Guides / Events
How to quote catering per head without losing money
Food, staff hours, rentals and travel, then a target margin. The quote per head comes out of the total, not the other way round.
Skip the reading. The tool does this maths for you, free, as you type.
Build a quotePer-head quoting goes wrong when the per-head number is picked first. Build the total from real costs, add the margin, then divide by guests. The per-head figure is what the client hears; the total is what you live on.
The formula
Cost = guests × food per head + staff × hours × wage + rentals + travel. Quote at target = cost ÷ (1 − target margin). Per head = quote ÷ guests.
What a good number looks like
Healthy for off-site catering with its own staff.
Thin once a van breaks down or the count moves.
One overage and the event is free. Re-quote.
What to do about it
- Staff hours start at the loading dock, not at service.
- Charge for travel beyond a radius and say the radius on the quote.
- Guarantee a minimum guest count in writing.
Now do it with your numbers.
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