Guide · Dubai
What's included, and what it comes to, per guest in Dubai.
Real numbers, not a range. These are the rates our own booking engine charges every visitor.
Almost no caterer in Dubai 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.
Here is our actual pricing, the same figures the booking engine quotes, 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 .
By experience
What each experience comes to.
A custom menu built dish by dish is priced from what your guests eat: each dish is costed by its kind, prawns above lamb, lamb above chicken, chicken above vegetarian, and a menu lands between AED 80 and AED 400 per head.
| Package | Per head | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | AED 140 | 3 veg + 2 non-veg starters, 2 veg + 1 non-veg mains, 1 rice, 2 salads or sides, 1 dessert, a bread basket, setup and service-ware |
| Premium | AED 180 | 3 veg + 2 non-veg + 1 seafood starters, 2 veg + 1 non-veg + 1 seafood mains, 1 rice, 2 salads or sides, 1 dessert, a bread basket, one live station |
| Luxury | AED 210 | 4 veg + 2 non-veg + 1 seafood starters, 2 veg + 2 non-veg + 1 seafood mains, 1 rice, 3 salads or sides, 2 desserts, a bread basket, two live stations, premium dishes |
On top of the food
The lines people forget.
| Item | Basis | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Service staff | One waiter per 20 guests, minimum two | AED 150 per waiter |
| Additional chef | Per chef, per event | AED 350 |
| Catering setup | Flat, per event, any guest count: transport, setup and clearing, chafing dishes, plates and cutlery | AED 500 |
| Live station | Each one beyond your package: chef and setup, up to three dishes | AED 250 |
| 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
From twenty guests to five hundred.
On the Classic package at AED 140 per head, every food figure drops by about a fifth: a 200-guest event lands near AED 31,500 all in. On Luxury at AED 210 the same event rises to roughly AED 46,200, with two live stations already included rather than added.
Note how the catering setup 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 | Catering setup | VAT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | AED 3,600 | 2 | AED 300 | AED 500 | AED 220 | AED 4,620 |
| 30 | AED 5,400 | 2 | AED 300 | AED 500 | AED 310 | AED 6,510 |
| 40 | AED 7,200 | 2 | AED 300 | AED 500 | AED 400 | AED 8,400 |
| 50 | AED 9,000 | 3 | AED 450 | AED 500 | AED 498 | AED 10,448 |
| 60 | AED 10,800 | 3 | AED 450 | AED 500 | AED 588 | AED 12,338 |
| 100 | AED 18,000 | 5 | AED 750 | AED 500 | AED 963 | AED 20,213 |
| 200 | AED 36,000 | 10 | AED 1,500 | AED 500 | AED 1,900 | AED 39,900 |
| 300 | AED 54,000 | 15 | AED 2,250 | AED 500 | AED 2,838 | AED 59,588 |
| 500 | AED 90,000 | 25 | AED 3,750 | AED 500 | AED 4,713 | AED 98,963 |
Minimums
The floor.
- Minimum 20 guests.
- Minimum order value AED 2,500.
- Booking confirmed on full payment in advance.
- Final guest count due 72 hours before; charges follow the confirmed count or actual attendance, whichever is higher.
- Quotes valid 14 days.
What moves the number
Where the money actually goes.
Seafood is the single biggest swing on the food line: a premium seafood upgrade adds AED 25 per guest. Live stations are second: each one beyond your package is a flat AED 250. Staff scale in steps of 20 guests, so 41 guests and 60 guests cost the same in service.
The catering setup does not scale at all. It is AED 500 whether you have twenty guests or five hundred, which is why very small events feel proportionally expensive against the AED 2,500 minimum.
Common questions
Answers before you ask.
- How much does catering cost per person in Dubai?
- At Cater Inc., AED 140 per head on the Classic package, AED 180 on Premium and AED 210 on Luxury. A custom dish-by-dish menu ranges from AED 80 to AED 400 per head. On top, budget AED 150 per waiter (one per 20 guests, minimum two), AED 500 transport and 5% VAT.
- What is the minimum spend for catering in Dubai?
- AED 2,500, with a minimum of 20 guests.
- How much is catering for 20 people in Dubai?
- About AED 4,620 all in on the Premium package: AED 3,600 of food at AED 180 per head, AED 300 for the two-waiter minimum, AED 500 catering setup and AED 220 VAT. Twenty guests is our minimum headcount.
- How much is catering for 30 people in Dubai?
- About AED 6,510 all in on Premium: AED 5,400 food, AED 300 staff, AED 500 catering setup and AED 310 VAT. On the Classic package at AED 140 per head it is closer to AED 5,250.
- How much is catering for 50 people in Dubai?
- About AED 10,448 all in on Premium: AED 9,000 food at AED 180 per head, AED 450 for three waiters, AED 500 catering setup and AED 498 VAT. That includes one live station, which the Premium package carries.
- How much is catering for 100 people in Dubai?
- About AED 20,213 all in on Premium: AED 18,000 food, AED 750 for five waiters, AED 500 catering setup and AED 963 VAT. On Classic it is nearer AED 16,013; on Luxury, about AED 23,363.
- How much is catering for 200 people in Dubai?
- About AED 39,900 all in on Premium: AED 36,000 food, AED 1,500 for ten waiters, AED 500 catering setup and AED 1,900 VAT. This is the most common wedding-reception size we quote.
- How much does catering cost for a 200-person wedding?
- Roughly AED 39,585 on the Premium package including staff, catering setup and VAT, or about AED 46,000 on Luxury with two live stations included. Add a flat AED 250 for each extra live station.
- How much is catering for 500 people in Dubai?
- About AED 98,963 all in on Premium: AED 90,000 food, AED 3,750 for twenty-five waiters, AED 500 catering setup and AED 4,713 VAT. At this scale plan multiple service zones rather than one buffet line.
- Is VAT included in catering prices in the UAE?
- Not in the per-head rate. VAT of 5% applies to the total, and our online quote shows it as a separate line.
- How many waiters do I need?
- One per 20 guests, with a minimum of two, at AED 150 each. A hundred-guest event therefore needs five.
- When is payment due?
- In full, in advance. Payment confirms the booking and is made by bank transfer.
Keep reading
Related to this page.
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Ready when you are
Compose your menu, course by course.
No commitment and no phone call. Choose every course yourself in about two minutes, then send it over and we'll take it from there.