Catering and mobile bar profit calculators
Catering and bar work is the most variable-cost-heavy corner of the event industry. Food cost per head, wastage, staffing ratios and stock left over after the event all move your margin on the night.
These calculators focus on per-head economics and staffing so you can see the profit on a booking before you commit to a menu price.
Calculators for caterers and mobile bars
Costs that belong in every booking
- Food or drink cost per head
Trade cost of the menu or bar stock at the guest numbers you are quoting.
- Wastage allowance
Over-catering, spoilage and unsold stock, expressed as a percentage of cost.
- Staffing
Chefs, servers and bar staff from prep start to final clean-down.
- Transport and equipment hire
Vans, chillers, glassware, generators and any hired kit.
- Licences and compliance
Temporary event notices, food hygiene requirements and insurance.
- Prep kitchen costs
Rent, utilities and cleaning allocated across the events you deliver.
- Breakage and loss
Glassware and crockery replacement as a per-event allowance.
- Payment fees
Card fees on deposits, balances and on-the-night bar takings.
Common pricing mistakes
- Quoting per head with no wastage line
A menu costed at exact guest numbers loses money the moment anything is over-prepared.
- Understaffing to protect margin
It usually costs more in service failures, overtime and lost repeat work than it saves.
- Forgetting the prep day
Kitchen prep, load-in and clean-down are paid hours that rarely appear in the quote.
- Treating unsold bar stock as free
Stock that returns to the van is cash tied up, and some of it will not survive the season.
Worked example
Illustrative example — 100-guest wedding breakfast at £48 per head. These figures are an illustrative walk-through of the formulas below — they are not survey data, benchmarks or a real customer result.
| Revenue | £4,800 |
|---|---|
| Food cost per head£1,400 total | £14 |
| Wastage allowance (8%) | £112 |
| Staffing (6 staff × 10 hrs @ £13) | £780 |
| Transport and equipment hire | £220 |
| Breakage and loss allowance | £60 |
| Prep kitchen and overheads allocated | £300 |
| Payment fees (1.5%) | £72 |
| True cost | £2,944 |
| Net profit | £1,856 |
| Net margin | 38.7% |
Adding one more member of staff costs £130 here and takes the margin to 36%. Testing that change before you agree the staffing plan is the point of the simulator.
How the figures are calculated
- Revenue = guests × price per head (plus bar takings where relevant).
- True cost = (food or stock cost × (1 + wastage %)) + staffing + transport + licences + allocated overheads + payment fees.
- Net margin = net profit ÷ revenue.
Frequently asked questions
- What wastage percentage should I use?
- Use your own historic figure if you have one. If you do not, start conservative, record what actually happens on the next few events, and revise it — that feedback loop is what estimate-versus-actual tracking is for.
- How do I price a mobile bar with variable takings?
- Model a minimum spend or a hire fee that covers staffing, transport and licensing on its own, then treat bar margin as upside rather than the thing that makes the booking viable.
- Do these calculators handle VAT?
- Enter your figures consistently, either all excluding or all including tax. Tax and VAT settings are being expanded as part of the reusable Business Cost Profile.
Related guides and tools
Results are planning estimates based on the figures you enter. They are not financial, accounting or tax advice.