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At a glance

La Casserole creates exclusive dinners for private groups, whether as part of a corporate event, conference or wedding. We bring the kitchen, menu, service and tablescape to your venue, with no outside guests sharing the space. First, we confirm guest numbers and assess the venue. We then create a seasonal menu around dietary requirements, check power, water and space for the mobile kitchen, and prepare a detailed schedule for every course. This format is typically cost effective from around 8 to 12 guests, while groups above 40 guests tend to suit a more traditional plated dinner with a larger service team.

Key takeaways

• Private dining differs from reserving a restaurant because the space is exclusively yours and the menu is created around your occasion, rather than selected from a standard menu.
• Caterers are legally required to work with a food safety plan or approved hygiene code based on food safety principles, according to the NVWA.
• Caterers must inform guests about 14 legally defined allergens under European Regulation 1169/2011 (NVWA).
• The catering sector is growing rapidly. In the third quarter of 2025, canteens and catering businesses saw revenue rise by 6,4%, the largest increase across all hospitality sectors (CBS).
• As a planning guide, allow one service professional for every 8 to 12 guests for a plated multi course dinner, depending on the layout and walking routes at the venue.

Why an exclusive dinner is different from hiring a restaurant

La Casserole operates in a market where caterers, wedding venues, event agencies and hire companies may each supply one part of the event. In practice, the biggest problems often arise between those suppliers. The chef is ready, but the furniture arrives late. Or the table plan does not work with the service route the kitchen had planned. (Services)

A director hosting a client dinner for eighteen guests wants to avoid exactly that kind of issue. Booking out a restaurant may seem simpler, but it comes with a fixed kitchen, a fixed menu and a room that never truly feels like your own. Private dining turns that model on its head: the kitchen comes to your guests.

That has practical benefits. The menu is designed for the occasion, not based on whatever happens to be on a restaurant menu. The table layout supports the conversations you want to encourage, rather than following a venue’s standard floor plan. And each course can be timed around your programme. A speech between the main course and dessert requires a very different flow from an uninterrupted dinner.

If you are still exploring the wider range of food and drink options, this guide to catering styles, starting with drinks reception bites is a useful place to start before choosing a plated dinner.

What does luxury private dining catering involve?

This sector is growing strongly. In 2023, revenue for canteens and catering companies was almost 20% higher than the previous year, according to CBS. The Netherlands now has around 27.000 event catering companies, by far the largest group within food and beverage services (CBS figures via De CaféKrant). There is no shortage of choice, but genuine differentiation is harder to find.

At its core, luxury private dining catering has four elements that need to work together.

A mobile kitchen at your venue

The chef cooks on site, rather than preparing food in a central kitchen and transporting it to the venue. This requires a working area of several square metres, an electricity supply that can support professional equipment, and delivery and collection routes that do not run through the dining area. A good caterer assesses these requirements in advance and supplies any missing equipment.

Menu design, not menu selection

With a genuinely exclusive dinner, you do not simply pick a package. You discuss a direction: the season, the style and richness of the food, the number of courses, and the balance of fish, meat and plant based dishes. The caterer then develops a proposal that accounts for dietary requirements. Allergen information is not merely a courtesy, it is a legal requirement. The NVWA identifies 14 allergens that guests must be informed about.

Service and the table experience

Styling, tableware, glassware and service have just as much impact as the food on the plate. As a rule, the more courses you serve, the more important the guest to staff ratio becomes. For a plated four course menu, one team member for every 8 to 12 guests is usually appropriate.

A detailed event schedule

This is the least visible part of the event, but often the most important. When will the aperitif be ready? How long is needed between courses? When will the speech take place? When does the bar close? Without clear timings for every part of the evening, an exclusive dinner will almost always run late.

The way La Casserole brings catering, service and equipment together under one point of management is designed to ensure these four elements never become disconnected.

Putting this into practice:

• Measure the cooking area: allow at least several square metres of clear workspace, away from guest walkways.
• Check the electrical panel: several separate circuits are often needed. Ask the caterer about the power requirements for each appliance.
• Collect dietary requirements at least 10 working days in advance and attach them to guest names, not just totals.
• Ask which hygiene code the caterer uses. It is a clear indicator of professionalism.
• Set a time for every course in the event schedule and appoint one on site contact for the evening.

Private dining, walking dinner or buffet: which suits your guest numbers?

The comparison below looks at the same event and the same per person budget, delivered in different formats. Prices are indicative and vary by menu, venue and season.

The conclusion is less obvious than it might seem. Private dining is not necessarily the most expensive option per guest, but it does have the highest staffing requirement per person. Choosing a buffet for twenty guests may reduce service costs, but it can also lose the sense of occasion that made the event special in the first place.

Here is a slightly counterintuitive lesson from real events: many clients ask for more courses because they want the evening to feel more luxurious. Usually, the opposite is true. Four beautifully timed courses with room to talk are more memorable than seven courses that keep everyone racing through dinner. The experience lies in the rhythm, not the number of plates. If you are deciding between formats, the choice between shared dining and live cooking offers a useful middle ground.

When should you choose private dining, and when is another format better?

Imagine an office manager arranging an anniversary dinner for 22 clients at a company venue with no professional kitchen. There are two options: a caterer with a mobile kitchen cooking on site, or hiring an external restaurant. The first option usually involves more logistics, but it gives you a space that can be fully styled around the brand, along with a menu that reflects the anniversary. It also gives you far greater control over the evening’s pace. The speech can take place between two courses, rather than at the end when attention may already be fading.

Private dining is the right choice when at least two of the following apply: the group has fewer than about 40 people, conversation matters more than networking, the occasion is personal or intended to impress, and the venue must not be shared with unfamiliar guests.

Choose another format if your group exceeds 60 guests, guests need to mingle with different people throughout the evening, or the programme is simply too full for a three hour seated dinner. In those situations, a walking dinner or dinner show is often the more practical option. The choice between an exclusive dinner at home or at an external venue also depends heavily on guest numbers.

For couples planning a wedding, there is another consideration. Wedding catering in a private dining format works beautifully for an intimate ceremony with close family, but can clash with an evening party where additional guests arrive later. A blended format, with an exclusive dinner for the inner circle followed by an open evening celebration, is usually the better choice.

Putting this into practice:

• Count your guests: fewer than 40 for a seated dinner? Private dining is a strong option. More than 60? Consider a walking dinner.
• Define the purpose of the evening in one sentence. If that sentence includes the word “networking”, choose a format that allows guests to move around.
• Check whether more guests will arrive later in the evening. If so, plan a clear transition between dinner and the party.
• Allow 4 to 8 weeks of planning for a plated menu at a venue without a kitchen.
• Always ask for one central contact for the kitchen, service and equipment. More suppliers create more opportunities for things to fall through the cracks.

Frequently asked questions

How much does private dining cost per person?

Indicative prices depend on the number of courses, the level of service and whether the venue has a kitchen. A plated multi course menu with service and tableware generally sits in a higher price range than a buffet, because staffing levels per guest are two to three times higher. Always request a quote that separates the kitchen, service, equipment hire and travel time. It makes it much easier to see why two proposals differ.

What is the minimum number of guests for an exclusive dinner?

From around 8 to 12 guests, the format becomes practical and cost effective, because fixed costs for the chef, transport and kitchen setup do not reduce proportionally for smaller groups. Below that number, booking a chef for a more intimate table experience with a simpler menu is often the smarter choice. Above 40 guests, the event begins to feel more like a traditional formal dinner with a larger kitchen and service team.

Can private dining work at a venue without a kitchen?

Yes, provided the power supply, water access and setup space are suitable. A caterer with mobile kitchen equipment can work at almost any venue, from a company warehouse to a garden, as long as there is enough available power and the access route remains clear. Have the venue assessed in advance. Checking the electrical panel and floor load capacity prevents most problems on the day. Outdoor venues also need a weather plan, including cover.

What about food safety and allergens for catering at a venue?

Food safety compliance is a legal requirement, not an optional extra. The NVWA states that a self prepared food safety plan must meet the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 and reviews such plans during inspections. Caterers must also provide information about 14 defined allergens. When requesting a quote, ask which hygiene code is used and how dietary requirements are recorded for each guest.

How does La Casserole organise an exclusive dinner?

One team managing the kitchen, service, furniture and equipment. La Casserole operates from Best, with its own chefs cooking on site. The company combines styling, hire, and event management under one contact, including at its own event venues in Brabant. This saves clients from coordinating three or four separate suppliers, which is often the biggest cause of delays at exclusive dinners.

Conclusion

Luxury private dining catering is not simply a more expensive version of eating out. It is a different way of producing an event: the kitchen comes to the guests, the menu is designed rather than selected, and the evening is managed through a detailed schedule for every course. The practical steps are consistent. Confirm guest numbers, decide whether the format suits the event’s purpose, arrange a technical venue assessment, collect dietary requirements well in advance, and set timings for every part of the event.

Start planning four to eight weeks before the date and request quotes that list the kitchen, service and equipment separately. If you also appoint one supplier to manage the full experience, as La Casserole does for corporate and private dinners, you will only need one phone number on the night.

About La Casserole

La Casserole is a full service event partner based in Best, combining catering, styling, technical production, hire and event management into one complete solution for corporate and private events. With more than 40 years of experience, its own event venues in Brabant and an established partner network, the company supports clients from initial concept through to delivery. Its services are aimed at businesses in Brabant and Eindhoven, as well as private clients looking for a fully organised celebration or dinner.

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