Guide · 50 guests
Catering a party of fifty in Dubai.
The menu, the counter, the team and the total for a party of fifty, worked out the way we quote it.
Fifty guests is a birthday, a Diwali dinner, a house-warming, the extended family and the neighbours. It fits a villa garden 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 rather than the truck.
Below is how we cater it: what goes on the menu, what the party comes to on each package, who arrives with the food and what to confirm the week before. Every figure is worked out by the same price engine that quotes each booking, so the number here is the number on the quote.
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
- 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 Dubai 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 .
The menu
What fifty guests eat.
At fifty, Classic is a complete dinner: four starters, three mains, a rice, breads, three sides, a dessert and one live counter, which at this size is usually a chaat counter or live tandoori breads. Premium adds two more starters, a fourth main, a second dessert and a second counter, plus water and soft drinks, and is what most hosts choose when the party runs into the night.
The menu does not have to be Indian. Fifty guests can eat a pan-Asian buffet with a live wok, or half Indian and half Asian, from the same packages at the same rates. You choose the dishes and the kitchen cooks the quantities for your confirmed count.
| 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 fifty guests comes to.
Add waiters only if food is passed around or served at the table: five for fifty guests, one for every 10, at AED 150 each. Fried starters cooked at the party bring an on-site chef at AED 250, unless you choose to have them on the buffet. A cleaning crew for the house afterwards is AED 250.
Seating is separate. Round tables seat eight to ten at AED 80 each, so a seated dinner for fifty needs five to seven 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 | Catering setup | VAT | Total | A guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic, AED 140 a guest | AED 7,000 | AED 500 | AED 375 | AED 7,875 | AED 158 |
| Premium, AED 180 a guest | AED 9,000 | AED 500 | AED 475 | AED 9,975 | AED 200 |
| Luxury, AED 210 a guest | AED 10,500 | AED 500 | AED 550 | AED 11,550 | AED 231 |
Children at the party
Forty adults and ten children.
Many fifty-guest parties in Dubai are family ones, and children eat at half the adult price. Forty adults and ten children on Classic come to AED 7,140 all in, and on Premium, with two live counters and the soft drinks included, AED 9,030. The children get a simpler menu alongside the adult spread, and the counters they queue for are ice gola, live jalebi, pasta and fresh fruit with ice cream.
| Line | Calculation | AED |
|---|---|---|
| Adults | 40 × AED 140 | 5,600 |
| Children, at half price | 10 × AED 70 | 700 |
| Catering setup (transport, setup, chafing dishes, plates, cutlery) | By guest count | 500 |
| Subtotal | 6,800 | |
| VAT | 5% | 340 |
| Total | 7,140 |
Smaller than fifty
Twenty and thirty guests.
The floor of our operation 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. On Premium, thirty guests with two live counters are AED 6,195.
A dinner for thirty is a listed service, not a favour: the same menu, the same counters and the same team as a party for fifty, in a smaller room.
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.
- The live counter away from the buffet, where guests can watch it, and a second counter at the other end if the package has one.
- Tandoor and charcoal grills outdoors. Chaat, dosa, jalebi, wok and pasta counters run indoors on butane, so an apartment or a tower's party room works.
- Power and water within reach of the counter, and a working space for the team out of guests' sight.
The team
Who comes with the food.
The team arrives about two and a half hours before the first guests to set up the counter, the buffet and the bar area you have chosen. A buffet and the live counters are self-service, so a party of fifty needs no waiters: the setup team lays out, tops up and clears through the party. One chef runs each live counter. Your quote lists every chef and waiter before you book.
At home
Hosting fifty at home in Dubai.
A garden takes everything, including the live tandoor and charcoal. In an apartment or a tower's party room the counters run on butane and the team arrives with a trolley, so tell us the floor, the lift and the parking when you book. Gated communities register our vehicle at the gate; tell us the community and we send what security asks for.
The catering setup is the same anywhere in Dubai and the Northern Emirates: AED 500 up to 50 guests, AED 750 up to 100, then AED 1,000 for every 400 guests. 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 confirms the date; the balance is paid by bank transfer on or before the event day.
- 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.
Across Dubai
Where we cater in Dubai.
We cater across Dubai: villas in Emirates Hills, Arabian Ranches, Dubai Hills, The Meadows, The Springs, Jumeirah and Al Barsha; apartments and towers in JLT, Dubai Marina, JBR, Downtown, Business Bay and Palm Jumeirah; and offices in DIFC, Dubai Internet City, Media City and Business Bay.
Towers in the Marina, JLT and Downtown usually want outside caterers approved by building management and the service lift booked, and gated villa communities register our vehicle at the gate. Tell us the building or community when you book and we send what security asks for.
Parties we have catered in Dubai this year include a seventy-guest dinner at a villa in Dubai Hills, a first birthday for thirty in a JLT apartment, a fourth birthday for thirty at a villa in The Meadows and an Asian dinner for twenty at a villa on Palm Jumeirah.
Common questions
Answers before you ask.
- How much does catering for 50 people cost in Dubai?
- As a buffet with the package's 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, AED 200 and AED 231 a guest all in. Across Dubai, published buffet rates run from about AED 55 to AED 195 a guest before VAT.
- How much food do I need for 50 guests?
- Four starters, three mains, a rice, a bread basket, three sides and a dessert, with one live counter, is the Classic package and feeds fifty as a full dinner. Premium adds two starters, a main, a dessert and a second counter. 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 50 guests?
- None for a buffet. If food is passed around or served at the table, five waiters, one for every 10 guests, at AED 150 each.
- How many live stations for 50 guests?
- One is enough for a party of fifty, and it is included in Classic; Premium includes two and Luxury three. Up to 100 guests each counter runs with one chef, so the counters add nothing to the bill at this size.
- Can you cater 50 guests in an apartment?
- Yes. Chaat, dosa, jalebi, wok and pasta counters run on butane indoors, so an apartment or a building's party room works. Tandoor and charcoal need a garden or terrace. Tell us the floor and the parking so the team plans the lift and the trolley.
- How many tables do I need for 50 guests?
- Five to seven 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.
- Do you cater parties smaller than 50?
- 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, at the same rates as a party of fifty.
- Do you charge more for the Palm, the Marina or Arabian Ranches?
- No. The catering setup goes by the size of the party, the same anywhere in Dubai, and covers transport, setting up and clearing.
- Can you cater in a Dubai apartment or tower?
- Yes. A first birthday for thirty in a JLT apartment is one of our recent parties. Live counters run on butane indoors; the building usually needs to approve outside caterers and book the service lift, and we send what it asks for.
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 19,688 for 100, with setup, counter chefs and VAT.
- 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.
- 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.
- CateringBirthday party cateringBirthday party catering at home in Dubai for adults and children. Live chaat, jalebi and ice gola counters, a simpler menu for the kids, service and setup in one quote.
- 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.
- GuidesCatering for 50 guestsPlanning a party of 50 at home in Abu Dhabi: the dishes on each package, the live counter, the team that comes, and the total from AED 7,875 with setup and VAT.
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.