Open day catering demands a completely different pricing strategy than your typical event work. You're juggling unknown visitor counts, higher presentation standards, and the pressure to keep prices reasonable. Smart caterers protect their margins by building uncertainty directly into their calculations.
Why open day catering is different
Regular catering gives you exact headcounts. Open days? Pure guesswork. You need to account for:
- Uncertain number of visitors
- Representative appearance (no cheap snacks)
- Often lower prices (goodwill pricing)
- Possible leftovers
The basics: calculating cost price per person
Start with your standard cost calculation, then layer on the extras:
💡 Example basic cost price:
Lunch buffet for 100 people:
- Ingredients: €8.50 per person
- On-site staff: €2.00 per person
- Transport and materials: €1.50 per person
Total cost price: €12.00 per person
Extra costs for open days
Beyond your normal costs, factor in these specifics:
- Uncertainty surcharge: 15-25% extra purchasing in case more people show up
- Presentation upgrade: Nicer platters, decoration, better ingredients
- Longer standing time: Food needs to stay fresh for 4-6 hours (versus 2 hours normally)
- Leftover risk: What's left over often can't be reused
⚠️ Note:
Always calculate with 20-30% more purchasing than the expected number of visitors. Open days often attract more people than expected, especially if the weather is nice.
Margin calculation with risk surcharge
Your typical 30-40% margin won't cut it here. This is the kind of thing you only learn after closing your first month at a loss—open days need bigger buffers. Calculate with:
💡 Example margin calculation:
Cost price €12.00 per person + 25% risk surcharge:
- Adjusted cost price: €15.00 per person
- Desired margin: 45%
- Minimum selling price: €15.00 ÷ 0.55 = €27.27 per person
Rounded: €28.00 per person excl. VAT
Scenario planning for different numbers
Always create three scenarios to protect your margin:
- Pessimistic: 70% of expected number shows up
- Realistic: 100% of expected number shows up
- Optimistic: 130% of expected number shows up
Calculate for each scenario to check you're still profitable. Adjust your price until all scenarios come out positive.
💡 Example scenario check:
Expected: 100 people at €28.00 = €2,800 revenue
- If 70 show up: €1,960 revenue, costs €1,500 = €460 profit
- If 100 show up: €2,800 revenue, costs €1,500 = €1,300 profit
- If 130 show up: €2,800 revenue, costs €1,950 = €850 profit
All scenarios remain profitable.
What do you do with leftovers?
Plan in advance what you'll do with leftover food:
- Cold items: take along for the next day
- Hot items: give to staff or discard
- Shelf-stable items: back to inventory
- Special items: write off as loss
Factor in 10-15% loss during cost calculations for items you can't reuse.
How do you calculate the margin for open day catering?
Calculate your basic cost price per person
Add up: ingredients + staff + transport + materials. This is your normal cost price without risk surcharges.
Add risk surcharges
Add 20-30% for uncertainty about numbers, plus extra costs for presentation and longer standing time. This becomes your adjusted cost price.
Calculate selling price with higher margin
Divide your adjusted cost price by (1 - desired margin). For open days you calculate with 45-50% margin instead of 30-35%.
Test your price in three scenarios
Check whether you remain profitable at 70%, 100% and 130% of the expected number of visitors. Adjust your price until all scenarios are positive.
✨ Pro tip
Build a 25% attendance buffer into every open day quote above 75 people within 72 hours of the event. This protects you from weather-driven crowd surges that can destroy your food costs overnight.
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
What margin should I target for open day catering jobs?
Aim for 45-50% margin instead of your usual 30-35%. The extra uncertainty and presentation demands justify the higher markup, plus you need buffer for potential losses.
How much extra food should I purchase for uncertain headcounts?
Buy 20-30% more than the projected visitor count. Nice weather can easily double attendance at outdoor showroom events. Better to have too much than run out.
What if way fewer people show up than expected?
Run your numbers at 70% attendance before accepting the job. If you're not profitable at that level, increase your per-person price or require minimum guarantees.
Can I salvage leftover food from these events?
Cold platters and packaged items usually work for next-day use. Hot dishes rarely survive the 6-hour display period intact. Build 10-15% waste into your costing.
How should I price dietary alternatives for unknown crowds?
Stock 15% gluten-free and 10% vegetarian minimum for corporate open days. Price these options 15-20% higher to cover the specialty ingredient costs.
Should I charge differently for weekend versus weekday open days?
Weekend events typically draw 40-60% higher attendance but require premium labor rates. Factor in overtime costs and adjust your per-person pricing accordingly.
📚 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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