Catering Quote Calculator: turn your food cost into a price per head and a full event quote.
Most new caterers underprice themselves and don't find out until they're booked solid and broke. Enter what a menu costs you per person, set your target food-cost percentage, and this builds your price per head, your event quote, and the guaranteed-minimum floor that protects it — every benchmark pulled straight from documented catering pricing data, not a number we made up.
Price your next event
The math is yours: price per head = food cost per head ÷ your target food-cost %, then multiply by headcount. The only fixed numbers are the sourced benchmark bands used to sanity-check your quote. Nothing here is invented; every band traces to our published catering guides below.
Your event
Enter your real per-person food cost and target. The quote updates as you go.
Your quote
Built from your food cost and target — a profitable floor, not a ceiling.
Where these numbers come from
The core math is yours and carries zero guesswork: price per head = your food cost per head ÷ your target food-cost %, and event quote = price per head × headcount. The only fixed figures are the sourced benchmark bands used to sanity-check your quote. Nothing here is invented — every band is quoted from our published catering guides:
The pricing formula, the 28–35% target food cost, the 7–15% net-profit target, and the guaranteed-minimum-headcount rule (the client commits to paying for a minimum number of guests regardless of turnout): our How to Price Catering Services guide. Net margin by service lane (drop-off 15–25% — the best margin per hour worked; full-service events 7–12%; corporate recurring 12–18%): our How to Price Catering Services guide, which cites the published 2026 industry figures in full. Re-cost every six months — the USDA projects food-away-from-home prices up about 3.5% in 2026: USDA ERS Food Price Outlook.
Where the per-head figures come from. There is no reliable national dataset of catering prices by event type, so this tool does not invent one. The reference points above are real published prices: UCLA Conferences & Catering's published price list (boxed lunch $25, buffets from $38, three-course plated $40–$50), ezCater's average workplace order (~$17 a head), and The Knot's Real Weddings Study ($80 per person average). Your own market may sit above or below these. The math is yours either way.
What this prices — and what it doesn't: the food-cost method gives you a pricing floor. The remaining share of the price (100% minus your food-cost %) has to cover labor, overhead, and profit — this tool doesn't itemize those, because they depend on your staffing and market. The 7–15% net figure is what should be left after every cost, not an add-on. This is not financial or legal advice; it's a pricing starting point built on industry benchmarks, and your market, menu, and staffing move every number. Have your contract and guaranteed-minimum clause reviewed by a professional. Spotted something off? Tell us.
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Priced the event? Here is what to sort out next.
This calculator gives you the price. These free guides cover everything around it: what to charge per head and why, whether the margins actually hold up, and how to get licensed, contracted and booked. No email required.
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The 12-clause catering contract template in Word and PDF, a per-head pricing cheat-sheet, and a pricing calculator. Free, no strings.
