EDGEUCATION: Catering Budget Fundamentals ECAT101 - How to Build a Realistic Catering Budget

If you’re just starting to think about your catering budget, you’re probably wondering: Where do I even begin? Don’t worry—you’re not alone, and you’re in the right place. Let’s break it down in a clear, realistic way.

1. THINK BIG PICTURE

When you hire a full-service catering company, it’s important to understand that your catering budget covers far more than just the food on the plate.

Catering typically includes food, drinks (if applicable), staffing, rentals, gratuity, and taxes. At a high level, here’s what that looks like:

• Food
  Straightforward — but it’s only one piece of the overall budget.

• Drinks
  Some venues offer in-house bar services. If we’re managing the bar, we take care of everything: liquor licensing, sourcing alcohol, mixers, garnishes, bar equipment, and professional service.

• Staffing
  Staffing includes servers, bartenders, chefs, and event supervisors—but what many people don’t realize is that staffing hours extend well beyond guest-facing event time.

• Some team members begin their shifts at our catering headquarters, loading equipment and food, transporting it to the venue, and returning post-event to unload and reset.

• Other staff arrive on-site approximately 1.5 hours before guests for prep and setup and stay through service, breakdown, and close-out.

• Rentals
  These are not décor rentals. Catering rentals include all back-of-house and service-related items such as ovens, stoves, prep tables, plates, cutlery, glassware, and bar equipment.

A full-service catering proposal bundles all of these elements—food, drinks, staffing, rentals, gratuity, and taxes—into one comprehensive plan. Understanding this upfront is key, otherwise it’s easy to experience sticker shock when proposals land in your inbox.

3. WORK WITH A CATERER WHO EDUCATES - NOT ALIENATES

Many of the catering proposals requests we receive come from people planning their first-ever wedding or event. They often have no idea what things actually cost—and that’s completely normal.

It’s not a client’s job to know the industry. It’s our job to educate, guide, and help you understand what’s realistic so you can make informed decisions that align with your finances.

Let’s be honest—many people have champagne taste on a beer budget. A strong catering sales and events team will help you navigate your options, explain where costs are fixed, and show you where flexibility exists. Our role is to help you understand:

• What your dream vision actually costs

• Where you can save money

• How to prioritize what matters most to you

Whether you’re planning your first event or your tenth, our goal is to build trust through transparency and create a catering experience that feels aligned, achievable, and exciting—not intimidating.

2. START WITH FOOD PER PERSON

The simplest place to start when building a catering budget is food cost per guest.

A helpful exercise is to think about what you might spend at a restaurant for a comparable meal. For a very cost-effective restaurant experience, you might expect something like:

• $20 for an appetizer

• $40 for an entrée

• $15 for dessert

That brings you to $75 per person for food alone.

So the big question becomes: How do I estimate staffing, rentals, taxes, and gratuity?

A Helpful Rule of Thumb

Take your food cost… and double it.

This is a solid starting point to account for staffing, rentals, gratuity, and taxes. There’s no one-size-fits-all quote, and a good caterer will always walk you through the details, but using this guideline will help you build a more realistic budget from the start.

This doesn’t mean your final number can’t go up or down—but keeping this rule in mind helps you avoid under-budgeting. (Note: destination weddings and events will typically exceed this guideline due to added staffing travel time and increased rental delivery costs.)

Let’s Connect!

If you’re unsure where to start, totally in the dark on pricing, or just want a realistic conversation about your event vision — we’d love to help.

Reach out to our sales and events team at hello@edgecatering.ca and let’s start building a catering plan that actually makes sense for you.

Photography by: Mathias Fast & Lumina Weddings & Events - Rentals: Pedersen’s Event Rentals