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What is the general rule of thumb for determining the price you charge for catering.
Example: 290 people....Brisket,Pulled pork, Corn, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, dinner roll, Peach Beans, BBQ sauce, butter, Iced Tea, Lemmon Water, Coffee served on a Buffet line. We also provided salt & pepper, utensils, napkins, water/tea cups and coffee cups. The plates and utensils were plastic (but nice) and the same with the cups (Styrofoam and plastic) all throw away items. Just my wife and I doing the work.....I charged $13.10 a plate. Pretty inexpensive I think but what would a fair price be????
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There's no hard and fast rule to answer your question but I'll try to guide you as best I can.

Pork butt and brisket both yield about 50% from original weights. Assuming you provided 4 oz of each meat for the guests and the price of pork butts being $1.89/lb and brisket $3.99, it cost you $2.94 per person for the meat. Next you need to identify the per person cost of corn, potatoes, gravy, roll, beans, butter, tea & coffee. Let's say the total was $1.10. Your food and beverage total is $4.04 a serving.

Now comes the serving utensils. Let's assume the cost per person was $1.25.

Adding the food, beverage & utensil cost the total is $5.29. You sold it for $13.10. Your cost percentage is 40% Not bad. Now you must consider energy costs (food prep) transportation and labor. Let's say $3 @ person. Your total cost is $8.29 (63% Prime cost) You net profit per person was #4.81. That's REAL good.

Of course the overhead of a professional caterer incurs many more costs, which have to be recovered. Depending on how much business they do over a year, it may only account for pennies per meal.

FYI, Pappas Catering in Dallas would deliver almost the same meal for $8.05 per person.

Hope that helps some.
3 times the food costs is the general rule but....

There are so many variables.

You should learn to figure out your exact costs if you are going to do this very much. If you want help with that let me know. I taught the last CS Restaurant class how.

At a minimum total up all your costs to know your expenses.
quote:

FYI, Pappas Catering in Dallas would deliver almost the same meal for $8.05 per person.

Hope that helps some.


Great post Chris, great suggestion to compare with existing restaurants. Looks like that was for Pappas BBQ.

They have to be absorbing costs somewhere, that just sounds too cheap.
Last edited by Former Member
Yes, Pappas Bros BBQ in DFW.

The $8.05 pp doesn't include drinks ($1 - 1.25) each tea/water/soda. Nor does in include a $25 delivery fee.

I'm guessin' they aren't smoking Wagyu either. A GM at one of the DFW Rudy's told me they (and most other chains) use Select briskets and get a volume purchase allowance from SYSCO.
Clearing $4-5.00 per plate is what you can expect when you serve a product that can't be had at the big chain joints. We all have to monitor cost, and use what we have learned to serve that "Special" product our customers expect. Then, the business will take off. Anyone using an FEC or a Cookshack smoker has an advantage. I truly believe that from listening to customers over the years.. Smiler
Last edited by tnpitcrew 2

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