Grazing, canapés or plated: which suits your event
These are working estimates, not quotes or survey data. For a figure built from real DadsOrder bookings and your own guest count, cost your event.
Service style is the single biggest lever on a catering quote. The same food budget buys a generous grazing spread for a hundred people or a seated three-course dinner for forty. Neither is better; they are different events.
What each style really costs
The gap is not subtle. Cocktail-style receptions generally run 15–25% below a seated dinner for the same guest list, before you account for the smaller staffing requirement.
- Grazing and food-truck styles: $35–65 a head
- Buffet and shared feasting: $50–90 a head
- Two-course plated: $75–120 a head
- Three-course plated with full service: $110–180 a head
Staffing is the hidden multiplier
A plated three-course dinner needs kitchen staff, service staff and a timed run sheet. A grazing table needs delivery, setup and a refresh. Each additional course adds roughly $8–20 a head in food and labour combined, which is why the styles separate so sharply as the guest list grows.
Match the style to the room
Standing service suits a venue where people move and talk; seated service suits speeches and a fixed timeline. A cocktail reception in a room with too few seats reads as an oversight, and a plated dinner in a space with no kitchen access becomes a logistics problem the caterer will price for.
Dietary requirements, priced honestly
Where more than 10–15% of guests have specific dietary needs, a surcharge of roughly $2–8 a head is standard practice in Australia. Give the caterer real numbers early — it costs far less than a late substitution.
What these figures are based on
- Sydney and Australian catering price guides by service style, 2026
Background reading, not a DadsOrder survey — no figure here is computed from a booking. Real prices move with season, location and availability, so treat these as a starting point and confirm with the supplier.