Guide · 50 guests in Abu Dhabi
Planning food for fifty in Abu Dhabi.
How our kitchen sizes the menu, the counter, the team and the bill when fifty guests are coming.
Fifty guests is a majlis evening, a birthday, an Eid or Diwali dinner for the family and the neighbours. It fits a villa garden, a majlis or a tower's party room, one buffet serves everyone, one chef runs each live counter, and the catering setup is still the AED 500 van.
This guide sets out how we cater that evening 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
- The catering setup (AED 500 up to 50 guests, AED 750 up to 100, then AED 1,000 for every 400 guests) 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, and the balance is paid on or before the event day.
Prices and policies on this page are the ones our booking engine uses. Page last updated .
Choosing the package
How many dishes fifty guests get.
For fifty people Classic is already a full dinner, with one live counter that at this size is usually chaat or live tandoori breads. Premium is for an evening that runs long: six starters while people arrive, two counters at either end of the room, two desserts, and water and soft drinks included. Luxury adds a welcome mocktail and a second rice, which suits a table that expects both a biryani and a pulao.
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 dim sum 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 fifty, package by package.
Waiters come in only when food travels to the guest: five for fifty, 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; put them on the buffet instead and no chef is needed. A cleaning crew for the house afterwards is AED 250.
For a seated dinner, plan on five to seven 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 | Catering setup | VAT | All in | A guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | AED 7,000 | AED 500 | AED 375 | AED 7,875 | AED 158 |
| Premium | AED 9,000 | AED 500 | AED 475 | AED 9,975 | AED 200 |
| Luxury | AED 10,500 | AED 500 | AED 550 | AED 11,550 | AED 231 |
Smaller than fifty
Twenty and thirty guests.
The floor is 20 guests, with a minimum order of AED 2,500, and the rates do not change with size. Twenty guests on Classic come to AED 3,465 all in and thirty to AED 4,935, each with the AED 500 catering setup and VAT. Thirty on Premium, with two live counters, are AED 6,195.
On the night
Laying out a fifty-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 counter where guests can watch it, away from the buffet line, and a second at the far end if the package has one.
- Tandoor and charcoal grills in the garden or on the terrace. Chaat, dosa, wok and dessert counters can run indoors on butane, so a majlis or an apartment party room works.
- A power point and water near the counter, and a back area for our team that guests do not see.
The team
Who arrives with the food.
The team arrives about two and a half hours before the first guests. The setup team lays out the buffet, keeps it full and clears it, so a buffet for fifty needs no waiters, and one chef runs each live counter. Each chef and waiter appears on the quote before you book.
Before the day
The week before a fifty-guest party.
- A 50% booking amount confirms the date, and the rest is paid by bank transfer on or before the event day.
- 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 50 people in Abu Dhabi?
- Served as a buffet with the package's own live counter, AED 7,875 on Classic, AED 9,975 on Premium and AED 11,550 on Luxury, including the AED 500 catering setup and 5% VAT. That is about AED 158 to AED 231 a guest all in.
- How much food should I order for 50 guests?
- Choose dishes and leave the quantities to us. Classic, with four starters, three mains, a rice, bread, three sides, a dessert and one live counter, is a full dinner for fifty; Premium adds two starters, a main, a dessert and a second counter for an evening that runs long.
- Do I need waiters for 50 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 five for fifty at AED 150 each.
- How many live counters suit 50 guests?
- One, and Classic includes it; Premium includes two and Luxury three. Up to 100 guests each counter runs with one chef, so at fifty the counters add nothing to the bill.
- Can you cater 50 guests at a villa on Saadiyat, Yas or Al Reem?
- Yes. Island and gated 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 50 guests?
- For a seated meal, five to seven 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 cater parties smaller than 50 in Abu Dhabi?
- Yes, from 20 guests with a minimum order of AED 2,500. Twenty guests on Classic come to AED 3,465 all in and thirty to AED 4,935.
- Do you charge more for Saadiyat, Yas or Al Reem?
- No. The catering setup goes by the size of the party, 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 50 guestsHow to cater a party of 50 at home in Dubai: the dishes on each package, the live counter, who comes with the food, and the all-in total from AED 7,875 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 19,688 for 100, with setup, counter chefs and VAT.
- 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.
- 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.
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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.