Template

Catering Pricing & Capacity Planner

Interactive template to estimate per-event costs and profitability for catering: captures guest counts, menu and per‑person costs, labor, travel and equipment needs, fixed vs variable costs, minimum-order rules, distance surcharges, and produces suggested per-person and per-event pricing. Submissions are saved so teams can reuse, compare and learn.

Interactive Tool

Catering Pricing & Capacity Planner

Use this planner to build a clear, repeatable estimate for off-premise events. Enter event details, menu and staffing assumptions, travel and fixed expenses, then use the simple formulas in each help note to calculate total cost and a suggested price that hits your margin target. Save the estimate so your team can compare events, learn where margins slip, and standardize decision rules such as minimum order sizes and distance surcharges.

Fields marked required are key to consistent estimates. Review the help text on each item for quick formulas.

A short descriptive name to identify the event (e.g., 'Company Holiday Lunch - 12/15').
Optional: date for scheduling and capacity planning.
Where will the event be held? Useful for routing/time estimates.
Enter the guaranteed guest count used to cost the event. If there is a range, use the guaranteed or lowest number for conservative costing.
Select the package that best matches the client's choice. If you choose 'Custom', fill per-person cost fields below.
Enter the ingredient cost per person for the selected package. Formula hint: sum ingredient cost for each portion / number served.
Include non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverage costs allocated per guest if charged by you or included in package.
Plates, cutlery, boxes, napkins per guest.
Any other costs that scale with guest count (e.g., condiments packets, extra garnishes).
If you provide servers, capture their counts and hours below. Otherwise set counts to zero and leave hourly rates blank if not applicable.
Count of servers provided to the event.
Include on-site time plus reasonable travel, setup and cleanup time per server.
Include wages, payroll taxes, benefits and any employer burden. Server labor = numberOfServers * hoursPerServer * serverHourlyRate.
Cooks/prep staff assigned to the event off-site or for production.
Total hours each kitchen staff works for the event (prep + cook + cleanup).
Hourly loaded cost for kitchen labor. Kitchen labor = numberOfKitchenStaff * kitchenHours * kitchenHourlyRate.
Used to calculate travel cost and distance-based surcharges.
Use a realistic per-mile rate to cover fuel, wear, insurance; or leave blank and enter vehicleFixedCost below.
If you charge a flat delivery fee instead of per-mile, enter it here.
Rental or allocation cost for any rented equipment, warmers, transport kits or dedicated truck usage.
Flat fee to cover time and materials for setup/cleanup not captured by hourly staff rates.
Any other fixed costs allocated to the event (e.g., permit fees, parking, vendor fees).
Suggested: allocate 5–20% for general overhead (utilities, rent share, admin). Apply to total of food + labor + fixed costs. Enter as percent (e.g., 12).
Target margin to set price. Use percent (e.g., 30). Suggested price formula in the help note below.
If you require a minimum guest count for a package, enter it here. If booked below minimum, apply minimum-order pricing or additional fee.
Enter per-mile surcharge applied beyond a free threshold. Alternatively, use vehicleFixedCost for flat fees.
Number of miles included in base price before distance surcharge applies.
If your process calculates this externally, enter the surcharge here. Otherwise compute: max(0, travelDistanceMiles - surchargeFreeMiles) * distanceSurchargePerMile.
Notes on truck/kit allocation, route assumptions, whether the event fits within current equipment capacity, or if additional runs are required.
Quick formula to compute: numberOfGuests * (baseFoodCostPerPerson + beverageCostPerPerson + disposablesCostPerPerson + otherVariableCostPerPerson).
Quick formula: (numberOfServers * hoursPerServer * serverHourlyRate) + (numberOfKitchenStaff * kitchenHours * kitchenHourlyRate).
Sum of equipmentRental + setupCleanupFixedCost + fixedCostsOther + vehicleFixedCost if applicable.
Guideline formula: Suggested price = totalEventCost / numberOfGuests. To hit margin: suggested price = totalCost / (1 - desiredGrossMarginPercent/100). Total cost = variable + labor + fixed + overhead + appliedSurcharge. Compute externally or enter your calculated value here.
The per-person price you propose/quote to the client. Ensure it covers minimums and surcharges.
Enter the final total to be billed. If you quote per person but charge a minimum, ensure billingCount reflects the higher of guaranteed guest count or minimum order size.
Capture any internal rules applied to this quote (e.g., sales lead approval required if margin < 18%, or additional truck required if guest count > 200).
Quick status so teams know next steps.
Anything else worth capturing about menu substitutions, supplier constraints, allergen notes, or one-time discounts.
You can explore this tool now. Sign in or create an account to save your responses and return to them later.
Sign In to Save Create an Account
Make this tool part of your work

Save a personal copy, bring it to your team, or tailor the questions and workflow to fit what you are hungry to improve.

Member customization and team collaboration are coming soon.
Discuss Ask the Librarian

Discussion

Comments and conversation will live here.