Enter guests, food cost, staff and rentals to get a price per person, the event total and your margin.
By Rob Bruni, founder of OpsEdge Hospitality, twenty years running restaurants, bars, clubs and resorts. Updated November 2026.
Enter your guest count, what the food costs you per guest, your staff and your rentals. The calculator returns a menu price per person at your target food cost, the full event total with service charge and tax, and how much the event contributes after its direct costs. Change any number to see the result move.
| Food sales | $3,360.00 |
| Beverage sales | $1,440.00 |
| Service charge | $960.00 |
| Rentals billed | $480.00 |
| Revenue before tax | $6,240.00 |
| Sales tax | $499.20 |
| Direct costs (food, beverage, labor, rentals) | $2,706.80 |
| Contribution after direct costs | $3,533.20 |
Healthy. This event leaves room to cover overhead and profit.
Contribution is revenue before tax minus the direct costs of this event. It still has to cover your kitchen management, rent, insurance, vehicles, marketing and profit. The calculator applies sales tax to all revenue including the service charge, which is not how every state works. Check your state's rules.
The example loaded above: a buffet dinner for 80
These are the same numbers as the worked invoice in our catering invoice template, so you can follow one event from price to bill.
| Input | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|
| Food cost per guest | Cost every item on the menu from recipe cards, multiply by the portions per guest, and add 5 to 10 percent for overproduction on buffets. The recipe costing guide shows how. |
| Target food cost | We plan catering at 25 to 35 percent. Plated dinners with premium proteins run higher. Drop off lunches run lower. |
| Bar package price | Price by the hour and by the tier. The event bar calculator gives the drinks, kegs and bottles to cost it. |
| Event staff and hours | Include travel, setup and breakdown. A common starting point is one server per 20 to 25 guests for a buffet, one per 10 to 15 for plated, and one bartender per 50 to 75 guests. |
| Kitchen prep hours | The extra hours this event adds in the kitchen, including packing and loading. |
| Loaded labor cost | The hourly wage plus payroll taxes and benefits, which add roughly 18 to 22 percent. |
| Rentals and other costs | Linens, china, equipment, disposables, delivery, venue fees. Add a markup if you manage the rentals yourself. |
| Service charge | Usually 18 to 25 percent of food and beverage. State on the proposal that it is not a gratuity. |
Most caterers use all three: packages for speed, cost plus for anything custom, and a minimum under both. The private events and catering pricing guide covers minimums, deposits and guarantees in detail.
There is no single right number, because overhead differs so much between a restaurant catering from its own kitchen and a full time caterer with a commissary and trucks. As a working rule, we want an event to contribute at least 40 percent of its revenue after direct costs. Below about 35 percent, a single surprise (overtime, a broken rental, ten extra guests fed for free) can turn the event into a loss.
The Wedding and Event Package Pricing Calculator quotes an event in ten minutes with packages, per guest cost, service charge and grand total. The Catering and Events Management Bundle adds the lead pipeline, BEO, packing list, run sheet, proposal and contract.
See the Event Pricing Calculator See the Catering BundleAdd up the food cost per guest from your recipe costs, then divide by your target food cost percent. Food that costs $12.60 a guest at a 30 percent target is priced at $42 a guest. Add beverage, staffing, rentals, a service charge and tax to get the all in price.
Many caterers plan for 25 to 35 percent of the food price, lower than a typical restaurant menu, because catering carries extra labor, transport and equipment costs.
It depends on the menu and service style. Cost your menu per guest, divide by your target food cost, and add staff, rentals and service charge. With food costing $12.60 a guest, a 30 percent target, an $18 bar package and a 20 percent service charge, 100 guests comes to about $7,200 before rentals and tax.
Usually 18 to 25 percent of food and beverage. It covers the cost of running the event and is not a gratuity unless you say so. Many states tax it.
A common starting point is one server for every 20 to 25 guests at a buffet, one for every 10 to 15 guests at a plated dinner, and one bartender for every 50 to 75 guests, plus kitchen staff and a lead.
Many do, typically 10 to 25 percent, to cover the time spent ordering, receiving, counting and returning them and the risk of breakage. Others pass rentals through at cost and rely on the service charge.
