Catering is as much about logistics as it is about food. As such, the catering of any event, large or small, is liable to be challenging. This challenge is exasperated usually by stringent deadlines, conflicts of interest and lack of clarity about cost.
The cost of catering can be a difficult thing to work out in advance. A catering company might offer a price per head, but often the final cost of catering exceeds this. As such, there are typically hidden or extra costs, such as:
Whilst the cost of basic catering equipment supplies might be included in the price per head cost, if extra equipment is needed then this can be added on to the final cost. For example, the customer might need extra fryers, additional professional cookware etc.
Perhaps a little counter-intuitively, often the cost of staffing isn’t factored into the initial quote, i.e. the price per head price, and is added on at the end. This does make sense when you think about it, and the initial requirement for staffing might not be clear. A difficult venue, additional guests etc might require more staff.
If you’re a catering company then figuring out how to cost your business can be challenging. In a ideal world you’ll be able to offer a pre-determined set price, but this will never accommodate unpredictable factors like loss or damage of equipment.