Rentals, disposables and transport are three costs that are not food but eat your margin if you do not quote them. Add each one up per event, divide by the guests, and decide whether to pass it to the client at cost or with a handling fee. What you cannot do is give it away: in the example below, for 50 guests, they come to about $8 a head.
The three groups of costs
Rentals. Everything you give back after the event:
- Dinner and dessert plates, cutlery, glasses.
- Chafing dishes to keep the pulled pork or the mac and cheese hot.
- Tablecloths and linens, tables and chairs if the client wants them.
Disposables and consumables. Everything that gets used up:
- Chafing fuel cans.
- Napkins, foil, cling film, bin bags.
- Disposable plates and cutlery for a casual event. The guide on packaging cost shows how to get a real per-unit cost for containers and disposables.
Transport. Everything that moves:
- The van on the day, there and back.
- The trip to collect the rentals and the trip to return them, often the next day.
- Tolls, parking, and the ride home for whoever stays to watch the kit.
The guide on delivery cost shows how to cost each trip when you use your own vehicle.
Breakage is a cost, not a surprise
The rental company counts what comes back and bills what is missing or broken. Write that amount down after every event. If you have paid for a couple of glasses per event on average, that is part of the cost, just like the fuel cans.
Do the same with the things that get forgotten: extra serving spoons, a cake knife, ice buckets, a second extension lead. If they are not in the quote and you end up renting or buying them on the day, they come straight out of your margin.
At cost or with a handling fee
You have two ways to charge it:
- At cost, on its own line. The client sees what you pay for rentals and pays exactly that. It is transparent, but your time quoting, collecting, counting and returning goes unpaid unless you add it as "handling".
- With a handling fee. You add a percentage of your choosing to rentals, disposables and transport. That fee has to cover, at minimum, your handling hours and the risk of breakage above your average.
There is no correct percentage. The right fee is the one that covers your time; anything above that is margin.
Worked example: a 50-guest barbecue buffet
A company summer party with pulled pork sliders, mac and cheese, slaw and cornbread. Rental prices you were quoted:
| Item | Working | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Plates (dinner and dessert) | 100 × $0.75 | $75.00 |
| Cutlery | 150 × $0.35 | $52.50 |
| Glasses | 50 × $0.60 | $30.00 |
| Chafing dishes | 3 × $15.00 | $45.00 |
| Linens | 6 × $12.00 | $72.00 |
| Rentals | $274.50 |
Disposables and consumables:
- Chafing fuel: 6 cans × $3.00 = $18.00
- Napkins: $12.00
- Foil and film: $10.00
- Total: $40.00
Transport, using your own van at $0.70 per mile, a figure you worked out from your fuel and maintenance:
- Event day, 60 miles round trip: 60 × 0.70 = $42.00
- Parking: $15.00
- Collecting and returning rentals, 20 miles: 20 × 0.70 = $14.00
- Total: $71.00
Breakage, from your own records: $15.00
Total: 274.50 + 40 + 71 + 15 = $400.50
Per guest: 400.50 ÷ 50 = $8.01
Your handling time: quoting, collecting, counting and returning takes 2.5 hours. At $22 an hour, that is $55.
- At cost: the client pays $400.50 and your $55 of time is not charged.
- With a 15% handling fee: 400.50 × 0.15 = $60.08. Total $460.58, which is 460.58 ÷ 50 = $9.21 per guest. The fee covers your $55 and leaves about $5 against breakage above your average.
Put $8.01 or $9.21 next to the food cost per plate and it is clear why it cannot be left out.
Your own kit costs money too
If you already own chafing dishes or plates, they are not free. They break, need washing, take up space and one day need replacing. Divide what they cost by the number of events you expect to use them for, and charge that per event. Then, when a client compares you with a caterer who rents, your price already includes the cost of owning yours.
How it goes into the quote
The clearest quote splits into parts: food per person, staff, and rentals with transport. When the client changes the guest count, rentals and disposables move almost in proportion, but transport does not: the van costs the same for 40 guests as for 50. That fixed cost weighs more per head on a small event.
The guide on quoting catering per person shows how to put the parts together, and the per-person catering quote tool gives you the price per guest. For the other big cost of the day, see catering staff costs.
Do it with the calculator
In the food cost calculator, add rentals, disposables and transport as event costs alongside your recipes; you will see what each guest adds up to and the price you need to keep your margin.
Frequently asked questions
Should I charge rentals at cost or with a markup?
At the very least, charge what they cost you plus your time ordering, collecting, counting and returning them. You can show rentals at cost with a separate handling line, or add a fee that covers that time and the breakage risk.
Who pays for broken or missing rented plates?
The rental company bills you, so treat it as a cost. Record what you pay in breakage at every event and put your average into the quote.
Is it cheaper to buy my own chafing dishes and plates?
Compare a year of rental bills with the cost of buying, storing, washing and replacing your own. If you rent for nearly every event, buying can pay off, but owned kit still takes space and still breaks.
How do I cost using my own van?
Add fuel, tolls and parking for the trip, plus a share of maintenance per mile or km that you measure yourself. Fuel alone understates it, because the van wears out too.