What is the menu tasting booking form template?
A menu tasting goes best when the kitchen knows in advance who's coming, which dishes they want to try and whether anyone at the table has an allergy. Without a booking form, those details arrive scattered across emails, and the chef finds out about a nut allergy on the day.
This template takes event clients through three pages: the event itself (type, date, venue, guest numbers, service style and budget), the tasting (preferred date and time, how many will attend, the courses and the specific dishes to taste) and dietary needs, both for the people at the tasting and for the guests on the day.
Each booking is filed in your FileIt vault as a PDF, so the event coordinator and the chef are working from the same list of dishes and the same allergy notes.
- Best for
- Caterers, wedding venues, hotels and restaurants with private dining
- Filled in by
- Couples and event clients
- Time to complete
- About 4 to 6 minutes
- Includes
- Event details, tasting date and alternative, dishes to taste, dietary follow-ups and booking terms
Who uses a menu tasting booking form?
- A wedding caterer scheduling tastings for couples who have accepted a proposal
- A hotel events team booking tastings for corporate dinners
- A restaurant with a private dining room letting party hosts try the set menu
- A venue coordinator collecting dish choices before passing them to the kitchen
- A small catering business replacing back-and-forth emails about tasting dates
- A banqueting team planning tastings for several weddings on the same day
Questions on this menu tasting booking form
23 questions over 3 pages · includes conditional questions, multiple pages, consent checkbox.
1 Your event
- Your name*
- Email*
- Phone*
- Type of event* Wedding · Engagement party · Corporate event · Private party · Anniversary · Christening or naming · Other
- Event date*
- Venue*
- Expected number of guests*
- Service style* Plated · Family style · Buffet · Food stations · Canapés and bowl food · Not sure yet
- Food budget per guest (if known)
- Proposal or quote reference
2 The tasting
- Preferred tasting date*
- Preferred time*
- Alternative date
- How many people will attend the tasting?*
- Names of everyone attending
- Courses to taste* Canapés · Starter · Main course · Vegetarian or vegan main · Side dishes · Dessert · Wedding or celebration cake · Late-night food
- Dishes you'd like to taste*
- Would you like wine or drink pairings at the tasting?
3 Dietary needs
- Does anyone at the tasting have allergies or dietary needs?*
- Who, and what do we need to avoid?* asked only when it applies
- Dietary needs you expect among your guests Vegetarian · Vegan · Gluten-free · Dairy-free · Nut allergy · Shellfish allergy · Halal · Kosher · Children's meals
- Anything else we should know?
- Booking terms*
The menu tasting booking form, page by page
1 Your event
The client gives their name, email and phone, then the type of event, date, venue and expected number of guests. They pick a service style (plated, family style, buffet, food stations, canapés and bowl food, or not sure yet) and can add a food budget per guest and a proposal or quote reference.
2 The tasting
Clients choose a preferred tasting date and time, plus an alternative date, and say how many people will attend and who they are. They tick the courses to taste, from canapés to late-night food, list the specific dishes one per line and say whether they'd like wine or drink pairings.
3 Dietary needs
If anyone at the tasting has allergies or dietary needs, the form asks who and what to avoid. A separate checklist covers the dietary needs expected among guests, from vegetarian and vegan to halal, kosher and children's meals, and a final box takes anything else, such as a theme or a family recipe. The client accepts the booking terms before sending.
Make the template yours
- Replace the courses list with the sections of your own event menu
- Set the attendee limit to match the size of your tasting table
- Add your tasting fee, or how it is credited against the final bill, to the booking terms
- Add a dropdown of available tasting days if you only run them on set dates
- Notify both the events coordinator and the head chef by email
- File bookings into a vault folder per event season
Tips for a better menu tasting booking form
- Ask clients to list dishes by the names used in your proposal so the kitchen knows exactly what to prepare
- Confirm allergies with the client again a day or two before the tasting
- Keep tasting groups small: the more people at the table, the harder it is to reach a decision
- Take notes on their reactions during the tasting and file them alongside the booking
- Use the guest dietary checklist as an early warning for special meals on the day
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
Every booking is saved as a PDF in your FileIt vault with the dishes, attendees and dietary notes together, and you can be emailed as each one arrives. The client can get a copy of what they sent.
From the Responses table you can sort bookings by tasting date, open any booking in full, or export them all to CSV to plan the kitchen's tasting schedule.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Menu tasting booking form: frequently asked questions
Is this menu tasting booking form free?
Yes. It's included in the FileIt Forms app on every account, including the free plan.
Do clients need a FileIt account?
No. Send them the link and they can book without signing in.
Does the form check my calendar?
No. It records the client's preferred and alternative dates, and you confirm the tasting yourself.
When does the allergy detail box appear?
When the client answers yes to anyone at the tasting having allergies or dietary needs.
Can I limit how many people come to the tasting?
Yes. The attendee number is capped at 8 and you can change the limit in the designer.
Can I take a tasting fee through the form?
No. FileIt Forms doesn't process payments, but you can describe your fee in the booking terms or confirmation message.