Most caterers think they're making 50% profit on sandwich platters, but they're actually closer to 15%. The hidden costs of packaging, labor, and delivery eat away profits faster than you'd expect. Here's how to calculate your real earnings on meeting lunches.
What's included in the cost price of meeting lunches?
Sandwich platters involve way more than bread and fillings:
- Bread and fillings: the main ingredients
- Garnish: lettuce, tomato, cucumber, pickles
- Sauces: mayonnaise, mustard, herb butter
- Packaging: platters, lids, napkins, cutlery
- Labor: time to prepare and pack
- Delivery: fuel, time, vehicle wear and tear
⚠️ Watch out:
Many entrepreneurs forget packaging costs and labor time. These can add up to 15-20% of your selling price.
Step 1: Calculate your ingredient costs per person
Add up everything you use for one person. Calculate per person, not per sandwich - that's how customers place orders.
💡 Example meeting lunch for 1 person:
- 2 rolls (pistol): €0.80
- Ham (60g): €1.20
- Cheese (40g): €0.90
- Lettuce, tomato, cucumber: €0.35
- Butter, mayo, mustard: €0.25
- Packaging (platter + lid): €0.45
Total ingredient costs: €3.95
Step 2: Add labor time and delivery costs
Meeting lunches eat up more time than you think. Here's what to calculate per person:
- Preparation: 3-4 minutes per person
- Packing: 1 minute per person
- Delivery: divide total delivery time by number of people
💡 Example labor time for order of 20 people:
- Preparation: 20 × 4 min = 80 minutes
- Packing: 20 × 1 min = 20 minutes
- Delivery: 40 minutes (round trip)
- Total: 140 minutes = 2.3 hours
Per person: 2.3 hours ÷ 20 = 7 minutes
At €18/hour wage: 7 min = €2.10 labor time per person
Step 3: Calculate your total cost price and margin
Add everything together and figure out your food cost percentage:
Total cost price = Ingredients + Labor + Delivery + Other costs
💡 Complete cost price calculation:
- Ingredients: €3.95
- Labor time: €2.10
- Delivery costs (fuel): €0.30
- Other costs (depreciation, electricity): €0.15
Total cost price: €6.50 per person
Selling price: €12.50 per person (incl. 9% VAT)
Selling price excl. VAT: €12.50 ÷ 1.09 = €11.47
Margin: €11.47 - €6.50 = €4.97 (43% of selling price)
What's a good margin for meeting lunches?
Catering margins work differently than restaurant margins:
- Total costs (food + labor): 50-65% of revenue
- Ingredients only: 30-40% of revenue
- Net margin: 35-50% of revenue
After managing kitchen operations for nearly a decade, I've seen these numbers hold true across different catering operations. You'll get higher margins than restaurant food because there's no table service or dishwashing. But packaging and delivery costs eat into that advantage.
⚠️ Watch out:
Minimum orders are crucial. Below 10-15 people, delivery becomes too expensive per person. Set a minimum of €125-150.
Common mistakes in meeting lunch calculations
Here's what trips up most entrepreneurs:
- Forgetting labor time: preparation and delivery take time and cost money
- Underestimating packaging: professional platters cost €0.40-0.60 each
- Not passing on delivery costs: fuel and time cost money
- Accepting too small orders: below 10 people you often earn nothing
How do you keep track of this without Excel stress?
Tracking all these costs gets messy fast, especially with different order sizes. You need separate calculations for 10, 20, 50 people.
A food cost calculator like tools like KitchenNmbrs helps you:
- Automatically add up all ingredient costs
- Include labor time and packaging costs
- Calculate different order sizes
- See your profit margin per order
This way you know immediately if an order's profitable, without manual calculations.
How do you calculate profit on meeting lunches? (step by step)
Make a list of all ingredients per person
Add up all costs: bread, fillings, garnish, sauces and packaging. Calculate per person, not per sandwich. Don't forget small things like butter and mustard - they add up.
Calculate labor time and delivery costs
Measure how long you spend on preparation, packing and delivery. Divide the total time by number of people. Calculate your hourly rate × time per person for labor costs.
Add everything up and calculate your margin
Total cost price = ingredients + labor + delivery. Subtract this from your selling price (excl. VAT) for your profit per person. Check that this gives you at least 35% margin.
✨ Pro tip
Track your actual prep time for the next 5 catering orders this month. Most caterers underestimate by 30-40%, which kills their margins.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
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Frequently asked questions
Should I include VAT in my cost price calculation for meeting lunches?
No, always calculate excl. VAT. Your selling price of €12.50 incl. VAT becomes €11.47 excl. VAT. You calculate your margin based on that. VAT goes to tax authorities, not your pocket.
What's a good minimum order for meeting lunches?
At least 10-15 people, or €125-150. Below that, your delivery costs and labor time become too expensive per person. You often earn nothing or even lose money on small orders.
How do I pass on packaging costs in my price?
Good catering platters cost €0.40-0.60 each. Add this to your ingredient costs per person. Don't forget napkins and cutlery - that's another €0.10-0.15 per person.
Can I use the same prices as in my restaurant?
No, meeting lunches have different cost structures. You skip table service and dishwashing, but add packaging and delivery time. Usually you can charge 10-15% more than restaurant prices.
📚 Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
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