A catering price per guest is your event cost divided by the share of the price you don't keep as profit, then split across the guests. Type the food cost of each menu line for one guest, the staff hours, delivery and rentals, a share of your overhead and the margin you want. The calculator gives the price per guest, the total with sales tax, the deposit, and what the same menu costs per guest if the headcount changes.
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Your catering price
Example numbersPrice per guest, before tax
$24.85
$1,491 for 60 guests · profit $298
| Food | $528 | 35.4% |
| Disposables and extras | $60 | |
| Labor | $360 | 24.1% |
| Delivery and rentals | $75 | |
| Overhead share | $170 | |
| Event cost | $1,193 | |
| Profit | $298 | 20.0% |
| Price before tax | $1,491 | |
| Total to the client | $1,491 | |
| Deposit to book | $746 | |
| Balance | $746 |
Percentages are shares of the price before tax.
Food-cost check: at a 30% food cost the same menu would be $29.33 a guest. Your price puts food at 35.4%. If your other costs are low that can be fine; if not, raise the price or trim the menu.
If the headcount changes
Labor, delivery and overhead stay the same, so a smaller party costs more per guest. Set a minimum headcount and a date for the final count.
Turn the price into a quote, then take the order
Put the per-guest price into the free catering quote maker. For trays and boxed lunches ordered ahead, a Menuthere ordering page can take scheduled pre-orders with the notice you set.
One row per menu line: what the ingredients for one guest's portion cost you. Add disposables per guest.
Staff × hours × what an hour costs you, then delivery and rentals and a fair share of rent, insurance and admin.
Pick the profit margin, your sales tax rate and the deposit. Copy the result into your quote.
For the whole method, from per-person versus per-tray pricing to minimum headcounts and quote terms, read the guide to pricing catering.
These are the tool's example numbers, not a benchmark. The food costs $9.00 a guest ($540), disposables $1 a guest ($60), three staff for six hours at $20 an hour ($360), delivery and rentals $75 and an overhead share of $165. The event costs $1,200. At a 20% margin the price is $1,200 ÷ 0.8 = $1,500, or $25.00 a guest, with $300 profit.
| Line | Amount | Share of price |
|---|---|---|
| Food ($9.00 × 60) | $540 | 36% |
| Disposables ($1 × 60) | $60 | 4% |
| Labor (3 × 6 h × $20) | $360 | 24% |
| Delivery and rentals | $75 | 5% |
| Overhead share | $165 | 11% |
| Profit | $300 | 20% |
| Price before tax | $1,500 | 100% |
Sales tax on catering is set by each state, so check yours. In New York, for example, a caterer's charges for the food, drinks and services for an event are taxable, and a service charge is always taxable; a mandatory gratuity is exempt only when it is shown separately, called a gratuity and paid in full to employees (Tax Bulletin TB-ST-110). For federal payroll, the IRS treats a payment as a tip only if the customer chooses to pay it and sets the amount, so a service charge you add is generally wages when you pass it to staff.
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Make an ordering page with your trays and boxed lunches. Customers pick a date and time, with the notice you need. 0% commission.