How to Price a Buffet (UK)
Buffet specifics: quantity per head, the replenishment problem, and why buffets are cheaper to staff than plated service.
The short answer
Price a buffet by costing the food at realistic quantities per head, adding the staff needed to set up and replenish, then dividing by guest count and applying your margin. Buffets are usually cheaper to staff than plated service, but they are easy to under-cost because guests serve themselves and portions are not controlled.
Step by step
- Set your quantity per head honestly. Allow around 400g to 500g of food per head for a substantial finger buffet, more for a fork buffet meal. Under-catering costs you the client, over-catering costs you the margin.
- Cost the replenishment, not just the first pass. A buffet that runs for two hours needs topping up. Cost what actually goes out, not what appears on the table at the start.
- Staff for setup and service, not full table service. This is where buffets save money against plated meals, so do not carry plated staffing assumptions across.
- Add display and hire. Chafers, boards, tongs, and linen. Presentation is much of what a buffet is being judged on.
- Divide by guests and apply margin. Then check your food cost percentage sits in the usual 25 to 35 percent band.
Worked example: a 60 guest finger buffet
A two hour drinks reception buffet with one chef and one server.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Food at 450g a head | £465.00 |
| Prep, 4 hours at £14 | £56.00 |
| On site, 2 staff x 4 hours at £14 | £112.00 |
| Travel | £45.00 |
| Hire, chafers and linen | £55.00 |
| Total event cost | £733.00 |
| Cost per head | £12.22 |
| Quoted at 50% margin | £24.43 per head |
Costing only the food would have suggested £7.75 a head, and a £15 quote would have looked comfortable while actually returning under 20 percent.
Why it matters
Buffet quantities are the easiest thing in catering to get wrong, in both directions. Costing the real quantity and the real staffing once, then reusing it, turns a guess into a repeatable quote.