Banquet event order template for UK hotels, venues and caterers
A banquet event order is the single sheet the kitchen, the bar and the duty manager work from on the day. British hotels and conference venues have used them for decades, often still called function sheets. What has changed is the legal weight on two parts of it: allergen information, which the Food Standards Agency expects for every dish, and licensing hours, which decide when the bar closes. This template puts both where the team will see them.
Checked against HM Revenue & Customs guidance · last reviewed 2026-09-25
Free banquet event order template for United Kingdom
What a BEO is for, and who reads which part
The quote and invoice are for the client. The BEO is for your staff. It turns a signed booking into instructions: which room, what layout, what time each course leaves the pass, how many vegetarian mains, when the band loads in and who to call if the coach is late.
Different people read different blocks. The chef reads the menu, the numbers and the allergen grid. The bar manager reads the drinks package and the licensing times. The events coordinator reads the timeline and the contacts. The porters read the layout and the equipment list. Keep each block short and in the same place on every BEO, so people stop hunting.
The 14 allergens and dietary counts
For food that is not prepacked, the Food Standards Agency says you must be able to give allergen information for every item containing any of the 14 allergens: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, and tree nuts. You can give it in writing or verbally, but if verbally you need a written notice telling guests how to ask.
On a BEO that means two things. An allergen grid per dish, filled in by the kitchen, not by the sales team. And a named count of guests with allergies or dietary requirements against their table number, so the server carrying plate 43 knows it is the sesame-free main. The FSA's best-practice guidance favours written information backed by a conversation, which is exactly what a table-numbered list on the BEO allows.
Put a cut-off on dietary changes, usually the same as final numbers. Changes after that go on a BEO revision with a new version number and time, signed by the chef.
BEO 2026-117 (version 3, final)
Charity gala dinner for 180 guests in a hotel ballroom in Birmingham, with a band and an auction
| Item | Qty | Rate | Tax | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three-course gala dinner | 180 guest | £58.00 | VAT 20% | £10,440.00 |
| Welcome drinks: sparkling wine or elderflower | 180 guest | £9.00 | VAT 20% | £1,620.00 |
| Wine with dinner, half bottle per guest | 180 guest | £16.00 | VAT 20% | £2,880.00 |
| Staging, lectern and stage lighting | 1 package | £1,200.00 | VAT 20% | £1,200.00 |
| Additional bar staff after midnight | 4 hour | £60.00 | VAT 20% | £240.00 |
- Subtotal
- £16,380.00
- VAT 20% on £16,380.00
- £3,276.00
- Total
- £19,656.00
- Deposit (30%)
- £5,896.80
- Balance due
- £13,759.20
- Dietary list: 14 vegetarian, 6 vegan, 3 coeliac, 2 nut allergy (tables 4, 9), 1 sesame allergy (table 12).
- Bar closes 00:30 per premises licence; last orders 00:15.
- Allergen grid signed by head chef on version 3.
What your banquet event order must show in United Kingdom
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Event name, date, room, BEO number and version | Staff must know they are reading the latest version. |
| Guaranteed numbers and the final-numbers deadline | Drives the food order and staffing. |
| Allergen grid per dish covering the 14 allergens | Allergen information must be available for every non-prepacked item containing any of the 14 allergens.[1] |
| Dietary and allergy list by table number | Supports the written information plus conversation that the FSA recommends as best practice.[2] |
| Bar opening and closing times within the licence | Sales of alcohol must stay within the premises licence or a Temporary Event Notice.[3] |
| Service timeline with kitchen times | The kitchen cooks to the pass, not to the room schedule. |
| Layout, equipment and supplier arrival times | Porters and suppliers work from this block. |
| Sign-off by chef, bar and duty manager | Records who approved the allergen grid and the final version. |
Bar times, licensing and temporary events
The bar block should show the drinks package, the pour policy and the times the bar opens and closes. Those times must sit inside your premises licence. If a venue without a licence is hosting a private party with alcohol for sale, or wants hours its licence doesn't cover, England and Wales use a Temporary Event Notice: under 500 people at any one time, no more than 168 hours, given to the licensing authority at least ten working days before.
Write the actual last-orders time on the BEO, not 'late'. Staff should not have to guess, and neither should the couple's uncle asking for one more round at 00:55.
A timeline the kitchen can cook to
Most UK wedding BEOs run on a timeline like this: ceremony at 13:00, drinks reception at 13:45, guests called to the wedding breakfast at 15:15, speeches before or after the meal, first dance at 19:30, evening buffet at 21:00, carriages at 00:00. Put the kitchen times next to each service, for example 'mains leave pass 16:05', because the kitchen works to the plate, not the room.
Speeches before the meal push the food back by 20 to 40 minutes, so ask the couple which way round they want it and write it down. Nothing annoys a head chef more than a beef course held for half an hour because the best man started late.
Room layout, equipment and suppliers
Describe the layout in words and attach the floor plan: top table for 10, 12 rounds of 10, dance floor in front of the bay window, cake table to the left of the top table. List every piece of equipment you are supplying and every supplier bringing their own: the band's power needs, the florist's arrival time, and whether the photographer needs a meal.
Supplier meals are a small line that causes friction. Agree the number and the price at booking, and put it on the BEO so the kitchen plates them and the invoice charges them.
Staffing lines the duty manager can plan from
The BEO should say how many people are working the event and in what roles, because the rota is built from it. For a seated dinner many UK venues plan roughly one server for every 10 to 12 guests, with a head waiter per section, more for silver service and fewer for a buffet. State the plan in numbers on the sheet so the duty manager can see immediately if agency staff are needed.
Name the people who matter on the night: the duty manager, the head chef, the bar lead and the client's contact, with mobile numbers. On a wedding the client contact should not be the bride or groom; ask for an usher or a relative who will answer the phone at 16:00.
Record staff meal times and breaks as well. Long weddings run past 12 hours, and a team that has not eaten by the evening buffet makes more mistakes, including allergen mistakes.
Versions, sign-off and after the event
Every change after the BEO goes out gets a new version number and a time stamp. Circulate the final version at a set point, often 72 hours before, and have the chef, bar manager and duty manager initial it. On the day, the duty manager notes anything that changed: numbers, extra hours, damage. Those notes feed the final invoice, including any VAT on extra services, and any deduction from the damage bond.
Send banquet event orders from one system in United Kingdom
Venura keeps bookings, quotes, invoices, deposits and receipts together for venues and caterers, in GBP with your own tax rates. Plans for United Kingdom are priced on request.
Banquet event order questions from United Kingdom
What is a banquet event order?
A banquet event order, or BEO, is the internal instruction sheet for one event. It turns the signed booking into details for the kitchen, bar, floor staff and porters: room, layout, numbers, menu, allergens, drinks, timings, equipment and contacts. UK hotels often call it a function sheet.
Does a BEO need allergen information in the UK?
The law requires allergen information for every non-prepacked food containing any of the 14 allergens, available in writing or verbally with clear signposting. The BEO is where venues record it for staff: an allergen grid per dish and a list of guests with allergies by table number.
Which are the 14 allergens?
Celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, and tree nuts. The Food Standards Agency lists these as the allergens food businesses must provide information about.
What if the venue does not have an alcohol licence?
In England and Wales a Temporary Event Notice can cover a one-off event with fewer than 500 people at any one time, lasting up to 168 hours. It must reach the licensing authority at least ten working days before the event. Put the licensed hours on the BEO.
When should the final BEO be issued?
Most venues circulate it 48 to 72 hours before the event, after final numbers and dietary requirements are locked. Any change after that gets a new version number and time, and the chef re-signs the allergen grid.
Who signs off a BEO?
Usually the head chef, the bar or beverage manager and the duty or events manager. The chef's sign-off on the allergen grid matters most, because allergen information must be accurate for every dish served.
More templates for United Kingdom
Banquet event order in other countries
Sources
- Allergen guidance for food businesses (Food Standards Agency) (checked 2026-09-25)
- Allergen technical guidance part 2: non-prepacked food (FSA) (checked 2026-09-25)
- Temporary Events Notice, England and Wales (GOV.UK) (checked 2026-09-25)
This guide is general information, not tax or legal advice. Rules change, so confirm with your accountant or the authority linked above.
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