How to Price Catering Services - A Comprehensive Guide

By Steve Sutherland

This section of the site is dedicated to pricing. Many caterers find pricing to be one of the most difficult aspects of their business. Yet it is also one of the most important aspects and is one of the factors that will determine your overall level of profitability.

Below I have set out a collection of articles that tell you how to price catering services accurately and clarify some of the confusion that is associated with pricing in this industry.

There are a few hidden gems in these articles so make sure you read through as many of them as you can. I'll have you pricing like a pro in no time.

The first thing to acknowledge is that there is no secret formula or software program that is going to do your pricing for you. You have to collect your own data and combine this with your own intuition to make each pricing call with confidence.

You need access to the right information and the dedication to focus on improving your pricing system over time. There are a few common methods being used and you have to know how to apply these methods within your own catering business.

You can become proficient at pricing in no time if you put your mind to it. Now, let's get started.

Pricing a Catering Job - A Method for Calculating How Much to Charge for an Event

While nobody can tell you exactly how much you should be charging for an event, you can follow a method that is commonly used in the catering industry. This method offers you a basic formula to follow and you just need to do a little research and plug in the figures.

In this article I take you through the pricing of a typical catering job step by step. To find out how it's done by caterers who know what they are doing click here.

The Importance of Catering Business Pricing Decisions

Bad pricing can really kill a business. When you set prices you are walking a fine line between losing a customer and losing the money that you could have made if you just had the guts to go a bit higher with your quote.

There are huge benefits awaiting you if you know how to hit the sweet spot with your prices. If you don't, then there are a few hidden dangers lurking around the corner that you should be aware of. Find out more about the dangers of pricing your catering services at rates that are too high or too low in this article. Click here to read it.

Ten Tips for Pricing Catering Jobs

This article sets out a collection of tips that relate to catering business pricing. If I can't convince you to read the entire article then at least check out the first tip. It sets out a really cool way to make your prices 'ever so appealing' to prospective clients. I know that businesses in other industries are having a great deal of success with this particular strategy and there is no reason why it can't work wonders for caterers too. Check out all ten of the tips here.

Catering Business Pricing Strategies

In this article I look at a number of common pricing strategies and how they relate to the catering business. Should you be basing your prices on costs, market rates or the value that you are creating for your clients? Is it necessary to learn a little something about the people in your target market so that you get an idea of what kind of prices they can bear? I address these issues and more in this review of pricing strategies for caterers. Read the article here.

Find out which catering business startup guide I recommend above all the others. Click here for details >> 

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