Short answer: the 2026 median is €55 per guest (net). Half of all catering quotes fall between €26 and €107 per person — a huge range, which is exactly why generic guide articles are useless here. These are real numbers instead.
Data basis: over 1,300 anonymised catering and event quotes created between January and June 2026 in Univents (caterers, event venues and agencies, DACH region). Outliers above €500 per guest and quotes without a plausible guest count were removed; all values are net. Aggregates only, no individual data.
Catering cost per person by event size
| Guests | Median | Lower half from (P25) | Upper half up to (P75) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10–30 | €38 | €23 | €91 |
| 31–60 | €58 | €26 | €113 |
| 61–100 | €67 | €28 | €117 |
| 101–200 | €59 | €37 | €99 |
| 200+ | €49 | €24 | €103 |
Two patterns stand out:
- Cost per guest rises up to roughly 100 guests. Small events (10–30 guests) are often deliveries or finger food with little service. From 60–100 guests, staff, equipment, logistics and tech come in — the service share per guest grows faster than food cost per unit falls.
- Economies of scale kick in above ~100 guests. Food cost and staff utilisation get more efficient; the median drops from €67 to €59 (101–200 guests) and €49 (200+).
To price your own event against these numbers, the catering calculator works food cost, staff and margin up to a sell price.
The VAT reality: almost every quote carries two rates
Across all analysed quote line items, net volume splits like this (German VAT):
- 57 % at 19 % VAT — drinks, service staff, equipment, tech
- 41 % at 7 % VAT — food delivered or picked up without service
- ~2 % at Austrian rates (20 %/10 %)
In practice a catering quote always shows both rates separately. Quote with a single rate and the invoice becomes a problem later. The free catering quote generator handles the 7/19 split automatically per line item; for plain net/gross conversion there is the hospitality VAT calculator.
How extensive is a typical quote?
The average catering quote in our data has 14 line items — menus, drinks packages, staff hours, equipment, travel. That is why quoting without a product catalogue eats so much time: 14 items means looking up a price, assigning a VAT rate and calculating — 14 times. How caterers digitise the whole quoting process: Univents catering software.
Frequently asked questions
How much does catering cost per person in 2026?
A median of €55 net per guest (based on over 1,300 quotes, Jan–Jun 2026). The middle half sits between €26 and €107 — depending on event size, service share and menu level. Small deliveries start around €23–38; full-service events with 61–100 guests sit at a median of €67.
Why is per-head catering most expensive at mid-sized events?
Up to about 100 guests, the service share (staff, equipment, logistics) per guest grows faster than food costs fall with volume. Above ~100 guests it flips: staff and production utilise better, and the median drops from €67 to €49–59.
Which VAT rate applies to catering quotes in Germany?
Almost always both rates in the same quote: in our data, 57 % of net volume at 19 % and 41 % at 7 %. Drinks and anything involving staff or equipment carry 19 %; plain food delivery carries 7 %.