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Quick summary

In 2026, catering for a corporate event typically costs between €25 and €150 per person, depending on the format, such as reception bites, a walking dinner, buffet, or dinner show, the level of service, and the venue. The wide price range usually comes down to whether you are ordering simple drop-off catering or booking a full-service package with staff, equipment, and furniture included. La Casserole takes a different approach: the budget starts with the event schedule and guest count, not the menu.

• Reception bites and drinks events: roughly €25 to €50 per person
• Walking dinner or buffet: roughly €45 to €90 per person
• Dinner show or high-end seated dinner with table service: often €90 to €150 per person
• Costs people often forget: staffing, transport, furniture hire, and power supply
• 2026 indexation: quotes now refer to the new CBS base year (2025=100)

Introduction (Services)

One thing La Casserole sees again and again with marketing managers and office managers requesting a quote is this: they ask what catering costs for a corporate event, get a price per person in return, and only later realise that a large chunk of the budget sits in items that never appear on the menu. Think waiting staff, transport, setup, and the hire of cocktail tables or even a marquee.

That explains why two quotes for the same company party can differ by several dozen euros per guest. One caterer may simply deliver the food. Another may take care of the entire event from start to finish.

The catering market is growing too. According to CBS, revenue in canteens and catering rose by 6.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025, the strongest increase across the hospitality sector. Higher demand makes early booking and a clear budget more important than ever. In this guide, we break down where your budget goes, why separate suppliers often end up costing more, and how to read a catering quote properly. If you are planning the wider event too, this guide to organising a stylish event in Sint-Oedenrode is also worth a look.

Where does the budget for corporate event catering actually go?

The price per person rarely covers just the food. For a corporate event, the budget usually falls into four main categories: ingredients and preparation, staffing, logistics, and equipment. If you only compare menu prices, you are not comparing like with like.

Ingredients, preparation, and menu style

The type of menu is the biggest factor in the final cost. Reception bites for a drinks event usually come in around €25 to €50 per person, while a walking dinner or buffet often lands between €45 and €90. A dinner show with a live chef or an exclusive multi-course dinner with table service can easily rise to €90 to €150 per person. Fresh preparation on site costs more than delivered platters, but it also gives you the quality and guest experience that matter at business events.

Staffing: the line item that really changes the quote

Waiting staff, chefs, and kitchen porters make up a significant part of the bill for any well-run event. Caterers usually charge per hour for each team member, plus setup and breakdown time. A plated dinner needs more front-of-house staff than a buffet, which is one of the reasons there is such a price difference between a walking dinner and a buffet. According to Veneca, the contract catering sector employs around 11,000 catering staff with turnover of roughly €1 billion, which shows just how labour-intensive this industry is.

Logistics and equipment

Transport, furniture hire, crockery, marquees, and power supply are the costs clients overlook most often. If your venue has no kitchen or limited power access, hiring a mobile kitchen and generator can noticeably increase the budget.

How to use this in practice:

• Always ask for a quote that splits out the four categories: food, staffing, logistics, and equipment
• Check whether setup, breakdown, and staff travel time are included in the hourly rate or billed separately
• If your venue has no kitchen or power supply, expect an extra charge for a mobile kitchen and generator
• Only compare quotes once the service level is the same, for example delivery only versus fully managed catering

Why a price per person can be misleading

A low price per person means very little without the service level attached. Traditional catering quotes often lead with an attractive per-guest figure, while the rest is tucked away in the small print. That becomes a problem the moment you try to compare two providers side by side.

The hidden costs below the line

A quote of €35 per person sounds far better than one at €65, until you realise the cheaper option excludes staff, crockery, and setup. For a company event with 120 guests, adding those separate items can push the lower headline rate above the supposedly more expensive all-in offer. If you compare quotes on menu price alone, it is surprisingly easy to choose the costlier option without realising it.

Separate suppliers increase both cost and risk

If you book food, furniture, a marquee, and technical support from different suppliers, you often pay transport and setup charges multiple times, and you take on the coordination yourself. If the marquee company and caterer are not aligned, the bar ends up in the wrong place or there is no power for the hot holding equipment. That kind of mismatch costs time, and sometimes money, on the day itself.

Indexation and price agreements for 2026

Hospitality prices continue to move with inflation. For 2026, one important detail is that CBS has switched to a new base year for the consumer price index (2025=100). Catering contracts and quotes that refer to CPI indexation now use that new base year, which matters if you are agreeing multi-year pricing or planning recurring events.

How to use this in practice:

• Compare quotes based on one all-in total, not just the price per person
• If you use separate suppliers, add up each company’s transport and setup costs individually
• For recurring or multi-year events, ask about the indexation clause and which base year applies
• If you are unsure whether quotes are comparable, ask every supplier to price the same level of service

How to build a realistic budget with full-service catering

Full-service catering means one provider handles the food, staff, technical setup, furniture, and planning. Instead of juggling multiple suppliers, you have a single point of contact managing the whole event, which makes budgeting and comparison much simpler.

Start with the event schedule, not the menu

La Casserole starts with the flow of the day: how many guests are attending, what happens at each stage, whether people will be standing or seated, and how long the event lasts. From there, the team works out the staffing, food volumes, and equipment required. Picture an HR manager at a manufacturing company planning an anniversary event for 150 employees, with welcome drinks, a buffet, and a closing DJ set. Once the timetable is fixed, it becomes clear that the buffet needs two serving lines to avoid queues, which directly affects the number of service staff needed and therefore the cost.

One point of contact saves time and money

With full-service catering that makes your corporate event stress-free, you avoid duplicate transport and setup charges from multiple suppliers. La Casserole combines catering, styling, technical support, rentals, and project management, with its own event venues in Brabant and a trusted partner network for entertainment and decor. Because everything is managed under one plan, the bar is in the right place and the power supply has been checked in advance.

A comparison of service levels

The table below shows the difference between common catering formats for a corporate event, based on a group of around 100 guests:

How to use this in practice:

• Finalise the event schedule first, then ask for the menu and budget
• For more than 80 guests, use multiple buffet lines to keep queues short
• Ask for one all-in full-service quote with a dedicated point of contact
• Keep 10 to 15 percent of your budget aside as a buffer for extra guests or upgrades

Food safety and quality: what a caterer needs to have in place

Every caterer in the Netherlands is legally required to work in line with HACCP. That also applies to home-based caterers and food trucks. If you are comparing providers on price, this is one quality standard you should never ignore, because the risks are real.

HACCP and the hygiene code

According to the NVWA, every catering business must work with a food safety plan or hygiene code based on HACCP. The hygiene code from Koninklijke Horeca Nederland is the one most commonly used and has been approved by the NVWA. A caterer that has this in place is better equipped to manage safe preparation, cooling, and transport, exactly the things that can go wrong at an outdoor event in summer.

A custom plan or the standard code

Businesses that create their own HACCP food safety plan must, according to the NVWA, meet the requirements of European Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004, which the NVWA checks during inspections. For event organisers, this is a practical checkpoint: ask the question, and you will quickly see the difference between a professional caterer and a casual operator.

Quality is part of the price

Low-cost catering sometimes cuts corners on exactly these basics, which increases the risk of spoilage or poorly chilled transport. That matters even more at outdoor events, as you can also see in these tips for garden party catering without the hassle of power and weather issues. For a business event with clients or employees, paying a little more for proper quality and food safety is usually the smarter decision.

How to use this in practice:

• Ask every caterer whether they work with the KHN hygiene code or an approved in-house plan
• For outdoor events, check how chilled storage and hot holding will be handled
• Ask about recent experience with your type of event and guest numbers
• For events with 100 guests or more, arrange a tasting in advance

Frequently asked questions

What is the average cost of catering for a corporate event?

The average cost in 2026 usually falls between €25 and €150 per person, depending on the format. Reception bites are at the lower end, while a dinner show with full table service sits at the top end. On top of the menu price, you should also allow for staffing, transport, and equipment, unless these are already included in a full-service package.

How much does a food truck cost for 50 people?

A food truck for 50 people usually costs between €15 and €35 per person, depending on the dish and whether service and styling are included. A fully catered concept with multiple dishes will cost more. Always ask whether power and on-site setup need to be arranged separately, because that can affect the final price.

Why do catering quotes vary so much?

The difference almost always comes down to the level of service, not the food itself. A quote that only includes delivered platters will naturally be cheaper than an all-in package with staff, crockery, and setup. That is why it makes more sense to compare one total figure at the same service level, rather than looking at the price per person alone.

How can La Casserole help with my event budget?

La Casserole builds the budget around your event schedule and guest count, then provides catering, styling, technical support, and furniture through a single point of contact. That removes the duplicate transport and coordination costs that come with separate suppliers and gives you one clear all-in figure. With its own event venues in Brabant and more than 40 years of experience, the budget is based on real operational planning, not guesswork.

What should I look for when comparing caterers?

When comparing caterers, look at the service level, HACCP compliance, and whether every cost category is clearly listed. Ask whether the caterer follows the NVWA-approved hygiene code and whether staffing, transport, and equipment are included in the price. It is also wise to keep a 10 to 15 percent budget buffer for extra guests or last-minute requests.

Conclusion

What catering costs for a corporate event in 2026 depends less on the menu than on the level of service. A realistic range is €25 to €150 per person, with staffing, transport, and equipment being the items that usually create the biggest differences between quotes. The takeaway is simple: compare the total cost at the same service level, not just the price per person, and always ask about HACCP compliance.

Start with the event schedule, add up the hidden costs if you are using separate suppliers, and keep a 10 to 15 percent buffer in your budget. When one provider manages the whole event, you swap four invoices and a lot of self-coordination for one budget and one point of contact. La Casserole’s approach, combining catering, technical support, and furniture through its own venues in Brabant under one plan, makes the budget far more predictable from the start. Ask for a quote based on your event schedule, and you will know exactly where your budget is going.

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