Per person, by the tray, or both
A catering menu has to answer the client’s first question, which is always some version of “what will this cost for my number of people?” How you price decides how easily they can answer it.
| Format | How it is priced | Best for | State clearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Packages | Per person | Office lunches, weddings, anything with a head count | Minimum guests, what is included |
| Trays | Per tray, with “serves 10 to 12” | Drop-off orders, parties at home | How many a tray feeds |
| Stations or buffet | Per person, often with a staff fee | Larger events | Service time, staff count |
| Boxed meals | Per box | Meetings, field crews | What is in the box, dietary options |
Many caterers show packages first and trays second, so the client who has a head count and the one who has a table to fill both find a price.
The structure, top to bottom
- Packages: two or three, named by what they are (“Working lunch,” “Buffet dinner”), each with its per-person price and what it includes.
- Trays and platters: the dishes you are known for, each with how many it feeds.
- Add-ons: dessert, a salad, extra protein, each with its price.
- Drinks: by the gallon or per person, if you offer them.
- Service: staff by the hour, setup, rentals, what the client provides.
- Terms: minimum order, notice needed, delivery area and fee, deposit and cancellation.
The printed layout of that structure, set as a real per-person price list, is the catering menu template.
The per-person math, as a worked example
This is an example with made-up round numbers, to show the method, not a price to charge. Say a lunch package includes a sandwich, a side salad, a cookie, and a drink, and one guest’s share of those costs you $7.20 in food.
- Food to price: at a 30 percent food cost target (an example, not a benchmark), $7.20 ÷ 0.30 = $24.00 per person.
- Disposables: plates, napkins, and utensils, say $0.60 per person, bring it to $24.60.
- Round it: $25 per person, with a 15-guest minimum.
- Charge the job separately: delivery by distance, and staff by the hour if they stay to serve.
Keeping delivery and staff as separate lines keeps the per-person price comparable from job to job. For the thinking behind a food cost target, see menu pricing strategy.
Minimums, notice, and the fine print
The terms are where catering goes wrong, and writing them on the menu saves a phone call per order. Put them where the client will see them before they call: a minimum order or guest count, how much notice you need (and what a rush costs, if you take them), where you deliver and the fee, what comes with the order, and how deposits and cancellations work. Check your state and local rules on any service charge before you add one, and say plainly whether it goes to staff.
Label the food, not just the menu
A drop-off order has no server to answer questions. The menu the client read a week ago is not on the buffet table, so the labels have to do its job. Put a small card in front of each tray with the dish name and its allergens, mark the vegetarian and gluten-free trays plainly, and pack the special-request meals separately with the guest’s name on the lid.
On the menu itself, tag each dish with its dietary notes the same way, so the client can count how many vegetarian or gluten-free guests the order covers before they place it. Ask for those counts in writing with the order, and repeat them back on the confirmation.
One standing menu, and a proposal for the big ones
Keep one catering menu that anyone can open from your website or a link in an email, with packages, trays, and terms. For a wedding or a large corporate event, write a proposal with the exact dishes, the count, the timeline, and the total. The menu gets you the inquiry; the proposal gets the signature. Events you host in your own dining room are a different job, with their own guide to private event menus, and a coursed set menu for a group is in prix fixe and tasting menus.
What Gaslamp does and does not do
In Gaslamp, the catering menu is its own menu with its own link, QR code, and print-ready PDF, kept separate from the dining room menu. Packages, trays, and add-ons are items, and a tray sold in two sizes carries both as labeled prices on one line; the note under each section heading (up to 120 characters) holds “Per person, 15 guest minimum” or “Serves 10 to 12.” When a tray price changes, edit it on your phone and the link you sent is right about thirty seconds after you save. A separate catering menu needs a paid plan; the trial includes one live menu.
Gaslamp does not take catering orders, send invoices, collect deposits, or write proposals. It keeps the menu clients read right. How caterers run the rest is on menus for caterers.