Guide · 100 guests
Catering a party of a hundred in Dubai.
The menu, the layout, the team and the total, planned the way our kitchen plans a hundred-guest night.
A hundred guests is the size where a party at home starts to need a plan. One buffet still serves everyone, but the live counters need their own space, a chef each for every fifty guests, and the building or community has to expect the van.
Below is how we cater it: what goes on the menu, where everything stands, who comes with the food and what it all comes to on each package, worked out by the same price engine that quotes every booking.
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 Dubai and the Northern Emirates.
- 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 Dubai 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 .
The menu
What a hundred guests eat.
For a hundred guests, Premium is the shape most hosts land on: six starters so the first hour never runs dry, four mains, two desserts and two live counters at opposite ends of the garden. The kitchen cooks the quantities for your confirmed count, so you choose the dishes and leave the kilos to us.
The menu does not have to be Indian. A hundred guests can eat a pan-Asian buffet with a live wok and a dim sum counter, or half and half, from the same packages at the same rates.
| Course | Classic | Premium | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starters | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Mains | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Rice | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Bread basket | Included | Included | Included |
| Salads and sides | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Desserts | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Live counters | 1 | 2 | 3 |
The total
What a hundred guests comes to.
That is about AED 155, AED 200 and AED 234 a guest all in. Add waiters only if food is passed around or served at the table: ten for a hundred guests, at AED 150 each. Fried starters cooked at the party bring an on-site chef at AED 250, and a second above 60 guests, unless you choose to have them on the buffet.
Seating is separate. Round tables seat eight to ten at AED 80 each, so a seated dinner for a hundred needs ten to thirteen tables, and chairs are AED 20 or AED 30 each. Tables and chairs add an AED 200 run to deliver and collect them.
| Package | Food | Counter chefs | Catering setup | VAT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic, AED 140 a guest | AED 14,000 | AED 250 | AED 500 | AED 738 | AED 15,488 |
| Premium, AED 180 a guest | AED 18,000 | AED 500 | AED 500 | AED 950 | AED 19,950 |
| Luxury, AED 210 a guest | AED 21,000 | AED 750 | AED 500 | AED 1,113 | AED 23,363 |
The layout
Where everything stands.
- One buffet line with the dishes in menu order: starters, mains, rice and breads, then salads and sides.
- Desserts on their own table, so the dessert queue never blocks the mains.
- Live counters away from the buffet and away from each other, so guests spread out instead of queueing in one corner.
- Tandoor and charcoal grills outdoors. Chaat, dosa, wok and dessert counters run indoors on butane.
- Power and water within reach of every counter, and a working space for the team out of guests' sight.
The team
Who comes with the food.
A buffet and the live counters are self-service, so a hundred guests at a buffet need no waiters: the setup team lays out, tops up and clears. Each counter runs with one chef for every 50 guests, which at a hundred means two chefs a counter. Your quote lists every chef and waiter before you book.
At a villa
Hosting a hundred at home in Dubai.
Gated communities such as Emirates Hills, Arabian Ranches, Dubai Hills and the Palm register our vehicle at the gate, and towers want outside caterers approved and the service lift booked. Tell us the community or building when you book and we send what security asks for.
The AED 500 catering setup is the same anywhere in Dubai. In Abu Dhabi the packages and every rate on this page are identical, quoted by the same engine.
Before the day
What to confirm, and when.
- A 50% booking amount holds the date; the balance is paid before the event by bank transfer.
- Final guest count 72 hours before. Charges follow the confirmed count or actual attendance, whichever is higher.
- Jain, vegan and allergy counts with your RSVPs, so the separate line is cooked for the right number.
- Building or community approvals in the week before, not on the day.
- Nothing is refunded within 48 hours of the event.
Common questions
Answers before you ask.
- How much does catering for 100 people cost in Dubai?
- As a buffet with the package's live counters, about AED 15,488 on Classic, AED 19,950 on Premium and AED 23,363 on Luxury, including the counter chefs, the AED 500 catering setup and 5% VAT. Across Dubai, published buffet rates for a party of this size run from about AED 55 to AED 195 a guest before VAT.
- How much food do I need for 100 guests?
- Six starters, four mains, one rice, a bread basket, three salads or sides and two desserts, with two live counters, is the Premium package and suits a mixed crowd. The kitchen cooks the quantities for your confirmed count, so you choose the dishes and leave the kilos to us.
- How many waiters do I need for 100 guests?
- None for a buffet. If food is passed around or served at the table, ten waiters, one for every 10 guests, at AED 150 each.
- How many live stations for 100 guests?
- One or two, at opposite ends of the space. Premium includes two and Luxury three. Each counter has two chefs at a hundred guests.
- How many tables do I need for 100 guests?
- Ten to thirteen round tables of eight to ten for a seated dinner, at AED 80 each, with chairs at AED 20 or AED 30. A standing party with a buffet needs far fewer.
- Can you cater 100 guests in a Dubai villa?
- Yes. A seventy-guest dinner at a villa in Dubai Hills is one of our recent parties. Gated communities register our vehicle at the gate, and tandoor and charcoal counters go in the garden.
Keep reading
Related to this page.
- GuidesWhat catering costs per person in DubaiWhat catering in Dubai 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 cateringHome and small party catering in Dubai, from twenty guests. Birthdays, Diwali, cocktail parties and dinners in villas and apartments, set up and cleared for you.
- CateringLive station cateringLive station catering in Dubai: 13 live cooking counters, from chaat and dosa to tandoor, wok and sushi, each with its own chef, at villas, offices and events.
- CuisinesPan-Asian cateringPan-Asian catering in Dubai: Japanese, Chinese, Burmese, Mongolian and Thai, from award-winning restaurant kitchens. Khao suey, atho, live wok, sushi and Mongolian grill.
- GuidesCatering for 100 guestsPlanning a party of 100 in Abu Dhabi: dishes on each package, where the buffet and counters go, the chefs and seating, and the total from AED 15,488.
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.