Catering cost per person
A catered office lunch costs about $20 a person, all in, and drop-off catering runs $10 to $35 a person. Full service with staff is $45 to $120 a person.
Sources: CaterCow order data (October 2025) and ezCater (August 2026).
$250 to $875
for 25 guests at $10 to $35 a person, before tax, delivery fees and tip.
Per-person ranges from ezCater (August 2026).
Catering cost per person by service style
| Style | Per person | For 50 guests |
|---|---|---|
| Drop-off catering | $10 to $35 | $500 to $1,750 |
| Boxed lunches | $12 to $25 | $600 to $1,250 |
| Hot lunch spread | $10 to $25 | $500 to $1,250 |
| Sandwich platters with sides and drinks | $12 to $20 | $600 to $1,000 |
| Dinner buffet | $15 to $30 | $750 to $1,500 |
| White-glove plated service | $40 to $120 | $2,000 to $6,000 |
| Full-service catering | $45 to $120 | $2,250 to $6,000 |
Source: ezCater’s corporate catering cost guide, August 2026.
Average corporate catering cost by meal
| Meal | Average per person, all in |
|---|---|
| Breakfast | $17 |
| Lunch | $20 |
| Dinner | $21 |
| Happy hour | $19 |
| Snacks | $16 |
| Dessert | $8 |
Source: CaterCow, from more than 50,000 corporate orders (October 2025).
What adds to the price
- Delivery fees and service charges. Some caterers roll them into the per-person price and some add them on top, so ask for an itemized quote.
- Staff. Servers, setup and cleanup are what separate full-service catering from drop-off, and they’re most of the jump in price.
- Service style. A buffet isn’t automatically cheaper: CaterCow found buffets typically cost 11% more per person than individual boxed meals.
- Tax and tip. We suggest 15% for a delivered order. The catering tip calculator works it out.
Wedding catering
Weddings cost more per head than office catering: couples married in 2025 spent an average of $80 a person on catering, according to The Knot’s 2026 Real Weddings Study. Plated dinners, stations and full bar service all push the price up.
How a pizza lunch compares
Pizza is the budget option for a team. If a large pizza costs $18 where you order (an example; use your own price), 25 people need 11 large pizzas: $7.92 a person, or $9.11 with a 15% tip. Put your own numbers in the pizza calculator’s office mode, or read our guides to office catering and office lunch catering. For how much food to order, use the catering calculator.
Questions people ask
What is the average catering cost per person?
How much does catering cost for 50 people?
$500 to $1,750 for drop-off catering and $2,250 to $6,000 for full service, before tax and tip, using ezCater’s per-person ranges. A boxed lunch for 50 is $600 to $1,250.
How much does catering cost for 100 people?
$1,000 to $3,500 for drop-off catering and $4,500 to $12,000 for full service, before tax and tip. Change the headcount in the calculator above for your number.
Is a buffet cheaper than boxed lunches?
Not usually. CaterCow’s order data found buffets typically cost 11% more per person than individual boxed meals.