{
  "slug": "catering-per-head-cost-calculator",
  "title": "Wedding Catering Per-Head Cost Calculator",
  "heading": "Catering Per-Head Cost Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/catering-per-head-cost-calculator",
  "summary": "Turn food, labor, rentals, and service style into a defensible per-plate price.",
  "description": "Per-head pricing has to absorb more than raw food cost. This calculator adds food cost per plate, staff-to-guest labor cost, rental items (plates, glassware, linens if not separately billed), and a service-style multiplier for plated versus buffet versus family-style, then applies your target food-cost percentage — most full-service caterers target 28%-35% food cost against menu price, with the rest covering labor, overhead, and profit.",
  "formula": "Price per head = (food cost + labor per head + rental per head) ÷ target food-cost %.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=catering-per-head-cost-calculator",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "foodCost",
      "label": "Raw food cost per guest",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 22,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "guestCount",
      "label": "Guest count",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 120,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 10,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "staffCount",
      "label": "Service staff on shift",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 6,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "staffHours",
      "label": "Hours per staff member",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 6,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "staffRate",
      "label": "Staff rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 26,
      "unit": "$/hr",
      "min": 10,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "rentalPerHead",
      "label": "Rental items per head",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 4,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "targetFoodPct",
      "label": "Target food-cost percentage",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 30,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 15,
      "max": 50
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "pricePerHead",
      "label": "Price per head to quote",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "laborPerHead",
      "label": "Labor cost per head",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "costPerHead",
      "label": "Total cost per head",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "totalRevenue",
      "label": "Total event revenue",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "totalCost",
      "label": "Total event cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Raw food cost per guest: 22 $",
      "Guest count: 120",
      "Service staff on shift: 6",
      "Hours per staff member: 6",
      "Staff rate: 26 $/hr",
      "Rental items per head: 4 $",
      "Target food-cost percentage: 30 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Price per head to quote: $73.33",
      "Labor cost per head: $7.80",
      "Total cost per head: $33.80",
      "Total event revenue: $8,800",
      "Total event cost: $4,056"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter raw food cost per guest ($).",
      "Enter guest count.",
      "Enter service staff on shift.",
      "Enter hours per staff member.",
      "Enter staff rate ($/hr).",
      "Enter rental items per head ($).",
      "Enter target food-cost percentage (%).",
      "Read your price per head to quote on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "foodCost": 13,
        "guestCount": 70,
        "staffCount": 4,
        "staffHours": 3.5999999999999996,
        "staffRate": 16,
        "rentalPerHead": 2.4,
        "targetFoodPct": 18
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "foodCost": 22,
        "guestCount": 120,
        "staffCount": 6,
        "staffHours": 6,
        "staffRate": 26,
        "rentalPerHead": 4,
        "targetFoodPct": 30
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "foodCost": 35,
        "guestCount": 190,
        "staffCount": 10,
        "staffHours": 9.600000000000001,
        "staffRate": 42,
        "rentalPerHead": 6.4,
        "targetFoodPct": 48
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Why price off food-cost percentage instead of cost-plus?",
      "a": "Food-cost percentage automatically scales the price to cover labor, overhead, and profit proportionally as ingredient prices move, which is why restaurants and caterers both use it. A straight cost-plus-fixed-margin model breaks down when a menu item's ingredient cost spikes (beef, seafood) because the dollar margin stays flat instead of scaling."
    },
    {
      "q": "What food-cost percentage should I target?",
      "a": "28%-32% is standard for full-service plated dinners; buffet and family-style can run slightly lower (25%-28%) because portion control is easier and less goes to waste per guest. Passed hors d'oeuvres-only events often run higher, 35%-40%, because small-format prep is labor-intensive relative to food cost."
    },
    {
      "q": "How many staff do I need per 100 guests?",
      "a": "Plated service typically runs one server per 12-16 guests plus kitchen staff; buffet service can go to one server per 20-25 guests since guests self-serve. Bar staff are usually separate: one bartender per 75-100 guests for a standard open bar."
    },
    {
      "q": "Should rentals be itemized separately on the invoice?",
      "a": "Many caterers fold basic place settings into the per-head price but itemize upgraded china, specialty linens, and furniture separately, since those costs vary a lot by client choice and itemizing avoids absorbing an upsell into your base margin."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/event-staffing-cost-calculator",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/wedding-cake-markup-calculator",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/wedding-vendor-profit-margin-calculator"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Wedding Catering Per-Head Cost Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/catering-per-head-cost-calculator)"
}