Running brunch catering: how much do you charge per guest, and how do you put that in your quote?

Brunch catering calls for different maths to a drinks reception or a walking dinner: guests stay longer, eat in several rounds, and expect a wide spread from sweet to savoury. For you as a caterer that means a different approach to buying, set-up and pricing. In this article you'll read how much to charge per guest for a brunch, which items to include as standard, and how to turn that into a clear quote.

Why brunch calls for different maths

A brunch often runs two to three hours, and in that time guests eat several times instead of sitting down to eat once. On top of that, almost everyone expects a wide spread: sweet next to savoury, hot next to cold, and enough choice to put together their own plate. That means you don't plan for one portion per guest, but for several smaller items that together make a meal.

Rule-of-thumb amounts per category

• Bread and pastries: 2 to 3 pieces per guest, split between savoury (sandwiches, quiche) and sweet (croissants, muffins).
• Hot dishes (eggs, bacon, pancakes): 1 to 2 portions per guest. This is usually the item guests queue longest for.
• Fruit, yoghurt and dairy: 1 portion per guest, as a lighter alternative alongside the rest.
• Drinks: plan 2 to 3 cups of coffee or tea per guest, and 1 to 2 glasses of orange juice. At a festive brunch, 1 to 2 glasses of fizz per guest are often added to that.

Add a 10 per cent margin on top of these amounts. At a brunch, people go back to the buffet for more rounds more often than at a drinks reception, so a slightly too tight calculation shows up faster.

The type of brunch changes the build-up

A corporate brunch squeezed between two meetings calls for a more compact, faster offering: fewer items, easy to eat by hand, and no alcohol. A festive brunch, for example after a wedding ceremony or at a birthday, can be more elaborate and relaxed, with a seated part, fizz and a dessert item alongside the pastries. Always ask at the intake what kind of brunch it is, that shapes the numbers just as much as the guest count itself.

From rule of thumb to quote line

Group the items in your quote by category (bread and pastries, hot, fruit and dairy, drinks) instead of as one long list of separate items. That way the customer sees at a glance where the budget goes. Price per item or per portion, multiply by the number of guests and the rule of thumb for that category, and put the margin on its own line instead of hiding it in the unit price.

If you run brunches often, set these four categories up as standard lines in your quote template, with a separate tick box for the festive add-on (fizz, dessert). That way you only adjust the amounts per request instead of rebuilding the whole quote.

Don't want to work out your brunch quotes from scratch every time? Try Catermonkey for free and set your categories up once as standard quote lines.

Frequently asked questions

How much bread and pastries do you plan per guest at a brunch?

2 to 3 pieces per guest, split between savoury and sweet, so there's a choice for everyone.

How many hot dishes do you plan per guest?

1 to 2 portions per guest. This is usually the most popular item, so don't plan too tightly here.

How much coffee, tea and orange juice do you plan?

2 to 3 cups of coffee or tea per guest, and 1 to 2 glasses of orange juice. At a festive brunch, 1 to 2 glasses of fizz per guest are often added to that.

Does the maths change for a corporate brunch versus a festive brunch?

Yes. A corporate brunch calls for fewer items and no alcohol, a festive brunch can be more elaborate with a seated part, fizz and a dessert item.

Do you add a margin on top of the amounts?

Yes, add 10 per cent extra. Guests often go back to the buffet for more rounds at a brunch, so a tight calculation shows up faster than at a drinks reception.

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