Catering Cost Per Person Calculator

Italian catering costs per person (2025–2026): aperitivo only €18–35, buffet lunch €35–55, seated dinner (3 courses) €55–90, seated wedding dinner (5 courses + drinks) €90–150, luxury banqueting €150–250+. These include food, service staff, and typically crockery/linen hire. Venue hire and entertainment are usually separate.

A complete Italian catering quote includes: (1) Food cost — ingredients for all courses, (2) Beverages — wine, prosecco, soft drinks, (3) Staff — camerieri, bartenders, capo sala, cuochi, (4) Equipment hire — tables, chairs, linen, crockery if not included, (5) Logistics — delivery, setup, breakdown, (6) Overheads — insurance, transport, (7) Profit margin. Use this calculator to model each component.

For professional Italian catering companies, food cost typically runs 30–38% of the total quote price. Staff cost is 25–35%, equipment/logistics 10–15%, and profit margin 15–25%. At lower price points (below €50/person), food cost % must be tightly controlled to maintain profitability.

Pricing formula: Total Cost per Person = Food + Staff + Equipment + Overhead. Then: Quote Price = Total Cost / (1 − Target Margin %). For a 20% margin: if total cost is €64/person, quote €80. Review your actual costs after each event and adjust future quotes accordingly.

Practices vary. Many Italian caterers provide an 'open bar' package (vino, acqua, caffè inclusi) within the per-person price. Spirits and premium wines are often billed separately. Always clarify in your contract whether beverage service is included, unlimited or capped at a certain consumption level.

Most Italian catering companies have a minimum order of 20–30 guests, as the fixed costs of delivery, setup and a minimum kitchen brigade make smaller events uneconomical. For very small events (under 20 guests), look at restaurant buy-out options or ready-to-serve traiteur platters instead.