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Quick answer
Catering costs about $15–$30 per person for drop-off, $25–$55 for a staffed buffet and $50–$120 for a plated dinner (menu price). After staff, rentals, a 20% service charge and 7.53% average sales tax, catering for 100 guests costs about $2,446 drop-off, $6,957 for a staffed buffet ($69.57 per person) or $13,065 plated. Wedding catering averages $80 per person (The Knot).
Enter your guest count and service style to see the real total — food, servers, bar, rentals, delivery, service charge and tax — not just the menu price. Caterers can switch tabs to price a job with food-cost and margin math, and anyone can work out how much food and drink to order.
Last updated October 2, 2026. Free, no sign-up. National-average estimate — get itemized quotes for your date and city.
Chafing dishes and attendants; the most common full-service format.
Leave blank to use the menu level
Usually 18–24% for full service
7.53% = U.S. average
If not covered by the service charge
Billed rate per server
Total for 100 guests
$6,957
$69.57 per person all-in
Menu price vs all-in
1.83×
$38.00 menu → $69.57 per guest
Range for this style
$5,280–$9,151
$53–$92 per person
| Food: 100 × $38 | $3,800 |
| Staff: 4 servers × 6 h$40/h servers, incl. 2 h setup/breakdown | $960 |
| Rentals: 100 × $8 (china, linens, chafers) | $800 |
| Delivery & setup fee | $150 |
| Service charge 20% of food & drink | $760 |
| Sales tax 7.53% | $487 |
| Total | $6,957 |
Staffing: 1 server per 25 guests for buffet service. Each works the 4-hour event plus 2 hours of setup and breakdown.
Catering cost is the full price of having an outside company feed your guests: the per-person menu price multiplied by the guest count, plus service staff, bar service, rentals (china, linens, chafing dishes), delivery, a service charge (usually 18–24% of food and drink), and sales tax. The all-in cost per guest is typically 1.3–1.9 times the menu price quoted per person.
Total = guests × menu price + servers × hours × rate + bar + rentals + delivery + service charge % × (food + bar) + sales tax
Example — 100 guests, staffed buffet at $38: food $3,800 + 4 servers × 6 h × $40 = $960 + rentals $800 + delivery $150 + 20% service charge $760 + 7.53% tax $487 = $6,957, or $69.57 per guest.
All-in estimates at mid-level menus for a 4-hour event: staff, rentals, delivery, service charge (none for drop-off) and 7.53% tax, no bar. Small staffed events may hit a caterer minimum.
| Guests | Drop-off / boxed meals | Staffed buffet | Family style | Plated dinner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | $554 ($28/pp) | $1,572 ($79/pp) | $2,234 ($112/pp) | $2,794 ($140/pp) |
| 25 | $672 ($27/pp) | $1,860 ($74/pp) | $2,624 ($105/pp) | $3,581 ($143/pp) |
| 30 | $790 ($26/pp) | $2,407 ($80/pp) | $3,013 ($100/pp) | $4,110 ($137/pp) |
| 40 | $1,027 ($26/pp) | $2,983 ($75/pp) | $4,050 ($101/pp) | $5,426 ($136/pp) |
| 50 | $1,263 ($25/pp) | $3,559 ($71/pp) | $5,086 ($102/pp) | $6,742 ($135/pp) |
| 60 | $1,500 ($25/pp) | $4,394 ($73/pp) | $5,865 ($98/pp) | $7,800 ($130/pp) |
| 75 | $1,855 ($25/pp) | $5,258 ($70/pp) | $7,291 ($97/pp) | $9,904 ($132/pp) |
| 100 | $2,446 ($24/pp) | $6,957 ($70/pp) | $9,753 ($98/pp) | $13,065 ($131/pp) |
| 125 | $3,038 ($24/pp) | $8,656 ($69/pp) | $12,215 ($98/pp) | $16,226 ($130/pp) |
| 150 | $3,629 ($24/pp) | $10,355 ($69/pp) | $14,420 ($96/pp) | $19,388 ($129/pp) |
| 200 | $4,812 ($24/pp) | $13,753 ($69/pp) | $19,345 ($97/pp) | $25,710 ($129/pp) |
| 250 | $5,995 ($24/pp) | $17,151 ($69/pp) | $24,011 ($96/pp) | $32,033 ($128/pp) |
| 300 | $7,178 ($24/pp) | $20,549 ($68/pp) | $28,678 ($96/pp) | $38,356 ($128/pp) |
Menu price per person quoted by caterers in 2026, and what the mid-level menu works out to all-in for 100 guests.
| Service style | Budget | Mid | Premium | All-in (100 guests, mid) | Servers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drop-off / boxed meals | $15 | $22 | $30 | $24 | None |
| Staffed buffet | $25 | $38 | $55 | $70 | 1 per 25 |
| Family style | $35 | $52 | $70 | $98 | 1 per 15 |
| Food stations | $40 | $58 | $80 | $100 | 1 per 20 |
| Plated dinner | $50 | $72 | $120 | $131 | 1 per 12 |
| Heavy appetizers / cocktail | $25 | $40 | $60 | $75 | 1 per 18 |
Thumbtack national average total cost by guest count — mostly drop-off and simple buffet jobs.
| Guests | Average total |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 20 | $807 |
| 21–30 | $971 |
| 31–40 | $1,164 |
| 41–50 | $1,492 |
| 51–60 | $1,625 |
| 61–70 | $1,830 |
| 71–80 | $2,052 |
| 81–90 | $2,017 |
| 91–100 | $2,186 |
| More than 100 | $2,723+ |
Drinks only; bartenders are billed separately (1 per 50–75 guests).
| Length | Soft drinks | Beer & wine | Full bar | Full bar, 100 guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours | $5.50 | $11.00 | $21.50 | $2,150 |
| 3 hours | $8.25 | $16.50 | $32.25 | $3,225 |
| 4 hours | $11.00 | $22.00 | $43.00 | $4,300 |
| 5 hours | $13.75 | $27.50 | $53.75 | $5,375 |
The Knot’s 2026 study of couples married in 2025 found catering averaged $80 per guest (regional range $62–$123) with 117 guests on average. Our full-service estimates add staff, rentals, service charge and tax but no bar.
| Guests | At $80/guest (The Knot) | Regional range | Staffed buffet, all-in | Plated dinner, all-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | $4,000 | $3,100–$6,150 | $3,559 | $6,742 |
| 75 | $6,000 | $4,650–$9,225 | $5,258 | $9,904 |
| 100 | $8,000 | $6,200–$12,300 | $6,957 | $13,065 |
| 117 (average) | $9,360 | $7,254–$14,391 | $8,195 | $15,122 |
| 150 | $12,000 | $9,300–$18,450 | $10,355 | $19,388 |
| 200 | $16,000 | $12,400–$24,600 | $13,753 | $25,710 |
Buffet meal with a 10% buffer: 7 oz cooked protein, three 4.5 oz sides, 1.5 rolls and 1.25 desserts per adult; 2 drinks the first hour and 1 per hour after (4 hours).
| Guests | Protein (raw) | Each side | Rolls | Dessert | Drinks | Ice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 12 lb (17 raw) | 8 lb each | 42 pieces | 35 servings | 138 | 38 lb |
| 50 | 24 lb (34 raw) | 15 lb each | 83 pieces | 69 servings | 276 | 75 lb |
| 100 | 48 lb (69 raw) | 31 lb each | 166 pieces | 138 servings | 551 | 150 lb |
| 200 | 96 lb (138 raw) | 62 lb each | 331 pieces | 276 servings | 1,101 | 300 lb |
Price per guest = ingredient cost ÷ target food cost %. Labor, rentals and service charge are added on top.
| Ingredients/guest | At 28% | At 30% | At 33% | At 35% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5 | $17.86 | $16.67 | $15.15 | $14.29 |
| $8 | $28.57 | $26.67 | $24.24 | $22.86 |
| $10 | $35.71 | $33.33 | $30.30 | $28.57 |
| $12 | $42.86 | $40.00 | $36.36 | $34.29 |
| $15 | $53.57 | $50.00 | $45.45 | $42.86 |
| $20 | $71.43 | $66.67 | $60.61 | $57.14 |
| $25 | $89.29 | $83.33 | $75.76 | $71.43 |
| Role | Ratio | Billed rate |
|---|---|---|
| Server — plated | 1 per 10–12 guests | $35–$50/h |
| Server — family style | 1 per 15 guests | $35–$50/h |
| Server — buffet / stations | 1 per 20–25 guests | $35–$50/h |
| Server — passed appetizers | 1 per 15–20 guests | $35–$50/h |
| Bartender — full bar | 1 per 35–50 guests | $40–$60/h |
| Bartender — beer & wine | 1 per 50–75 guests | $40–$60/h |
BLS median wages (May 2024): servers $16.23/h, bartenders $16.12/h, cooks $17.19/h. Billed rates include payroll costs and margin.
Price from your full cost, then sanity-check food cost. For 100 guests with $12 of ingredients per guest (+10% waste), 16 prep hours and 4 staff for 6 hours at $18/h plus 15% payroll costs, $360 of rentals and travel and 15% overhead, total cost is $2,884 ($28.84 per guest). For a 20% profit margin, charge $2,884 ÷ 0.80 = $3,605 — $36.05 per guest. Food is then 36.6% of the price, slightly above the 28–35% target, so this menu could support a higher price.
Per-person menu ranges come from 2026 catering price guides and Thumbtack data; wedding figures from The Knot; staffing ratios from event-staffing guides; wages from the BLS; tax from the Tax Foundation. The staff model bills each server for the event plus 2 hours of setup and breakdown. Every table on this page is generated by the same code as the calculator. Prices are national averages, not quotes.
Planning portions dish by dish? Try the catering quantity calculator. Caterer or venue? We build branded quote calculators for your website.
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