Guide · 100 guests in Abu Dhabi
Planning food for a hundred in Abu Dhabi.
How our kitchen sizes the menu, the counters, the team and the bill when a hundred guests are coming.
At a hundred guests the party stops fitting in the living room. The buffet moves to the garden or the majlis, each live counter wants its own corner, and in an island community the security desk needs our van's details before the day.
This guide sets out how we cater that night in Abu Dhabi, with every figure worked out by the price engine that quotes each booking. Gaurav Varma, our Chief Executive Officer, looks after Abu Dhabi bookings directly from the head office at ADGM.
At a glance
- Caterer
- Cater Inc., cooking for UAE events since 1985 in its own HACCP-certified kitchens and serving the food at your venue.
- Where
- Homes, villas, offices and venues across Abu Dhabi.
- Guests
- From 20 guests at home to banquets of 3,500.
- Food
- Indian from every region and pan-Asian, with live counters cooked in front of guests, and Jain, vegetarian and vegan menus cooked on a separate line.
- Menus
- Classic at AED 140, Premium at AED 180 and Luxury at AED 210 a guest, or a menu built dish by dish. Minimum 20 guests and AED 2,500.
- On top
- One AED 500 catering setup covers transport, setting up, clearing, chafing dishes, plates and cutlery. Waiters come only when food is passed around or served at the table, one for every 10 guests. 5% VAT goes on the total.
- To book
- Compose the menu at caterinc.ae/book and see the itemised total, or message the Abu Dhabi team on WhatsApp. A 50% booking amount confirms the date.
Prices and policies on this page are the ones our booking engine uses. Page last updated .
Choosing the package
How many dishes a hundred guests get.
With a hundred people the first hour decides how the night feels, so we steer most hosts toward Premium. Six starters keep the trays moving while guests arrive, and two live counters split the crowd between two ends of the space. Premium also brings water and soft drinks; Luxury adds a welcome mocktail and a second rice, which suits a crowd that expects biryani and a pulao on one table.
You choose the dishes and the kitchen works out the kilos for your confirmed count. An Asian buffet is just as easy at this size: Thai curries, a live wok and a dim sum counter sit on the same packages at the same rates.
| Package | Starters | Mains | Rice | Salads and sides | Desserts | Live counters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Premium | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Luxury | 8 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
The bill
The total for a hundred, package by package.
Waiters come in only when food travels to the guest: ten for a hundred, at AED 150 each, for passed starters or a served table. Fried starters cooked at the party add an on-site chef at AED 250, with a second above 60 guests; put them on the buffet instead and neither is needed.
For a seated dinner, plan on ten to thirteen round tables of eight to ten at AED 80 each, with chairs at AED 20 or AED 30. Delivering and collecting them is one AED 200 run.
| Package | Food | Extra counter chefs | Catering setup | VAT | All in | A guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | AED 14,000 | AED 250 | AED 500 | AED 738 | AED 15,488 | AED 155 |
| Premium | AED 18,000 | AED 500 | AED 500 | AED 950 | AED 19,950 | AED 200 |
| Luxury | AED 21,000 | AED 750 | AED 500 | AED 1,113 | AED 23,363 | AED 234 |
On the night
Laying out a hundred-guest party.
- The buffet first, in the order people eat: starters, mains, rice and bread, then salads.
- A separate dessert table, so people going back for sweets do not hold up the mains.
- The live counters at opposite ends, well away from the buffet line.
- Tandoor and charcoal grills in the garden or on the terrace. Chaat, dosa, wok and dessert counters can run indoors on butane.
- A power point and water near every counter, and a back area for our team that guests do not see.
The team
Who arrives with the food.
The setup team lays out the buffet, keeps it full and clears it, so a buffet for a hundred needs no waiters. Every live counter has one chef for each 50 guests, which means two chefs a counter at this size. Each chef and waiter appears on the quote before you book.
Across the emirate
A hundred guests at home in Abu Dhabi.
On a villa plot, put the counters on the lawn and the buffet under shade or in the majlis, where guests can sit down with a plate.
The AED 500 catering setup does not change with distance, whether the party is on Saadiyat, on Al Reem or out in Mussafah, and every rate on this page matches Dubai's.
Before the day
The week before a hundred-guest party.
- Pay 50% to hold the date and the rest by bank transfer before the event.
- Confirm the final count 72 hours ahead. The bill follows that count or the number who actually come, whichever is more.
- Send Jain, vegan and allergy numbers with the RSVPs so the separate line is cooked to the right quantity.
- Have community or building security clear our van a few days ahead.
- Within 48 hours of the event nothing is refundable.
Across Abu Dhabi
Where we cater in Abu Dhabi.
We cater across the emirate: villas on Saadiyat, Yas, Al Raha, Khalifa City, Mohammed Bin Zayed City and Al Bateen; towers on Al Reem, Al Maryah and the Corniche; and offices from ADGM to Mussafah. Our head office is at ADGM on Al Maryah Island.
Island and gated communities clear our vehicle with security before the day, and towers usually book the service lift for us. Tell us the community or building when you book and we send what security asks for.
Parties we have catered in Abu Dhabi this year include a forty-guest party in Al Shamkha, a dinner for thirty in a tower apartment, a staff lunch for thirty in Mussafah and a dinner for twenty at a villa in Al Seef.
Common questions
Answers before you ask.
- How much does it cost to cater for 100 people in Abu Dhabi?
- Served as a buffet with the package's own live counters, about AED 15,488 on Classic, AED 19,950 on Premium and AED 23,363 on Luxury. That includes the second chef each counter needs, the AED 500 catering setup and 5% VAT.
- How much food should I order for 100 guests?
- Choose dishes and leave the quantities to us. Premium, with six starters, four mains, a rice, bread, three sides, two desserts and two live counters, suits most mixed crowds of a hundred, and the kitchen cooks the amounts for your confirmed count.
- Do I need waiters for 100 guests at a buffet?
- No. Waiters are only for food that is passed around or served at the table, one for each 10 guests, so ten for a hundred at AED 150 each.
- How many live counters suit 100 guests?
- Two is the usual answer, placed at opposite ends; Premium includes two and Luxury three. At this size each counter runs with two chefs.
- Can you cater 100 guests at a villa on Saadiyat or Yas?
- Yes. Island communities clear our vehicle at the gate, so tell us the community when you book. Tandoor and charcoal counters go in the garden, and the rest can run indoors on butane.
- How many tables and chairs for 100 guests?
- For a seated meal, ten to thirteen rounds of eight to ten at AED 80 each, and chairs at AED 20 or AED 30. A standing party with a buffet needs only a few.
- Do you charge more for Saadiyat, Yas or Al Reem?
- No. The AED 500 catering setup is the same across the emirate, islands included. Gated island communities need our vehicle cleared with security, so tell us the community when you book.
- Can you cater in an Abu Dhabi apartment or tower?
- Yes. A dinner for thirty in a tower apartment is one of our recent parties. Live counters run on butane indoors, and tandoor and charcoal need a garden or terrace.
Keep reading
Related to this page.
- GuidesCatering for 100 guestsHow to cater a party of 100 at a Dubai villa or venue: the menu, the buffet and live counters, the team that comes, and the all-in total on each package, from AED 15,488 with setup and VAT.
- GuidesWhat catering costs per person in Abu DhabiWhat catering in Abu Dhabi includes and costs: AED 140 to 210 a guest, about AED 9,975 for 50 guests and AED 19,950 for 100, with setup, counter chefs and VAT.
- 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.
- CateringPrivate & home party catering in Abu DhabiCatering for small parties and private dinners at home in Abu Dhabi, from twenty guests: birthdays, Diwali, majlis evenings and villa gatherings, laid out and cleared.
- CateringLive station cateringLive food stations and live counters in Abu Dhabi: chaat, dosa, tandoor, wok and sushi cooked in front of your guests, each counter with its own chef.
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.