The short answer
Add up the food cost for every dish on the buffet at buffet quantities, divide by the guest count, and add a waste allowance. Then add staff, equipment and travel per guest. Divide the total by (1 minus your target margin). That is your minimum price per person.
Why a buffet costs more food than a plated meal
On a plated menu you decide the portion. On a buffet the guest decides. People take a little of everything, go back for the dish they like, and the last guests in line still expect full trays. So a buffet needs more food per head than the same menu served plated, and some of it comes back to the kitchen.
The amount depends on your menu, your crowd and how long the buffet stays open. Track it. After a few events you will know your own number, and that number is worth more than any rule of thumb.
Step by step
- Cost each dish per batch. Price every ingredient at what you actually pay, including trimming loss. Our page on calculating food cost walks through it.
- Decide the quantity for this guest count. Use your own records, or start from a food quantity calculator and adjust.
- Add a waste allowance. Food that goes out on the buffet and comes back usually cannot be sold again. Price it in as a percentage of food cost, based on what you have seen at past events.
- Add labour per guest. Count prep, cooking, setup, service, breakdown and washing. Multiply hours by your full hourly cost, then divide by the guest count.
- Add fixed costs per guest. Travel, chafing dishes, rentals and disposables. These do not shrink with fewer guests, which is why small buffets cost more per head.
- Add your margin. Divide the total cost per guest by (1 minus your target margin). Dividing, not multiplying, is what keeps the margin true on the final price.
A worked example
The numbers below are made up to show the arithmetic. They are not prices to copy.
| Food for 60 guests | 600 |
| Waste allowance, 10% of food | 60 |
| Labour, 20 hours at 30 per hour | 600 |
| Travel, rentals and disposables | 180 |
| Total cost | 1,440 |
| Cost per guest (1,440 / 60) | 24.00 |
| Price at a 30% margin (24.00 / 0.70) | 34.29 |
Most caterers then round to a clean number, here 34 or 35, and check it against what their market pays.
Should a buffet cost more or less than a plated meal?
It depends on where your costs sit. A buffet usually needs more food and fewer servers. A plated meal needs less food and more staff. Run both through the same steps and compare. Do not assume the buffet is the cheap option for you.
Charge a minimum
Because fixed costs stay the same, a buffet for 15 guests can cost you almost as much to deliver as one for 40. Many caterers set a minimum guest count or a minimum order value for buffets. Work out where your break-even sits and put that minimum on your price list.
Let the customer see the price
Once you know your per-person price, show it. A customer who can pick a buffet, enter a guest count and see a total sends you a far better enquiry than one who emails “how much for 60 people?”. CaterWay lets you put that calculator on your own website, with your own menu and prices. See the demo.
