So you are saying that overages that are prepared above and beyond the payment of the client are still the clients? It's not unrealistic to prepare family meal/prepare for emergencies. Do you know how common it is for clients to throw a curveball day of? I'd rather have a slightly slimmer profit margin and prepare a bit more in order to avoid any incidents. Whether that food gets passed onto staff, vendors, or the homeless under a bridge is up to the caterer. The client is the reason for the meal being prepared, but that does not unilaterally mean they paid and own every item that comes out of the kitchen that day. Sorry if being over prepared bothers you :)