Catering Cost Calculator

About this calculator

Catering budgets are rarely just “price per plate times guest count” — the real total is (per-person rate × guest count) plus the extras that caterers commonly add on top: service staff fees, delivery or setup charges, equipment rental, taxes, and a gratuity or service charge that’s often 18-22% of the food subtotal. Leaving any of those out is the single most common way event budgets go over.

Event planners and anyone organizing a wedding, corporate event or large party use this fuller calculation specifically to avoid the sticker shock of a final invoice that’s noticeably higher than the quoted per-person price, since caterers typically quote the base food cost up front and itemize service fees separately. Knowing the true per-person cost — food plus every add-on divided by guest count — is also what lets planners compare quotes from different caterers on a genuinely apples-to-apples basis.

Enter the per-person rate, guest count and any additional fees, and this calculator returns the total catering cost and the true cost per person including everything.