Guide · Pricing · Abu Dhabi
What catering costs per person in Abu Dhabi.
Real numbers, not a range. These are the rates our own booking engine charges every visitor, from a head office based here.
Almost no caterer in Abu Dhabi publishes a price. You send an enquiry, wait, and get a PDF whose per-head number has service, transport and margin folded into it in a way you cannot check.
Our head office sits at ADGM on Al Maryah Island, and the rates below are the same figures the booking engine quotes to every visitor, in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, so you can work out what your event costs before you speak to anyone, including us.
Prices and policies on this page are the ones our booking engine uses. Last reviewed .
Per head
The food cost.
A custom menu built dish by dish is priced from a base of AED 45 per head plus a weighting for each dish you pick, and lands between AED 110 and AED 400 per head. Prawns weigh more than lamb, lamb more than chicken, chicken more than vegetarian.
Nothing on this page changes between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Same packages, same per-head rates, same booking engine.
| Package | Per head | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | AED 125 | 3 veg + 2 non-veg starters, 2 veg + 1 non-veg mains, 2 sides, 1 dessert, rice, breads, salad, setup and service-ware |
| Premium | AED 150 | 4 veg + 3 non-veg + 1 seafood starters, 3 veg + 2 non-veg + 1 seafood mains, 2 sides, 2 desserts, one live station |
| Luxury | AED 180 | 4 veg + 4 non-veg + 2 seafood starters, 4 veg + 2 non-veg + 2 seafood mains, 3 sides, 2 desserts, two live stations, premium dishes |
On top of the food
The lines people forget.
Transport is one flat AED 500 charge across the emirate, so a villa on Saadiyat Island and a ballroom at Emirates Palace price the same way.
| Item | Basis | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Service staff | One waiter per 25 guests, minimum two | AED 150 per waiter |
| Additional chef | Per chef, per event | AED 350 |
| Transport | Flat, per event | AED 500 |
| Live station | Per guest, by station | AED 20 – 30 |
| Live station setup & chef | Per extra station | AED 250 |
| Gas cylinder | Per cylinder | AED 80 |
| Crockery & cutlery hire | Per guest | AED 9 |
| Soft drinks | Per guest | AED 12 |
| Cleaning crew | Per event | AED 250 |
| Round table (seats 8–10) | Per table | AED 80 |
| Chair, basic / premium | Per chair | AED 20 / AED 30 |
| VAT | On the total | 5% |
By guest count
What catering costs for 20 to 500 people.
On the Classic package at AED 125 per head, every food figure drops by a sixth: a 200-guest event at Emirates Palace or a similar ballroom lands near AED 27,900 all in. On Luxury at AED 180 the same event rises to roughly AED 39,000, with two live stations already included rather than added.
Note how the transport line never moves. AED 500 is the same charge at twenty guests as at five hundred, which is why very small events feel proportionally expensive and why the AED 2,500 minimum order exists.
| Guests | Food | Waiters | Staff cost | Transport | VAT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | AED 3,000 | 2 | AED 300 | AED 500 | AED 190 | AED 3,990 |
| 30 | AED 4,500 | 2 | AED 300 | AED 500 | AED 265 | AED 5,565 |
| 40 | AED 6,000 | 2 | AED 300 | AED 500 | AED 340 | AED 7,140 |
| 50 | AED 7,500 | 2 | AED 300 | AED 500 | AED 415 | AED 8,715 |
| 60 | AED 9,000 | 3 | AED 450 | AED 500 | AED 498 | AED 10,448 |
| 100 | AED 15,000 | 4 | AED 600 | AED 500 | AED 805 | AED 16,905 |
| 200 | AED 30,000 | 8 | AED 1,200 | AED 500 | AED 1,585 | AED 33,285 |
| 300 | AED 45,000 | 12 | AED 1,800 | AED 500 | AED 2,365 | AED 49,665 |
| 500 | AED 75,000 | 20 | AED 3,000 | AED 500 | AED 3,925 | AED 82,425 |
Minimums
The floor.
- Minimum 20 guests.
- Minimum order value AED 2,500.
- Booking confirmed on a 50% deposit; balance on or before the event date.
- Final guest count due 72 hours before; charges follow the confirmed count or actual attendance, whichever is higher.
- Quotes valid 14 days.
Where it gets spent
Abu Dhabi venues, in practice.
Villa and compound events on Saadiyat, Yas and Al Reem carry the same flat AED 500 transport charge as a mainland address, but gated communities usually need vehicle access cleared with security in advance, which is worth telling us at booking rather than at the gate.
Hotel ballrooms, from Emirates Palace to Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, generally require outside catering to be confirmed with the venue first. Once that is confirmed, the per-head pricing on this page is what we quote regardless of which hotel.
Common questions
Answers before you ask.
- How much does catering cost per person in Abu Dhabi?
- At Cater Inc., AED 125 per head on the Classic package, AED 150 on Premium and AED 180 on Luxury, the same rates as Dubai. A custom dish-by-dish menu ranges from AED 110 to AED 400 per head. On top, budget AED 150 per waiter (one per 25 guests, minimum two), AED 500 transport and 5% VAT.
- Is Abu Dhabi catering more expensive than Dubai?
- No. The packages, the per-waiter rate, the transport charge and VAT are identical in both emirates, because both are quoted by the same booking engine from the same head office.
- What is the minimum spend for catering in Abu Dhabi?
- AED 2,500, with a minimum of 20 guests, the same floor as everywhere else we serve.
- How much is catering for 50 people in Abu Dhabi?
- About AED 8,715 all in on Premium: AED 7,500 food at AED 150 per head, AED 300 for two waiters, AED 500 transport and AED 415 VAT. That includes one live station, which the Premium package carries.
- How much is catering for 100 people in Abu Dhabi?
- About AED 16,905 all in on Premium: AED 15,000 food, AED 600 for four waiters, AED 500 transport and AED 805 VAT. On Classic it is nearer AED 14,280; on Luxury, about AED 19,530.
- How much is catering for 200 people in Abu Dhabi?
- About AED 33,285 all in on Premium: AED 30,000 food, AED 1,200 for eight waiters, AED 500 transport and AED 1,585 VAT. This is the most common wedding-reception size we quote in the emirate.
- How much is catering for 500 people in Abu Dhabi?
- About AED 82,425 all in on Premium: AED 75,000 food, AED 3,000 for twenty waiters, AED 500 transport and AED 3,925 VAT. At this scale plan multiple service zones rather than one buffet line.
- Does transport cost more for island venues like Saadiyat or Yas?
- No. Transport is one flat AED 500 charge across the emirate. Gated island communities often need vehicle access cleared with security beforehand, so tell us the community at booking.
- Is VAT included in catering prices in Abu Dhabi?
- Not in the per-head rate. VAT of 5% applies to the total, and our online quote shows it as a separate line, same as in Dubai.
- Who handles catering enquiries in Abu Dhabi?
- Gaurav Varma, our Chief Executive Officer, looks after Abu Dhabi directly from the head office at ADGM on Al Maryah Island.
Keep reading
Related to this page.
- GuidesWhat catering costs per person in DubaiWhat catering actually costs per person in Dubai: real package rates from AED 125, staff at AED 150, transport AED 500 and 5% VAT, with worked totals for 50, 200 and 500 guests.
- CateringWedding catering in Abu DhabiWedding catering in Abu Dhabi since 1985. Mehndi, sangeet and reception menus from AED 125 per head, for 20 to 3,500 guests. Live quote online.
- CateringCorporate catering in Abu DhabiCorporate catering in Abu Dhabi from AED 125 per head. Board lunches, launches, conferences and daily office meals from HACCP-certified kitchens since 1985.
- CateringHome & villa party catering in Abu DhabiPrivate party catering at home in Abu Dhabi. Birthdays, Diwali, majlis dinners and villa parties from 20 guests and AED 125 per head, staff and setup included in the quote.
- GuidesHow much food to order per guestHow many dishes and how much food per guest for a UAE event: course counts by package, live-station ratios, and how to plan a buffet for 50, 200 or 500 people.
Ready when you are
Build your menu, get a live quote.
No commitment and no phone call. Price it out yourself, then send it over and we'll take it from there.