Budgeting for food and beverage for a party can depend on how much you want to spend or what you want to serve.
Your guest list will guide you as you plan your catering, based on who’s coming and whether they have champagne tastes or more down-to-earth expectations. Remember, kids will want fun, familiar foods, such as pizza, dogs and chicken fingers.
Meet with your caterer or potential caterers to review menus. A caterer can quickly take your guest list and your spending limit and determine which menu would be most appropriate for a first draft of your plan. Most caterers will have multi-course menu plans and individual food items with costs for each. The more accurate an attendee number you can give your caterer, the better you can determine your food costs upfront. A menu with hot foods might require additional set-up costs, such as chafing dishes and serving staff.
Ask you caterer about non-food costs, such as skirted tables, serving dishes, utensils, glasses or cups, paper products, chafing dishes with heat sources, labor, gratuity and set-up and take-down fees. If you plan on supplying your drinks, verify whether or not the caterer will serve them.