Guides
Brewery and taproom quote template: the assumption and exclusion clauses
Brewery and taproom quote template wording for private hire, beer supply and recurring work: ten assumptions, six exclusions and acceptance terms.
What to take away
- The wording under the number settles disputes. Write the assumptions and exclusions before the client reads the price.
- Ten assumption clauses and six exclusions cover the ground. Adapt each to the booking and delete none without noticing.
- Each clause protects one input of the cost floorlabor hours, labor cost, product, consumables or the room.
- Check the alcohol-service assumption with the state's alcohol beverage control agency. Do not guess it.
- Say what the number includes. All inclusive is a claim that will be tested.
- Keep the accepted quote, the correspondence and the final invoice together.
Where quote disputes start
Quote disputes start in the wording, not the arithmetic. A client who accepted a fair number can still argue about who serves, who transports and what happens when the guest count changes. Each of those questions has a clause that settles it in advance.
Three things get quoted in a brewery with a taproom: a private hire or buyout of the room, a supply of beer to somebody else's event, and a recurring arrangement such as a tap takeover or a standing keg order. They fail in different places, so the clauses differ.
A private hire fails on scope: nobody wrote down whether staff serve or the client does, or what happens if the guest count doubles. A beer supply fails on logistics: who transports it, who returns the empties, who owns the loss. A recurring arrangement fails on drift, where a small favor becomes the expectation.
Nine headings that each need a sentence
Every quote rests on nine headings, and each one needs a sentence of wording, not only a figure. Fill the headings that apply to the booking. Delete nothing without noticing, because a missing heading is a promise nobody made.
Nine quote line items
- Productbeer by style and volume
- Service laborstaff hours on the event
- Setup and teardownhours before and after
- Roomrevenue the room would otherwise earn
- Consumablesglassware, ice, disposables, cleaning
- Delivery and collectiontransport off site
- Equipment, administration, contingency
| Heading | What the wording must state |
|---|---|
| Product | Beer by style and volume, and how a substitution is handled |
| Service labor | The roles, who serves, and the hours covered |
| Setup and teardown | The access period before and after the event |
| Room | Which space is reserved, and for how long |
| Consumables | Glassware, ice, disposables and cleaning: what is supplied, and by whom |
| Delivery and collection | Who transports the beer and who returns reusable containers |
| Equipment | What is hired in or taken off site, and who carries the risk of it not coming back |
| Administration | Who handles booking, coordination and invoicing |
| Contingency | A stated allowance for overrun, breakage or a late finish, not a hidden pad |
Copy-ready quote wording
Start from one block of wording and adapt it. The block below holds the header, scope, line items, assumptions, exclusions and acceptance in the order a client reads them. Replace every bracket, and send no quote with a bracket left in it.
Quote for: [client], [event or arrangement], [date or service period]
Scope: We will provide [beer, room, staffing, delivery, or other agreed services] as described below. The quote covers only the listed products and services.
Line items: Product: [style and volume]; service labor: [roles and hours]; setup and teardown: [tasks]; room: [space and access period]; consumables: [items]; delivery and collection: [responsibility and details]. Add or remove lines to match the agreed scope.
Assumptions: This quote is based on [guest count or beer volume], [service plan], and [access and timing]. If these details change, we will confirm any change to scope and price in writing before proceeding.
Not included: [list exclusions]. Additional work or products require written approval and may change the quoted amount.
Acceptance: To accept, reply in writing and follow the payment and cancellation terms stated here: [terms].
The scope sentence does the most work. It says the quote covers only the listed products and services, which turns every unlisted request into a change rather than an assumption. The acceptance line ties the client to written payment and cancellation terms.
Ten assumptions to state in writing
Every quote carries assumptions, and writing them down turns the quote into a document you can rely on. State the ones that apply to this booking in words the client can follow. Adapt the points below rather than leaving in a point that does not apply.
Ten stated assumptions
- Guest count and change threshold
- Duration and overrun rate
- Staff serve or client self serves
- Beer included and substitutions
- Food responsibility
- Access times for setup and teardown
- Space responsibility during event
- Cleaning, deposit, balance, cancellation
- Scope and format:"This quote covers [private hire, beer supply, or recurring arrangement] as described in the listed services."
- Demand:"The quote assumes [guest count or beer volume] as provided by the client."
- Alcohol service:"The proposed service is subject to the requirements of the alcohol licensing authority and the brewery's applicable license or permit conditions."
- Staffing:"The quote includes [staffing roles and service responsibilities] only."
- Access and timing:"The quote assumes access for setup, service, and teardown during [agreed access period]."
- Products:"The quote covers the listed beer styles and quantities; any substitution will be confirmed with the client."
- Transport and containers:"The quote assigns delivery, collection, and return of any reusable containers as stated in the line items."
- Equipment and supplies:"The quote assumes [client or brewery] will provide the equipment and supplies identified here: [items]."
- Changes:"A change to the agreed scope, timing, or quantities may require a revised quote, confirmed in writing."
- Acceptance:"The quote is open until [date] and is accepted under the payment and cancellation terms stated here."
The alcohol-service assumption must be checked, not guessed. Identify the state where the service will take place, then confirm requirements with that state's alcohol beverage control agency and the brewery's applicable license or permit conditions. The agency and conditions depend on the location and arrangement, so keep the confirmation with the records for the event.
Off-site service and temporary premises usually raise separate questions again. The recurring duties around service sit in the compliance checklist for new owners, which is worth reading before the third assumption is signed off.
Exclusions, written first
Write exclusions before inclusions, because the argument will be about what was not said. List them explicitly and tailor each one to the booking. A short list the client has read beats a long one nobody mentioned.
Exclusions to write first
- Anything outside stated hours
- Damage beyond ordinary use
- Decoration and client-brought entertainment
- Beer beyond stated volume
- Service staff must decline
- Weather dependent outdoor space
- "Additional guests or beer beyond the agreed count or volume are not included."
- "Additional labor or event time beyond the agreed scope is not included."
- "Products, services, or equipment not listed in this quote are not included."
- "Delivery, collection, or return of containers is excluded unless stated in the line items."
- "This quote does not transfer or waive any alcohol-service, licensing, or compliance responsibility that applies to the brewery or its staff."
- "Extra cleaning, repair, or replacement after the event is not included unless stated here."
The fifth exclusion deserves plain language in the document. Your obligations about service do not pause because someone hired the room, and saying so in the quote prevents a difficult conversation on the night. Put the sentence where the client will see it, not at the foot of a long page.
How each clause protects the number
Each clause guards one input of the cost floor. When the wording is loose, the number underneath it drifts without anyone deciding to change it. Read the table as a map from clause to quantity, then price the event from the named quantities.
Cost floor inputs
- Htotal staff hours
- Lbloaded labor cost per hour
- Pproduct cost of beer
- Cnconsumables, delivery, equipment
| Quantity | What it counts | Clause that fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| H | Labor hours: preparation, setup, service, teardown, administration | Staffing, access and timing, changes |
| Lb | Your labor cost per hour, from your own payroll costing method | Staffing |
| P | Product cost of the beer in the quote, from production records | Products, demand |
| Cn | Consumables the work requires | Equipment and supplies |
| Ro | The contribution the room would earn in the reserved time | Scope, access and timing |
The method for building the number itself is laid out in how to price taproom services. The wording here only keeps the assumptions behind that number from moving after the client has agreed to it.
Tuesday hire versus Saturday buyout
Tuesday hire
- Staff hours H
- Lower
- Room contribution Ro
- Small
- Guest count effect
- Modest
- Quote total
- Lower floor
Saturday buyout
- Staff hours H
- Higher
- Room contribution Ro
- Sharp rise
- Guest count effect
- Outsized
- Quote total
- Far higher
Two events with a similar guest count can still need different wording. Ro is zero if the event fills hours you would not otherwise open, which is why a Tuesday hire and a Saturday buyout are different products. The access and timing clause is where that difference is written down.
Adapting the wording to each arrangement
The same clauses bend differently for each arrangement. Keep the shared wording and change only what the arrangement adds. The three entries below name that addition for private hire, beer supply and a recurring arrangement.
- Private hire:Specify the room and access period, who provides and serves the beer, the staffing plan, the guest-count assumption, and what happens if the scope or timing changes. Include the room line when the hire displaces ordinary business.
- Beer supply:Name the beer styles and volumes, delivery or pickup responsibility, container returns, and how substitutions or changes in quantity will be handled. Do not imply that room hire or service labor is included unless it is listed.
- Recurring arrangement:State what repeats, how product and delivery are handled, and how either party requests changes or ends the arrangement. Revisit the scope when the arrangement changes so that an informal favor does not become an unpriced expectation.
Presenting the quote
Lead with what the client gets, then assumptions, exclusions, number and terms. Say clearly what the number includes rather than describing it as all inclusive, since all inclusive is a claim that will be tested.
One-page quote order
- What the client gets
- Assumptions
- Exclusions
- The number
- Terms
Anything you say in promoting an event has to be truthful and supportable. The Federal Trade Commission's guide to advertising for small business states that advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive.
Keep the accepted quote, the correspondence and the final invoice together. The Internal Revenue Service guidance on what kind of records to keep leaves the system to you. It must clearly show income and expenses with supporting documents behind them, and a quote varied by email is part of that record.
Reviewing the wording after the event
Review each event promptly and in writing. Ask which clause was tested, which assumption proved wrong and what the template should say next time. The written answers become the cost history that later quotes draw on.
Ten-minute post-event review
- Actual staff hours against H
- Beer consumed against P
- What you did not charge for
- Would you take it again at that number
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics profile of food service managers is a fair description of who ends up doing this work: scheduling, supply, guest issues and records, usually on the same evening as the event. Count that time in H rather than absorbing it, because an event that is profitable only when the manager works unpaid is not profitable.
As your cost history builds, quoting gets faster. Growth changes the work, so revisit the wording whenever you take a step in the routes to more volume.
Common questions
Do I need a written contract or is a quote enough?
An accepted quote with assumptions, exclusions and terms is a contract in practice. For large or unusual events, have a lawyer look at the terms once and reuse them.
What if the client changes the guest count?
The demand assumption and the changes clause apply. A change to the agreed scope, timing or quantities may require a revised quote, confirmed in writing before you proceed.
What if a client wants to bring their own beer?
That is a licensing question first. Ask your state board before you consider it, since the answer is often not what a client expects.
How much deposit should I take?
Enough to cover the cost of holding the date, meaning the contribution you turn away by blocking it. State it as such and it becomes easy to explain.
Should the quote call the price all inclusive?
No. List what the number includes and what it excludes. All inclusive is a claim that will be tested, and the exclusions are what answer it.
