How to price wedding catering: tiers, guest count, extras

Price a wedding in two parts: a fixed service charge that covers what it costs to put the service on (staff, transport, setup, the tasting) and a per-head price that covers the food and everything else that grows with each guest. That way, when the couple changes the guest count, your margin does not collapse. On top of that come menu tiers, the service style and a clear overtime rate.

Why a single per-head price is risky

Put everything into one per-head price and your fixed costs get spread over the guest count in the first quote. When the list drops from 100 to 75, you charge less, but the staff, the van and the setup cost almost the same. That gap comes out of your margin. And a wedding guest list can change several times between the first meeting and the final confirmation.

Split fixed costs from per-guest costs

Per-guest cost (moves with the list):

• The food on each plate, using quantities you have measured. The guide on buffet quantities shows how to work out how much to make per guest.
• Rented plates and cutlery, napkins and disposables per person.

Fixed event cost (almost the same for 75 as for 100):

• Staff: full hours including setup, breakdown, rides home and staff meals. Work it out as in the guide on catering staff costs.
• Transport, chafing dishes, setup. See rentals and transport.
• The tasting with the couple.

Staff goes up in steps: past a certain guest count you need more servers. Your fixed charge holds within a guest range; outside it, recalculate.

Worked example: a 100-guest wedding

Buffet: grilled chicken and slow-roast beef, roast potatoes, two salads, a sourdough bread station and a dessert table. You want a 35% margin on the price (your target, not a rule).

• Per-guest cost: food $22 + tableware and disposables $5 = $27
• Fixed cost: staff for up to 100 guests $1,300 + transport $150 + setup and chafing dishes $150 + tasting $170 = $1,770

Option A: one per-head price.

• Total cost for 100: 27 × 100 + 1,770 = 2,700 + 1,770 = $4,470
• Total price for a 35% margin: 4,470 ÷ 0.65 = $6,876.92
• Per head: 6,876.92 ÷ 100 = $68.77, rounded to $69

At 100 guests you charge 69 × 100 = $6,900 and keep 6,900 − 4,470 = $2,430.

Now the list drops to 75:

• You charge 69 × 75 = $5,175
• Your cost: 27 × 75 + 1,770 = 2,025 + 1,770 = $3,795
• You keep 5,175 − 3,795 = $1,380, a margin of 1,380 ÷ 5,175 = 26.7%

You lost $1,050 of profit and more than eight points of margin without doing anything wrong in the kitchen.

Option B: fixed charge plus per-head price.

• Fixed charge: 1,770 ÷ 0.65 = $2,723.08, rounded to $2,723
• Per head: 27 ÷ 0.65 = $41.54, rounded to $41.50

At 75: (5,835.50 − 3,795) ÷ 5,835.50 = 2,040.50 ÷ 5,835.50 = 35.0%. The margin holds because the fixed charge no longer depends on the list.

If the couple wants one per-head number, give them a table by range, priced at the lowest count in each range:

• 90 to 100 guests: (27 × 90 + 1,770) ÷ 0.65 ÷ 90 = $71.79, so $72
• 70 to 89 guests: (27 × 70 + 1,770) ÷ 0.65 ÷ 70 = $80.44, so $81

These prices are before any sales tax. Check your local tax rules on whether and how to add it.

Menu tiers

Tiers change the per-guest cost; the fixed charge stays the same. At the same 35%:

Three tiers help the couple decide without asking you for ten versions of the quote.

Service style

Buffet, plated and stations do not cost the same. If plated service needs three more servers for 8 hours at $16: 3 × 8 × 16 = $384 more in fixed cost. Your fixed charge goes up by 384 ÷ 0.65 = $591. Do the sum for each style, extra tableware included.

Overtime

If six servers, an assistant and you stay on: 6 × 16 + 18 + 25 = $139 an hour. At your 35%: 139 ÷ 0.65 = $213.85, so $214 per extra hour. Put it in the quote next to the agreed finish time.

What the quote has to say

• The menu chosen and the per-head price, plus the fixed charge.
• The guest range the price applies to and the date for the final number.
• Service style, start and finish times, overtime rate.
• Payment plan and cancellation scale, as in the guide on deposits and cancellations.

For the general build of any event quote, see quoting catering per person, and once you have each cost, the per-person catering quote tool gives you the price per head.

Do it with the calculator

Load the recipes for each menu tier into the food cost calculator with your per-guest quantities; you will have the per-guest cost of each tier ready for the two-part quote.