How to price catering per person
A per-head price is a total divided by the number of guests. It is not the food cost doubled, and it is not last year's price plus ten percent. This page shows what goes into that total, how margin differs from markup, and why a 60-guest event and a 20-guest event built from the same menu end up at different prices per head.
Start with the three costs
Every catering quote has the same three cost lines, and they behave differently as the guest count changes.
Food grows with the guests. Labour grows with the hours and the number of staff, not exactly with the guests: one chef and two servers can carry 60 people, and 120 people need more servers but not twice the kitchen. Rentals and delivery are usually fixed for the event: tables, chairs, linen, glassware and the van cost the same whether 20 or 60 people sit down. That is why the per-head price of a small event looks high even when the menu is modest.
Add the three and you have your cost. Everything after that is about turning cost into a price.
Food cost per head
Cost each dish for one portion, then multiply by how many portions each guest is expected to eat. Canapés are often two or three per person; a main is one; drinks are one or two. Multiply by the guest count and you have the food cost for the event.
Cost the portion from the pack prices you actually pay, not from a price per gram on a supplier's website, and add a waste allowance for trim, over-production and the tray that comes back half full. A caterer who costs a 5% waste margin and loses 10% is quoting a number they cannot deliver.
Labour, rentals and delivery
Labour is staff count × hours × hourly rate. Count the hours you are actually on site, including setup and the clear-down nobody invoices for, and use the real cost of an hour: wage plus employer contributions, not just the cash in hand. If you pay an agency or a temp, use the invoice.
Rentals and delivery are one line each. Delivery is fuel, time, insurance and the risk of a second trip. Rentals are the quote you got from the hire company, which often excludes cleaning or breakage. Divide them by the guests only at the very end, when you present the price per head.
Margin is not markup
These two are where a quote quietly loses money. A markup adds a percentage to your cost: cost £1,000, markup 55%, price £1,550. A margin is the share of the selling price that is left after cost: cost £1,000, margin 55%, price £1,000 ÷ (1 − 0.55) = £2,222.
The same 55% means two very different prices. The margin form is the honest one for a quote, because it answers the question a caterer actually asks: of the money the client pays, how much is mine after the food and the staff are paid? The formula the app uses is:
Price = cost ÷ (1 − margin %). A margin of 100% would need an infinite price, which is why the last percent is reserved and 95% is the ceiling.
One 60-guest event, worked through
A wedding buffet for 60 guests: harissa chicken traybake, new potato salad, seasonal greens, lemon tart and two elderflower pressés per guest. Three staff for five hours at £14 an hour, £60 delivery, and £355 of tables, chairs, linen and glassware.
| Line | For 60 guests | Per head |
|---|---|---|
| Food, costed per portion | £1,128.00 | £18.80 |
| Labour, 3 staff × 5 h × £14 | £210.00 | £3.50 |
| Delivery £60 + rentals £355 | £415.00 | £6.92 |
| Total cost | £1,753.00 | £29.22 |
| Price at a 55% margin | £3,895.56 | £64.93 |
| Tax at 20% | £779.11 | £12.99 |
| Total the client pays | £4,674.67 | £77.91 |
The profit on the event is £2,142.56, which is 55% of the price and about 122% of the cost. Say it as either number to a client and you have said something true; the margin is the one that tells you whether the event was worth doing.
Food is £18.80 of a £64.93 price, so the food cost is 28.96%. The same dish costs the same per portion at 20 guests, but the £415 of delivery and rentals spread over 20 heads adds £20.75 a head instead of £6.92, and the price per head rises. That is arithmetic, not a penalty for small events, and explaining it that way wins the booking more often than discounting does.
The 25–35% rule of thumb
Across most catering, the food cost of a profitable event lands between 25% and 35% of the net price (the price before tax). Below 25% guests may feel short-changed; above 35% the food is eating the money that should pay staff and leave a profit.
It is a check, not a rule. A high-rent venue with very little staff can carry 40%; a field kitchen with a long drive can struggle at 25%. The app flags any quote above 35% so you see it before the client does. If a quote breaks the range, the fix is usually a different menu or a different margin, not a padded price per head.
Deposit and balance
Ask for a deposit when the booking is confirmed and the balance before the event, not after. A deposit of 30% of the total covers the supplier orders you have to place now, and it makes a cancellation cost the client something instead of costing you everything.
In the example, the total is £4,674.67: the deposit is £1,402.40 and the balance is £3,272.27. Put both figures on the quote with the dates, so the conversation is about the food rather than the invoice.
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