How to Price Event Catering: Buffets, Hog Roasts & Per-Head Quotes

Corporate lunches, birthday buffets, hog roasts, festival stalls — event catering spans a huge range of formats, and each one prices differently. A flat per-head rate that works for a finger buffet will lose you money on a hog roast and overprice a drop-off lunch. This guide shows how UK caterers set prices across the common event formats, what markup to aim for, and how to avoid the costing mistakes that quietly eat your margin.

Markup vs margin: get the language right first

"Markup" and "margin" are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing, and confusing them is how caterers undercharge.

• Food cost percentage is your ingredient cost as a share of the selling price. Most caterers target 25–35%.
• Markup is how much you add on top of cost. A 200% markup on a £6 ingredient cost gives a £18 selling price (cost × 3).
• Margin is profit as a share of the selling price. That same £18 price on a £6 cost is a 67% gross margin.

The practical rule: decide your target food cost percentage, then divide. If your ingredient cost is £6 and you want a 30% food cost, your price is £6 ÷ 0.30 = £20. Our food cost formula guide explains the arithmetic in full, and the catering cost per head calculator runs it across a whole menu.

Pricing by event format

Different formats carry different cost structures. Here is how the common ones typically break down.

Buffets

Buffets are usually the most economical format to deliver — guests serve themselves, so front-of-house staffing is lower. Typical per-head ranges run from around £15 for a simple finger buffet to £50 for a generous hot-and-cold spread. The risk with buffets is portioning: people take more from a self-service spread, so build a realistic over-portion allowance into your ingredient costs or you will run short and lose margin replacing food.

Hog roasts

Hog roasts price differently because the cost is dominated by the centrepiece. A whole hog, the roasting equipment, fuel, and the chef time to cook it for hours are largely fixed regardless of guest count — which means the per-head cost falls sharply as numbers rise. Price a hog roast as a base cost (animal, equipment, fuel, labour) plus a per-head charge for accompaniments and service, rather than a flat per-head rate. At small guest counts the fixed cost makes a low per-head price unviable; at large counts the economics improve fast.

Drop-off and corporate lunches

Drop-off catering — platters delivered, no on-site service — has the lowest service overhead but the tightest margins, because clients compare it directly against supermarket platters. Price on food cost plus delivery and a handling margin. Corporate clients value reliability and clean invoicing over the lowest price, so compete on dependability, not pennies.

Served / plated events

Plated service is the most staff-intensive format and prices highest per head. The same cost-then-divide method applies, but staffing, hire (crockery, glassware, linen) and a longer service window all push the non-food costs up. For the wedding end of this spectrum, see our wedding catering pricing guide.

A worked example

A client wants a hot-and-cold buffet for 60 guests:

• Ingredient cost (including over-portion allowance): £12 per head
• Target food cost 30% → food price £40 per head
• Delivery, set-up, light service, contingency: £6 per head
• Quoted price: roughly £46 per head, or about £2,760 for 60 guests

The same discipline applies to every format: start from your real ingredient cost per head, divide by your target food cost percentage, then add the non-food costs that format demands.

Common event-pricing mistakes

• One flat per-head rate for every format. A hog roast and a finger buffet have completely different cost shapes. Price each format on its own structure.
• Ignoring fixed costs at low guest counts. Equipment, travel and minimum labour do not shrink when the booking does. Set a minimum order value so small events stay profitable.
• Forgetting allergens and dietaries. Every event needs accurate allergen information. Building the menu's allergen matrix takes time, and alternative dishes add cost — the allergen matrix generator speeds up the chart.
• Quoting from memory. Re-cost every menu. Ingredient prices move, and last year's price is rarely this year's cost.

Make pricing repeatable

The caterers who price profitably are not the ones who guess well — they are the ones who cost every menu the same way every time. Set your target food cost percentage, cost the actual menu, add the format-specific service costs, and present a clear breakdown. When the booking is confirmed, the guide to quoting for catering events and the catering invoice template guide take you from quote to paid invoice.

Per-head figures in this guide are typical UK ranges for guidance only, not fixed rates. Always price from your own costs and target margin.