Creating a run sheet for a catering day: how to stay in control

A catering day with too little structure turns chaotic fast, even when the prep looked fine on paper. A run sheet sets down who does what and when, so everyone knows where they stand on the day itself.

Below you'll find how to put together a run sheet that actually works, what belongs in it, and how to make it match the client's own run sheet.

Why a run sheet is more than a schedule

A schedule says when something needs to happen. A run sheet also says who does it, with what, and what happens if the day doesn't go as planned.

You notice that difference on the day itself. With a schedule, someone still has to decide who clears the plates or who steps behind the bar once it gets busy. With a run sheet, that's already settled, and nobody has to ask.

Without a run sheet, a catering day runs on improvisation. That's fine as long as everything stays on schedule. But the moment something goes wrong, a supplier running late, guests arriving half an hour early, the chaos hits at exactly the moment you can least use it.

What belongs in a good run sheet

A run sheet that actually works is concrete enough that someone reading it for the first time the day before knows exactly what's expected of them. The basics are:

• A time schedule per phase: set-up, arrival, service, pack-down, with exact times instead of "around midday".
• Who does what: names or roles linked to every task, not just "the team will handle it".
• Equipment and quantities: what goes along, in what quantity, and who signs it off when it's loaded.
• Contact details: for the venue, the client and your own team, so nobody has to search when it's needed.
• Special notes: allergies, dietary needs, house rules at the venue, parking arrangements.
• The pack-down moment: what time the equipment needs to be outside, and who's still there to load it.

How to build it, step by step

Start at the end point: what time does the last guest need to be gone, and when does the venue need to be handed back empty? Work backwards from there to the start of the day.

That stops you ending up with a run sheet that looks fine on paper but leaves too little room for pack-down, the part that always takes longer than anyone expects.

A practical order:

1. Set the fixed times: arrival at the venue, start of set-up, guest arrival, end of the event.
2. Split the tasks per phase across your team, by name.
3. Walk through the run sheet out loud with your team once before you finalise it. It's often then you notice two people thought they were doing the same task, or that nobody thought of something at all.
4. Print it out or share it on the phone, but make sure everyone has it with them on the day itself, not just you.

Make it match the client's own run sheet

At bigger events, like corporate parties or weddings, the client often has their own run sheet too: the timing of the speeches, the first dance, the move from drinks to dinner. Your run sheet needs to match that, not run alongside it.

So always ask for the client's own programme before you lock in your own schedule. A speech that runs long means the main course goes out a quarter of an hour later than planned.

If that possible slip is already in your run sheet, it's not a problem. If you hadn't planned for it, you're left with a kitchen full of plates going cold while someone else has the floor.

A run sheet that still works when things go wrong

The best run sheet isn't built for the day everything goes to plan. It's built for the day it doesn't. So build in some deliberate margin at the tight moments.

Also agree beforehand who decides if something needs to change on the fly during the event. Without that agreement, the discussion stalls at exactly the moment you need to move fast, and half the team ends up staring at their phone waiting for an answer.

Keep finished run sheets after the event. For a repeat client or venue, last time's run sheet is the fastest way to get a solid starting point, including the things that went wrong then that you don't want to repeat.

Frequently asked questions

How detailed should a run sheet be?

Detailed enough that someone who wasn't there for the prep can follow the day on their own. For a small job with a regular team, half a page might do it. For a big event with a lot of casual staff, you're better off with a schedule broken down by the quarter hour and a clear division of tasks.

Who makes the run sheet: the caterer or the client?

Usually the caterer makes their own run sheet, matched to the client's programme. At bigger events with an event planner, that planner often shares a general run sheet, which you fit your own kitchen and service planning around.

What if the run sheet stops matching reality during the event?

Agree in advance who's allowed to shift times or tasks on site. Usually that's the person in charge at the venue. Without that clarity, you get arguments at exactly the moment you need a quick decision.

Do I need to make a new run sheet for every event?

Not from scratch. For repeat orders, like a regular office lunch or a wedding venue you work often, you start from an earlier run sheet and just adjust the details. That saves time and stops you forgetting something you'd already solved last time.

When do I send the run sheet to my team?

A few days ahead, so everyone has time to read it properly and flag anything that's wrong. Send it the night before, and half the team only reads it on the bus on the way there.

What goes in a run sheet for a catering day across two venues?

Make a separate time schedule per venue, each with its own person in charge, and put the move between them in as its own phase, with travel time and who takes what. A shared run sheet for two venues almost always runs aground on the question of exactly where the equipment is.

Catermonkey keeps track, per order, of what needs to go along, who's on it and at what time, so your run sheet comes straight out of the order's details instead of you retyping it every time.

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