Catering Pricing Guide 2026: How Much to Charge Per Person
Updated April 2026 · 15 min read
Quick answer
Catering typically costs €20–55 per person for a standard buffet with staff in Western Europe, or $30–70 per person in the US. Plated full-service dinners run €50–120+ per person. Simple food-only drop-off starts around €12–18 per person.
€18–35
Corporate lunch buffet
with staff
€28–55
Canapé reception
with staff
€35–65
Buffet dinner
full service
€55–120
Plated dinner
full service
Factors That Affect Catering Prices
No catering price is universal. The same caterer can quote €20 or €120 per person depending on these variables:
Service style
Drop-off food-only is cheapest. Buffet with staff costs more. Plated service requires more labour per guest and commands higher prices. Private chef experiences at the premium end.
Menu complexity
Three simple items cost less than five-course menus with premium proteins. Dietary accommodations, made-from-scratch preparation, and specialty ingredients all increase cost.
Guest count
Fixed costs (travel, setup, minimum staff) are spread across fewer guests at small events, pushing up the per-person price. Most caterers set minimum booking charges for this reason.
Equipment and linen
Providing crockery, glassware, linen, serving equipment, and sometimes furniture adds a meaningful cost per person, typically €5–15 per head depending on quantity and quality.
Labour costs by region
A catering company in Oslo paying €25/hour for staff produces very different prices than one in Kraków paying €8/hour. Labour is typically 25–35% of revenue, regional wage levels strongly influence final prices.
Distance and travel
Events more than 30–60 minutes from your base add transport time, fuel, and often accommodation for staff. Many caterers charge a travel supplement above a set distance.
Event duration
A 4-hour event requires more staff hours than a 2-hour event. Per-person food costs may be similar, but labour costs roughly double, which is typically passed through to the client.
Day and seasonality
Weekend and evening events typically carry a premium over weekday daytime events. December and late June command peak prices in most markets due to demand concentration.
Average Catering Prices by Service Type
Western European prices. All prices are approximate and exclude VAT. See regional table below for adjustments.
| Service type | Food-only | With staff | Full service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate working lunch (buffet) | €10–18 | €18–28 | €25–40 |
| Cocktail / canapé reception | €15–25 | €28–45 | €40–70 |
| Buffet dinner (2–3 courses) | €18–30 | €30–50 | €45–75 |
| Plated dinner (2 courses) | n/a | €35–55 | €55–90 |
| Plated dinner (3 courses) | n/a | €45–70 | €70–120 |
| Private chef dinner (luxury) | n/a | €80–120 | €120–200+ |
| Barbecue / outdoor event | €12–22 | €22–38 | €35–60 |
| School / institutional catering | €5–10 | €10–16 | €14–22 |
Prices per person, excluding VAT. Western European averages, 2026. Individual quotes vary significantly by market, guest count, and menu.
Catering Prices by Region and Country
Typical all-in price per person for a mid-range catering event (buffet with staff, 50–100 guests, 2–3 menu items).
| Region / Country | Typical mid-range |
|---|---|
| Finland | €25–65/person |
| Sweden | €28–70/person |
| Norway | €35–85/person |
| Denmark | €28–68/person |
| Germany | €22–60/person |
| Netherlands | €20–55/person |
| UK (London) | £25–80/person |
| UK (outside London) | £18–55/person |
| France | €20–65/person |
| Spain | €15–45/person |
| Italy | €18–55/person |
| Poland | €10–30/person |
| US (major cities) | $35–100/person |
| US (smaller markets) | $20–60/person |
| Australia | A$35–90/person |
Approximate ranges based on market data as of 2026. Significant variation within each market. Use as directional guidance only.
How to Calculate Your Catering Prices
The most common pricing mistake is working backwards from competitor prices instead of forwards from your actual costs. Here is the correct approach:
The cost-plus catering pricing formula
Food cost per person
Ingredients + packaging + any rental props for the food itself. Aim for food cost to be 28–35% of your target price.
Example: €10.50/person
Labour cost per person
Total staff hours (prep + travel + service + cleanup) × hourly rate ÷ number of guests. Include your own time if you are working the event.
Example: 3 staff × 6hrs × €15/hr = €270 ÷ 60 guests = €4.50/person
Fixed costs per person
Transport, equipment hire, packaging, minimum insurance allocation. Divide the total fixed cost for the event by guest count.
Example: €180 total ÷ 60 guests = €3.00/person
Overhead allocation per person
Monthly overheads (kitchen rental, software, insurance, marketing) ÷ average monthly guest-events. This is often forgotten entirely.
Example: €900/month ÷ 450 guests/month = €2.00/person
Apply profit margin
Divide total cost by (1 − target margin). At 25% margin: total cost ÷ 0.75. At 20% margin: ÷ 0.80.
Total cost €20.00 ÷ 0.75 = €26.67 minimum price
Example result (60-person buffet)
Food €10.50 + Labour €4.50 + Fixed €3.00 + Overhead €2.00 = Cost €20.00/person
At 25% margin: €20.00 ÷ 0.75 = €26.67 per person minimum
Then add market positioning premium based on your quality, brand, and demand.
Common Catering Pricing Mistakes
Not pricing your own time
Many owner-operated caterers include staff costs but forget to pay themselves for prep time, admin, and driving. If you work 8 hours preparing for an event and don't include that in your pricing, you're subsidising every booking with your own labour.
Underestimating food cost
Food costs are easy to underestimate when you don't track them carefully. Ingredients that seem cheap individually add up; wastage and over-ordering inflate actual costs. Track actual food spend versus estimated food spend for every event until your estimates are reliable.
Forgetting overhead allocation
Your monthly kitchen rental, insurance, vehicle costs, software subscriptions, and marketing spend need to be recovered through your pricing. Most caterers who feel they're 'always busy but never profitable' are failing to allocate overheads correctly.
Pricing to win, not to profit
Undercutting competitors to win a bid is a path to burnout. If a competitor can profitably offer the same service for less, they either have lower costs (scale, efficiency) or are undercharging. Winning a bid at below-cost pricing is worse than losing it.
Not adjusting for event size
Fixed costs do not scale linearly with guest count. The minimum charge for a 20-person event is not simply 20 × per-person rate, the setup, travel, and minimum staffing may cost as much as a 50-person event. Set minimum booking charges to protect profitability at small events.
Let customers see your prices, before they enquire
Once you've worked out your pricing, the next step is making it visible. An embeddable calculator on your website lets customers configure their menu, enter guest count, and see a live price estimate, before they pick up the phone. This pre-qualifies enquiries, reduces back-and-forth, and puts your pricing transparently in front of clients who are ready to book.
See the CaterWay calculator →Frequently Asked Questions
How much does catering cost per person on average?
Average catering costs per person range from €12–20 for a simple corporate buffet to €60–120+ for full-service plated dinners with staff and equipment. The most common mid-range catering (buffet service, 2–3 courses, event staff included) typically falls in the €25–55 per person range in Western Europe, and $35–75 per person in the US. Price depends heavily on service style, menu complexity, guest count, and region.
Is €25 per person good for catering?
€25 per person is at the lower end of professional catering pricing for most of Western Europe. It is realistic for a simple self-serve buffet with 2–3 food items, no staff, and no equipment hire, essentially food-only delivery. For anything with service staff, more than 3 menu items, or equipment, €25 per person is likely to be below cost once labour and overheads are factored in. In lower-cost regions (parts of Eastern Europe) €25 can represent a mid-range offering.
How much profit should a catering business make?
A healthy catering business typically targets 15–25% net profit margin. Food cost should represent 28–35% of revenue; labour typically 25–35%; overheads (rent, insurance, equipment, software, marketing) 10–20%. Businesses achieving less than 10% net margin are usually underpricing labour or not accounting for full overhead costs. Premium catering (private chef dinners, luxury corporate hospitality) can achieve 30–40% margins; high-volume budget catering may operate at 8–12%.
How do I calculate catering price per person?
Use this formula: (Food cost per person + Labour cost per person + Fixed costs per person) ÷ (1 − target profit margin %). Example: food cost €12, labour cost €8, fixed costs per person €4 = total cost €24. At a 25% profit margin: €24 ÷ 0.75 = €32 per person minimum price. Then check this against your market and adjust. Always include all costs, many caterers forget packaging, transport fuel, and admin time.
Why does catering cost more for smaller events?
Catering has significant fixed costs, travel time, setup and breakdown, minimum staff numbers, equipment transport, that are spread across fewer guests at smaller events. A 2-hour setup for 20 guests costs the same in staff time as for 100 guests, but the per-person share is 5× higher. This is why most caterers set minimum charges (e.g. minimum booking of €500 or 30 guests) to ensure small events remain profitable.
What is the difference between food-only and full-service catering pricing?
Food-only catering (drop-off) includes preparation and delivery of food but no staff to serve, no equipment, and no setup. Full-service catering includes event staff, table setup, crockery, serving, and often breakdown and cleanup. Full-service typically costs 2–3× more per person than food-only. Corporate clients booking regular lunches often use food-only delivery; wedding and formal event clients typically require full service.
Turn your pricing into a website calculator
Configure your menu and per-head prices in CaterWay, embed the calculator on your site, and let customers self-serve quotes before they contact you. Free tier available.
Try CaterWay free →