60+ days from event = full refund of deposit minus a $50 to $150 administrative fee. 30 to 60 days out = 50 percent refund of deposit. 14 to 30 days out = no refund of deposit, but credit toward a rescheduled event within 12 months. Inside 14 days = no refund and no credit, plus the balance becomes due if a contract was countersigned (some operators waive the balance as a goodwill gesture).

Reschedule clauses pair well with cancellation clauses. A standard line: "Client may reschedule once at no penalty if requested 30+ days before the event, subject to operator availability. Reschedules requested inside 30 days are treated as a cancellation followed by a new booking." That clause alone reduces hard cancellations by a noticeable margin.