How much does catering cost per person in Barcelona?

It's the first question everyone asks us, and almost nobody answers openly. We can't give you one single figure, because it would be a lie, but we can tell you exactly what pushes a quote up or down. With that, you'll be able to read any offer.

The five things that set the price

• The format. A standing finger-food spread, a single plated course, shared casseroles, and a full table-service menu all cost very different amounts, and the difference isn't the food, it's staff hours.
• The number of guests. Price per person falls with volume, up to a point. Below 20 people, fixed costs carry a lot of weight.
• Service staff. Often the biggest single item. A format that doesn't need waiting staff can be 30% cheaper for the same food.
• The produce. Sustainable and locally sourced costs more than food from a distributor. How much more depends on the menu, but it's real, and it shouldn't be hidden.
• The venue. A place with a kitchen, water and power sockets keeps costs down. An empty space where everything has to be brought in doesn't.

What usually gets left out of the quote

This is where two quotes that look identical stop being so. Check whether these are included:

• Travel, set-up and collection
• Crockery, cutlery and linen
• Service staff, and overtime if the event runs long
• Drinks
• Adaptations for allergies and intolerances, which some providers charge extra for
• VAT, which doesn't always show up as included

We include dietary adaptations in the price, because charging someone more for being coeliac has never made sense to us. Not everyone works this way, so always ask.

How to compare two offers properly

Ask every provider for the same thing: a fixed total price, for the same number of people, with the same format, fully inclusive. If one gives you a per-person price and another a total, convert them before comparing.

And ask two more questions that reveal a lot:

• What happens if ten fewer people show up than expected? Some providers still charge the contracted minimum; others adjust within a margin.
• Who cooks, and where? If the food is prepared in a central kitchen forty kilometres away, it'll arrive fine, but it won't be the same as something cooked that same morning.

How to cut cost without cutting quality

If the budget doesn't stretch, there's real room to save that doesn't touch food quality:

• Swap a served menu for shared casseroles: less staff, same produce.
• Hold the event somewhere with a kitchen, or at least water and power.
• Accept the seasonal menu the kitchen proposes instead of asking for specific dishes out of season.
• Fewer dishes in larger quantities. Less waste, lower cost.
• Sort out drinks yourselves.

What we wouldn't recommend is cutting quantity. A catering spread that runs short gets remembered badly for far longer than a simple one.

Why we don't publish a price list

Because it would be a made-up number. Finger food for 25 people and a served lunch for 120 can't sit on the same table, and anyone who publishes a single price ends up adding extras afterwards.

What we do instead is give you a fixed price in writing before anything is confirmed, with the breakdown alongside it. Tell us the date, time, venue, number of guests and any dietary requirements, and we can send it in the first email.