BUSINESS GUIDE
How to start a catering business in 2026
The health permit and its fee by named state, why catering needs a permitted kitchen and what cottage-food status doesn't cover, what caterers charge per guest in dated figures, the liquor permit, sales tax on catered food, the insurance, the gear priced from the seller's page — and how to book the first events. Written for the cook with a menu and no business yet, not a designer.
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$80/platewhat wedding catering averaged in The Knot's 2025 study (as reported by FOX 35); Zola's 2026 average is $46 to $55 a person
$62,470the 2025 US median pay for a chef or head cook — $30.03 an hour (O*NET)
$45/monthmedian general liability for caterers (Insureon, September 2026); FLIP's policy is $25.92
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See what your catering website could look like
This is a real Zarla template for a full-service caterer. Describe yours — drop-off lunches, weddings, private parties, the towns you deliver to — and you'll have a site like this, with your menus, your starting prices and a quote request form, in about a minute.
- Professional design — not a generic template
- Looks great on desktop and mobile
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Add your town and your company's name to the sentence, and Zarla builds the site: a call button at the top, your menus and starting prices, and a quote request form. Add your per-person packages, your minimum order and the towns you deliver to in chat, then publish.
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Is a catering business worth starting — and what do clients pay?
Every office, wedding, funeral and graduation has to feed a room, and most of them call a caterer. The work splits into corporate drop-off — boxed lunches and buffets delivered to an office, booked on a few days' notice and repeated weekly; private events — birthdays, showers, memorials — with a few weeks' notice; and weddings, the big tickets, booked a year out with a deposit and the most staffing. This guide is about the catering business; a restaurant, a food truck and a private chef business each have their own guide.
What clients pay. Wedding catering averaged $80 a plate in The Knot's 2025 Real Weddings Study (FOX 35 Orlando, May 2025). Zola — a wedding marketplace — puts the national average at $46 to $55 a person, with plated dinners $65 to $85, buffets $40 to $65, cocktail receptions $35 to $55 and food stations $45 to $75, a national average bill of $6,927, and caterer minimums of $2,500 to $4,000 (Zola, February 2026). On the corporate side, CaterCow — a marketplace — puts an all-in lunch at $20 a head and dinner at $21, under $18 in Boston and Houston and $20 to $21 in New York, San Francisco and Austin, with buffets “typically 11% more expensive per person” than boxed meals (CaterCow, October 2025); ZeroCater tiers boxed lunches at $12 to $18, $18 to $25 and $25 to $35 and up a person, says to “Add 25% for the true all-in cost (service charge, delivery, tax),” and warns that for orders under 15 people some caterers decline or add “a small-order surcharge of $15–$50” (ZeroCater, October 2026). A caterer's own menu, seen October 2026: Salt + Smoke in Ellisville, Missouri, caters barbecue at “just $18.99 per person,” another side $2 a guest, with a $400 food-and-beverage minimum and a $400 deposit on its smallest room and a 50% deposit on the biggest (Salt + Smoke, June 2024 menu); Puffy Muffin in Brentwood, Tennessee sets a $200 minimum order in business hours and $1,500 to $2,000 after hours and on weekends (Puffy Muffin). An invoicing company's guide to caterers' terms puts the deposit at 25% to 50% to hold the date, with 50% on signing for any event over $500 and the balance one to two weeks before (InvoiceQuickly, February 2026).
The catch. The hours are evenings and weekends, you buy the food before the host pays, and labor is the worry: in Catersource's State of the Industry survey, 39% of caterers named labor costs their greatest concern and 34% food costs, 41% said revenue rose in 2024 and 24% that it fell, and corporate and private events were 38% of the work against weddings' 31% (Catersource, December 2024); the International Caterers Association found “86% of catering companies report being understaffed moving into 2024” (ICA via Cater+Event, March 2024). As an employee, a chef or head cook earned a 2025 median of $30.03 an hour, $62,470 a year, with growth much faster than average to 2035 (O*NET); a food service manager $33.36 an hour, $69,390 (O*NET). The owner's income has to beat those after the kitchen rent, the permit, the insurance and the servers. That's what the rest of this guide sets up.
How to start a catering business, in plain English
The kitchen gets the permit, not the cook. In the US, catering is licensed by the health department as a food establishment, and the one thing every agency checked agrees on is where the food is made. Seattle and King County put it in a sentence: “King County requires that a catering business operate from an approved commissary kitchen,” and charge $504 for the two-hour plan review before the permit (Public Health – Seattle & King County). Cottage-food status doesn't substitute: California's cottage food law covers “nonpotentially hazardous foods” made at home (California Health and Safety Code §113758) up to $75,000 a year for a Class A operator and $150,000 for Class B (California Department of Public Health), and Texas's cottage food law, widened on September 1, 2025 to most foods and a $150,000 gross income cap, still excludes meat and poultry products and seafood and keeps time- and temperature-controlled foods out of wholesale (Texas DSHS, 2025) — a hot buffet for forty needs a permitted kitchen. The fees, from the agencies' own schedules:
- Texas. Where the state issues the permit — cities, counties and health districts that permit their own businesses set their own fees — a retail food establishment permit is $258 a year under $50,000 of food sales, $515 to $149,999 and $773 from $150,000 (Texas DSHS); “a certified food protection manager shall be present at the food establishment during all hours of operation,” and every other food employee completes an accredited handler course “within 30 days of employment” (25 TAC §228.31).
- California. Los Angeles County's 2026–27 schedule prices a caterer's permit at $2,179 under 1,000 square feet, $2,379 to 1,999 and $3,018 above (LA County Public Health, August 2026); every food facility needs at least one food-safety-certified owner or employee, with 60 days to comply after opening (California Health and Safety Code §113947.1), and the handler course is capped at $15 and good for three years (§113948).
- Florida. Caterers license through the state's hotels-and-restaurants division: a $50 application fee and $242 a year for the catering group (Florida rule 61C-1.008); “Managers have a period of 30 days after employment to pass the required test” (Florida Statutes §509.039), and the certificate runs five years (rule 61C-4.023).
- New York City. The food service establishment permit is $280, plus $25 for frozen desserts, and “A supervising manager must pass a Food Protection Course and be on-site at all times” (NYC Business); the online course is free and the exam $24 (NYC Health Academy).
- Washington. King County's 2026 caterer permit is $567 at the lowest risk tier, $756 and $945 above (King County, 2026 fee schedule).
- Chicago. A retail food establishment license is $660 under 1,000 square feet, rising to $1,650, with a certified person on the premises at all times (City of Chicago).
Those are six places' rules. Yours will differ in fee and in name — some counties call it a caterer's permit, some a food establishment permit, some a mobile or temporary permit per event — so start with your county health department's food business page and ask what a caterer working from a commissary needs.
The food manager certificate. The ServSafe Manager course with the online proctored exam is $179, the exam alone $99 and the course alone $125 at the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, an authorized reseller (RAMW); a Texas food handler card is $10.99 at a state-accredited provider (StateFoodSafety). Book it before the permit — Texas, New York City and Chicago want the certified person there whenever you're operating.
The kitchen, by the hour. Shared kitchens rent by the hour and the month: K6 in Austin lists a start-up tier at 20 hours a month for $500 ($25 an hour), down to $16 an hour at 120 hours, with a $350 deposit (The Kitchen Door, K6 Austin); The Hatchery in Chicago $15 to $25 an hour in its shared kitchen (The Kitchen Door, The Hatchery); PREP South in Atlanta $400 for 20 hours a month and $1,240 for 80 (The Kitchen Door, PREP South); Union Kitchen in Washington, D.C. a membership that “starts at $899” a month (Union Kitchen, September 2026). A restaurant supplier's article puts the range at $15 to $40 an hour (WebstaurantStore, November 2023). Rent the hours you'll use; the lease comes when the calendar justifies it.
The gear, priced from the supplier. From WebstaurantStore's own pages in October 2026: a full-size folding chafer $29.99, or $26.33 each by the case of three (WebstaurantStore); a Cambro insulated top-loading pan carrier $192.99 (WebstaurantStore); a front-loading six-pan insulated carrier $189.99 (WebstaurantStore); a Cres Cor heated six-pan holding cabinet $3,372 (WebstaurantStore); a full sheet pan $6.49, $5.37 each by the dozen (WebstaurantStore); a Taylor instant-read probe thermometer $6.99 (WebstaurantStore); a 16-quart cooler $34.49 (WebstaurantStore). The vehicle is the biggest swing: a new 2026 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter cargo van starts at $48,990 (Mercedes-Benz Vans, 2026), and most caterers start with the car they drive and a borrowed van for the weddings. Durable — a website-software company — puts a cottage-food start at $900 to $2,500, a shared-kitchen start at $4,015 to $9,250 and a full commercial kitchen at $52,000 to $73,000 and up (Durable, January 2026).
How to price: per guest, from the food cost, with a deposit. Cost the menu per head from what the ingredients really cost, add the hours of prep, serving and breakdown, rentals and travel, and set the per-person price and the minimum order — then check it against the market above: $12 to $35 a boxed lunch, $40 to $85 a wedding plate, a caterer's own $18.99 barbecue. Take the deposit before you buy a single ingredient. Our guide to how to get your business on Google covers the quote requests.
Sales tax on catered food. It's state law and, in every state checked, the catered meal is taxable. In Texas, “A caterer is a seller of prepared food and beverages and must collect sales tax on all charges billed in connection with the sale of taxable meals,” and caterers pay tax on the tables, chairs, linens and steam tables they buy or rent (34 TAC §3.293); in California, “charges to your customers for the preparation and serving of food and beverages are taxable,” and so are charges for tableware, linens and tables (CDTFA, caterers guide); in New York, “The sale of food and beverages (both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages) that have been prepared or are served by caterers is taxable” (New York Department of Taxation, TB-ST-110, April 2019); in Florida, the grocery exemption excludes food “served, prepared, or sold in or by restaurants, lunch counters, cafeterias, hotels, taverns, or other like places of business” (Florida Statutes §212.08); in Washington, “Caterers must collect retail sales tax on their total charge to customers for catering services,” at the rate where the meal is served (Washington Department of Revenue). Register for the permit when you register the business and confirm the rentals line with your accountant.
Alcohol. Pouring at an event is a separate permit from your state's alcohol regulator. In Texas the Caterer's Permit is $1,000 plus a $278 surcharge, $1,278 (TABC fee chart); in California only an existing on-sale licensee may hold the Type 58 caterer's permit (California ABC), at $300 a year (California ABC, 2022 schedule) plus a per-event authorization of $100 under 1,000 guests, $325 to 4,999 and $1,000 above (California ABC, January 2026); in Florida a caterer licensed by the state's Division of Hotels and Restaurants may hold a caterer's beverage license and pays the annual tax the statute points to (Florida Statutes §561.20) — $1,820 a year, “Regardless of the county or counties in which the licensee operates” (§565.02). Until you hold one, let the host buy the alcohol and hire a licensed bar service.
How to register the business. In the US it's the same four steps in every state, with different fees. Form the business — an LLC is $40 in Kentucky (Kentucky SOS), $300 in Texas (Texas SOS) and $70 in California plus a $20 statement of information (California SOS), where every LLC also owes an $800 yearly tax (California FTB) — or file a DBA and trade as a sole proprietor. Get the EIN — “You never have to pay a fee for an EIN” (IRS, October 2026) — open a business bank account, and register for sales tax. Our guide to whether you need an LLC walks through the choice.
Insurance. Every venue asks for the general liability certificate. Insureon's medians for caterers who quote with it are $45 a month ($537 a year) for general liability, $96 ($1,155) for a business owner's policy that bundles it with property, $28 ($339) for liquor liability, $82 ($986) for workers' compensation, $204 for commercial auto and $129 for cyber cover (Insureon, September 2026); FLIP, an insurer built for food businesses, sells its policy at $25.92 a month or from $299 a year, and $37.75 a month with liquor liability (FLIP). Workers' comp applies once the servers are employees — ask your state's rule before the first hire.
Franchise or independent? Corporate Caterers' franchise is listed by a broker directory at a $29,900 fee and a total investment of $149,000 to $227,800 (IFPG, 2026) — read the disclosure document before you sign anything. Every owner quoted in the next section built an independent business.
Outside the US. In the UK a food business registers with its local council “at least 28 days before trading” (GOV.UK); “Registration of your food business is free and can't be refused,” a food hygiene certificate “is not compulsory” though you must show you've been adequately trained, and the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme scores you 0 to 5 after inspection (GOV.UK, August 2026) — displaying the sticker is mandatory in Wales and Northern Ireland and voluntary in England (GOV.UK, June 2026). A sole trader registers for Self Assessment once they earn more than £1,000 in a tax year (GOV.UK) and for VAT at “£90,000 (the VAT threshold)” (GOV.UK); serving alcohol at a one-off event under 500 people takes a Temporary Event Notice at £21 (GOV.UK). In Australia the ABN is free (business.gov.au), GST registration is compulsory within 21 days of reaching $75,000 of turnover (ATO, September 2026), and food law is state and council: New South Wales names caterers among the businesses that must have a Food Safety Supervisor (NSW Food Authority), and Victorian councils register caterers as class 2 food premises — unpackaged, potentially hazardous food — with a food safety supervisor (Warrnambool City Council; Latrobe City Council). Confirm your own country's and council's rules before the first event.
The business, and the calendar. Arrive early, hold the temperature, photograph the spread, and ask the host for the review and the venue for its list — word of mouth is the primary source of new clients for 89.7% of the caterers FLIP insures (FLIP, 2026). For one cook starting from a rented kitchen, our free catering business plan puts the start at $5,144–$26,410: three months of kitchen hours, the chafers and carriers, serving ware, the manager certificate and handler cards, the health permit, a year of liability cover, the first events' food, registration, the website, software and two months of running costs. A vehicle and your own living costs come on top. The catering website templates show what a good caterer's site looks like, and Zarla's catering website builder is how an office manager searching for a caterer near them finds yours.
What catering business owners actually say
None of this is our opinion about the trade. It comes from people who run catering businesses, talking about the work in a business magazine, local business journals, local news features and an industry Q&A between 2017 and 2026. Read each as theirs at the time; the dollar figures in older pages are that year's. Five things come up again and again.
The first events go badly, and you learn from each one. Sebastien Centner, who founded Eatertainment Events & Catering in Toronto on a whim and now does a thousand events a year: “It was a disaster.” And: “If we delivered 50 percent of what the client expected, I'd be surprised.” Then: “In the first year, we did 20 events. … I learned from event to event to event” (Entrepreneur, April 2025). Tiffany Avila of Hometown Chef Catering Co. in Humble, Texas: “[It was] very overwhelming because it was a lot of trial and error and learning as you go along, because with these types of events, you don't get any do-overs.” And: “We learned from our mistakes quickly” (Community Impact, November 2017).
“I always say we can only deliver the five percent if we've already planned out the first 95. If you're scrambling to fix something basic the day of the event, you don't have time to go above and beyond.” — Sebastien Centner, Eatertainment, in Entrepreneur, April 2025
The next event comes from the last one. Bubba Conner of Silver Spoon Catering in Huntsville, Alabama, forty years in: “Just last year, we catered 368 weddings. I've never missed a day of work in 40 years.” And: “If you do a good job, they'll call you back. I have a lot of repeat customers. That tells me that we're doing something right.” On how he started: “A good friend of mine loaned me the money to get started” (Huntsville Business Journal, July 2026). The owners of Creatively Catered in Dallas–Fort Worth: “What we're most proud of is that we've grown primarily through word-of-mouth and referrals. People hire us because they've experienced our work firsthand—or someone they trust has—and that means everything” (VoyageDallas, February 2026). Antichella Forrest of Royal Occasions and Catering in Mathews, Virginia, on the start: “When I started I played with it to test it out. I did not have a lot of exposure and people didn't know what I was trying to do. There weren't many who were supportive other than those who knew me and realized what I was offering” (Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal, January 2021).
The price is built per event, and the service is the product. Creatively Catered again: “Because every event is unique, our pricing is customized rather than one-size-fits-all. Proposals are built around guest count, service style, menu complexity, bar needs, décor scope, staffing, rentals, and the level of planning support needed” (VoyageDallas, February 2026). Luz Stratthus of Bright Thyme Catering in Bridgewater, New Jersey: “Service is our first impression. Followed by really good food.” And: “If you give us your idea and what you are looking to spend, we can create something” (Patch, January 2024).
The kitchen is the gate. Jeannie Dalton of Firewater Events in Marysville, Washington, on the commissary that let her start: “We can't do any of this stuff without a kitchen.” And: “She's helping us grow. Without her, we wouldn't have this dream right now” (Everett Herald, November 2019). Tanya Gurrieri of Salthouse Catering in Charleston, on why she opened a shared kitchen for the next cooks: “Charleston has no shortage of culinary talent, but there are real barriers when it comes to access, space, and the infrastructure needed to grow. … We've been in those shoes ourselves” (Who's On The Move, February 2026). Stephen Bigmore of The Kitchen by Feast Catering in Westfield, New Jersey, on his new space: “It's going to be 85 percent kitchen and 15 percent retail” (Patch, April 2026).
Labor, waste and the swings. Nancy Vajretti of Love and Garlic in California's Central Valley: “All of us need to review how we're selling preparing foods because my big pitch is lower your labor, increase your production” (ABC30, July 2024). Laura Calderone of Relish Catering in North Bethesda, Maryland: “We are constantly finding ways to minimize food waste and reduce our carbon footprint in the catering industry.” And: “Catering [is] in my soul” (BizBash, January 2025). Rob Richards of Two Skillets Catering in McKinney, Texas: “I think 2024 is going to be the year we pretty much bust out and really be able to service the community” (Community Impact, February 2024). Each of those is one owner's account of one business in one market, not a survey — read them as what the model can do, not what it does on average; Centner's company is in Canada.
The through-line: the catering businesses that last get the permitted kitchen and the certificate before the first event, plan the first 95 percent so the day runs, price each event from its own guest count and service, take the deposit, and get the next booking from the last host and the venue's list.
THE STARTER KIT
What you need to start a catering business
A permitted kitchen, rented by the hour
The health department permits the kitchen, not the cook — King County says it in one sentence — so a commissary or shared kitchen at $15 to $40 an hour, or a monthly block from a named kitchen, until the bookings justify a lease.
The food manager certificate, on the state's clock
A ServSafe Manager course and proctored exam at a reseller's price, and handler cards for anyone helping — present during all hours in Texas, within 60 days in California, 30 in Florida. The table below has the clocks.
Chafers, carriers and the gear that holds temperature
Chafing dishes, an insulated pan carrier, sheet pans, a probe thermometer and a cooler — priced from the supplier's own page in the costs section — and the heated holding cabinet when the plated dinners start.
Registration, the EIN and the sales tax permit
An LLC or a DBA with your state, the free EIN from the IRS, a business bank account, and the sales tax permit — because in every state checked, the catered meal is taxable, and in Texas and California so are the tables and linens.
Liability insurance, and liquor liability if you pour
General liability — every venue asks for the certificate — and liquor liability the day you serve a drink, plus workers' comp once the servers are employees. Insureon's and FLIP's prices are in the table below.
A menu priced per guest, and a way to be found
A tight menu you can cook at volume, a price per person built from the food cost and the serving hours, a deposit on every date, a Google Business Profile, and a website with your menus, starting prices and a quote request form.
THE PAPERWORK
Licenses, permits, certificates and insurance for a catering business
| Typical cost | Time to get | Legally required? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business registration (LLC or DBA) and EIN | e.g. $40 (KY), $300 (TX), $70 + $20 + $800/yr tax (CA); EIN free | Days | Depends on your structure |
| Health permit for a caterer | e.g. $258–$773/yr (TX); $2,179+ (LA County); $242 + $50 (FL); $280 (NYC); $567+ (King County); $660+ (Chicago) | Weeks, after inspection | Everywhere checked — your county's name for it varies |
| A permitted commissary or commercial kitchen | $15–$40/hr; e.g. $400 for 20 hrs/month (Atlanta) | Days | King County requires it; cottage food won't cover hot food |
| Food manager certificate | $179 course + proctored exam (ServSafe at a reseller) | Days | TX: present all hours; CA: within 60 days; FL: 30 days; NYC |
| Food handler cards for staff | $10.99 (TX); capped at $15 (CA) | Hours | TX within 30 days; CA within 30 days of hire |
| Sales tax permit | Varies by state | Days | Catered meals are taxable in TX, CA, NY, FL and WA |
| Caterer's liquor permit | $1,278 (TX); $300/yr + $100–$1,000 per event (CA); $1,820/yr (FL) | Weeks | To serve alcohol — built on an existing license in CA |
| General liability insurance | $45/month median (Insureon); $25.92 at FLIP | Same day | Not by law; every venue asks for the certificate |
| Liquor liability insurance | $28/month median (Insureon); +$11.83 at FLIP | Same day | The venue asks for it the day you pour |
| Workers' compensation | $82/month median (Insureon) | Days | Check your state's rule once servers are employees |
| Commercial auto insurance | $204/month median (Insureon) | Same day | For a business-owned van — ask your state |
THE STEPS
How to start a catering business (step by step)
Eight steps from a cook with a menu to a permitted kitchen, a price per guest, a deposit on every date and a corporate account that orders every week.
01
Decide who you'll cook for first
Corporate drop-off lunches, private parties, weddings or grazing tables — each has its own buyer, price and lead time. Drop-off is the fastest way to start and the corporate account pays every week; weddings pay the most and book a year out.
Before anything else02
Get the food manager certificate and the handler cards
Book the manager course and proctored exam, get handler cards for anyone who'll help, and read your state's clock — Texas wants the manager present during all hours of operation, California gives 60 days, Florida 30.
03
Rent a permitted kitchen and get the health permit
A home kitchen won't be permitted for hot, perishable food and cottage-food status doesn't cover it; rent a commissary by the hour, apply for the caterer's permit with the kitchen agreement, and book the inspection.
04
Register the business and the sales tax permit
Form the LLC or file the DBA, get the free EIN, open the bank account, and register for sales tax before the first invoice — catered meals are taxable in every state checked here.
05
Insure it, and buy the gear that holds temperature
General liability before the first event, liquor liability before the first drink, then chafers, an insulated carrier, sheet pans, a probe thermometer and a cooler from the supplier's page — the holding cabinet comes with the plated work.
06
Price per guest, and take the deposit
Cost the menu per head from real food cost, add the serving hours, rentals and travel, set the per-person price and the minimum order, and take a deposit before you buy a single ingredient.
07
Get found, and tell everyone
Put your Google Business Profile and website live with your menus, starting prices and a quote request form, then take a tasting box to three venues and two planners and tell every office manager you know you're delivering.
08
Feed the room, photograph it, and ask
Arrive early, hold the temperature, photograph the spread with the headcount, and ask the host for the review before the guests leave — then the venue for a place on its list. Repeat until the weekends are full and the lunch account is weekly.
THE COSTS
How much does it cost to start a catering business?
The total is our free catering business plan's itemized US ranges for one cook starting from a rented kitchen: three months of kitchen hours at two named kitchens' rates, chafers, carriers and the holding cabinet at the high end, serving ware, the manager certificate and handler cards, the health permit from Texas's to LA County's, a year of liability cover, the first events' food, registration, the website, software, and two months of running costs. A vehicle and your own living costs come on top. Gear from WebstaurantStore's pages, kitchens from their listings, fees from the agencies' own schedules, insurance from FLIP and Insureon; checked October 2026. Lines no page prices are labelled planning ranges on the plan.
$5,144–$26,410to start as one cook from a rented kitchen — the low end is $400 a month of kitchen hours in Atlanta, a $258 Texas permit, FLIP's $299 policy and a $40 Kentucky LLC
$29.99a full-size folding chafer at WebstaurantStore, October 2026; an insulated six-pan carrier is $189.99, a Cambro carrier $192.99, a heated holding cabinet $3,372
$179the ServSafe Manager course with the proctored exam at a reseller; a Texas handler card is $10.99, California caps the course at $15
$2,179LA County's caterer permit under 1,000 square feet (2026–27) — the top of the range; Texas starts at $258, Florida at $242, New York City at $280
WHAT WE'VE LEARNED
What actually makes someone book a caterer
Thousands of local business websites in, the pattern for catering is plain: the host wants to read a menu, know roughly what it costs a head before they ask, and see that you've fed a room like theirs. Three things on a page decide who gets the quote request.
A menu with a price per person
Boxed lunches from one number, buffets from another, a plated dinner from a third — and the minimum order. The quote requests you get already expect the number, and the ones who wanted $5 a head go elsewhere.
Photos of real spreads, by occasion
The office lunch, the wedding buffet, the grazing table — photographed on the day, with the headcount in the caption. A host books the caterer who has visibly done their event before.
Delivery area, lead time and reviews
The towns you deliver to, how many days' notice you need, whether you staff the event — and reviews that say the food arrived hot and on time. That's what the office manager forwards to their boss.
THE UPSIDE
What a catering business can earn
Prices from The Knot's 2025 study as reported by a TV station, Zola's 2026 page (a wedding marketplace), two corporate-catering marketplaces and one caterer's own menu; pay from O*NET; the survey figures from Catersource and the ICA. Ranges and averages, not a promise — your per-guest price, your food cost and your staffing decide it. No public survey reports what catering owners take home.
$80/platewhat wedding catering averaged in The Knot's 2025 Real Weddings Study (FOX 35 Orlando, May 2025); Zola's 2026 plated dinner is $65 to $85
$18.99per person for a barbecue caterer's drop-off in Ellisville, Missouri, on its own menu — CaterCow's all-in corporate lunch is $20; ZeroCater's boxed tiers run $12 to $35 and up
41%of caterers said revenue rose in 2024 and 24% that it fell (Catersource); 86% of catering companies reported being understaffed (ICA, 2023)
$62,470a year: the 2025 US median for chefs and head cooks (O*NET) — the pay to beat; a food service manager's is $69,390
SEE IT WORK
Catering website designs you can start from
All four are real Zarla templates. Open the one closest to how you'll work — full-service events, weddings, cocktail parties, or grazing tables and drop-off — swap in your menus, your per-person packages and your own photos, and publish.
GET FOUND
Get found by the office manager who has to feed forty people on Friday
Most catering customers search their town plus the occasion — a lunch, a wedding, a memorial — and book the caterer whose menu they can read, whose price per person starts somewhere, and who answers the quote request today. Zarla builds the website with a call button at the top, your menus and starting prices, and a quote request form. Add your packages, your minimum order and the towns you deliver to in chat, and once you connect your Google Business Profile, your Google rating and reviews show on the site.
“Catering near me”
The search that books lunches and parties: a page per occasion — corporate drop-off, weddings, private parties, grazing tables — each with a menu, a per-person starting price and a quote request form.
The map, for the towns you deliver to
A Google Business Profile with your kitchen's town, your hours and photos of real spreads — the three-pack is where an office manager picks three names to email before lunch.
Reviews from events you've fed
Ask the host while the guests are still eating — and send the link that evening. Reviews that mention the occasion and the town sell the next booking.
Google Search
Ssaltgrasskitchencatering.com
Saltgrass Kitchen Catering — Trusted catering in Your AreaDrop-off lunches, parties and weddings. Boxed lunches and buffets from a stated price per person. Request a quote.← Your Zarla siteCcitycateringservices.com
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Saltgrass Kitchen Catering
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Quick catering Services
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For a caterer for an office lunch for forty people this Friday in your area: Saltgrass Kitchen Catering — a local caterer whose site lists menus with a per-person starting price, says its minimum order and delivery area, shows photos of real spreads, and has reviews from hosts nearby.
YOUR LAUNCH PLAN
Your catering business launch checklist
The whole guide as things to check off. Work through them in order and you'll be certified, permitted, insured and priced before the first host calls.
- Get the food manager certificate and handler cards — on your state's clock.
- Rent a permitted kitchen and apply for the caterer's permit — with the kitchen agreement.
- Register the business and get the free EIN — and open a business bank account.
- Register for sales tax — catered meals are taxable; ask about the rentals too.
- Buy general liability — liquor liability before the first drink, workers' comp before the first employee.
- Price every menu per guest and set the minimum order — and take a deposit on every date.
- Get found — website and Google Business Profile live with menus, starting prices and a quote request form.
- Feed the room, photograph it, ask for the review — and ask the venue for its list.
REAL CUSTOMERS
Small business owners who got online with Zarla
Verified reviews from real Zarla customers.
“Quickly built my website from scratch. No hiccups. Would highly recommend Zarla for someone with no experience who wants to start a polished business website.”
“Great professional website in less than a minute, with the use of AI and a few descriptive prompts. This has saved me bundles of time and research on web developers.”
“I had no idea how to set up a website for my business. Thanks to Zarla, they've helped me a lot.”
“Very reliable, professional, and fast results. I was able to get my business online in no time, and the ease of access made it so simple.”
Be the caterer the office manager finds for Friday's lunch
Add your town and your company's name, and Zarla builds the website from that one line — a call button at the top, your menus and starting prices, and a quote request form. Add your per-person packages, your minimum order and the towns you deliver to in chat. Free to build; you pay when you publish.
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Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need to start a catering business?
In the US, about $5,144 to $26,410 for one cook starting from a rented kitchen, in our catering business plan's itemized ranges — three months of kitchen hours ($400 a month at PREP South in Atlanta to $899 at Union Kitchen in Washington), chafers, carriers and sheet pans from WebstaurantStore ($29.99 a chafer, $189.99 a six-pan carrier, the $3,372 heated cabinet at the high end), serving ware, the ServSafe Manager course and exam ($179) and handler cards, the health permit ($258 in Texas to $2,179 in LA County), a year of liability cover ($299 at FLIP to $1,155 plus $339 for liquor at Insureon's medians), the first events' food, registration ($40 in Kentucky to $890 in California), the website, software and two months of running costs. A vehicle comes on top — a new Sprinter starts at $48,990, and most start with the car they drive. Durable's vendor guide puts a shared-kitchen start at $4,015 to $9,250.
How much do caterers charge per person?
It depends on the occasion and the service. Weddings: $80 a plate in The Knot's 2025 study (as reported by FOX 35); Zola's 2026 page puts plated dinners at $65 to $85 a person, buffets $40 to $65, cocktail receptions $35 to $55 and food stations $45 to $75. Corporate: CaterCow's all-in lunch is $20 a head and dinner $21; ZeroCater tiers boxed lunches at $12 to $18, $18 to $25 and $25 to $35 and up, plus about 25% for service, delivery and tax. One Missouri barbecue caterer's own menu is $18.99 a person. Minimums matter as much as the price: Zola's wedding caterers set $2,500 to $4,000, and one Tennessee caterer's is $200 in business hours.
Do you need a license to start a catering business?
In the US, yes — a health department permit for the business as a food establishment, issued for a permitted kitchen after inspection, plus the usual business registration, the free EIN and a sales tax permit. The fee is local: $258 to $773 a year by sales volume where the Texas state health department issues the permit, $2,179 and up in Los Angeles County, $242 plus a $50 application in Florida, $280 in New York City, $567 and up in King County, Washington, $660 and up in Chicago. Most places also want a certified food manager — present during all hours in Texas, within 60 days in California, 30 days in Florida — and handler cards for staff. Check your county health department's food business page for what a caterer working from a commissary needs.
Can I start a catering business from home?
In the US, usually not for the food a caterer sells. Health departments permit the kitchen, and a home kitchen won't be permitted for hot, perishable food — King County, Washington says a catering business must operate from an approved commissary kitchen. Cottage-food laws let you sell certain low-risk foods made at home — California's cover nonpotentially hazardous foods up to $75,000 or $150,000 a year, Texas's exclude meat, poultry and seafood products — which fits baked goods and jams, not a buffet. The home-based route that works is the office: cook in a rented commissary by the hour and run the business from your kitchen table. Check your county's rules before you take a booking.
Do I need a commercial kitchen to cater?
In the US, a permitted one — which can be a shared or commissary kitchen rented by the hour, not a lease. K6 in Austin lists a start-up tier at $25 an hour (20 hours a month for $500), The Hatchery in Chicago $15 to $25 an hour, PREP South in Atlanta $400 for 20 hours a month, Union Kitchen in Washington a membership from $899; a restaurant supplier puts the national range at $15 to $40 an hour. The kitchen's permit is what your caterer's permit rests on, so get the agreement before you apply.
Do caterers have to charge sales tax?
In the US it's state law, and in every state checked the catered meal is taxable: Texas says a caterer must collect sales tax on all charges billed in connection with the sale of taxable meals, California that charges for the preparation and serving of food are taxable along with tableware and linens, New York that food and beverages prepared or served by caterers are taxable, Washington that caterers collect on their total charge at the rate where the meal is served, and Florida's grocery exemption excludes prepared food sold by restaurants and like places. Register for the permit when you register the business and ask your accountant about the rentals line — Texas and California tax those too.
Do I need a liquor license to serve alcohol at events?
In the US, to sell or serve it yourself, yes — a caterer's permit from your state's alcohol regulator. Texas's Caterer's Permit is $1,278 with its surcharge; California's Type 58 is $300 a year plus $100 to $1,000 per event and only an existing on-sale licensee may hold it; a Florida caterer's beverage license carries $1,820 a year of state license tax, whatever the county. Until you hold one, let the host buy the alcohol and hire a licensed bar service — and carry liquor liability the day you pour, $28 a month on Insureon's median. Check your state's alcohol regulator before you quote a bar.
Is a catering business profitable?
It can be, and no public survey reports catering owners' profits. What's public: wedding catering sells for $40 to $85 a plate and corporate lunches for $12 to $35 a head in the dated figures above; Catersource's 2024 survey found 41% of caterers' revenue rose and 24% fell, with labor costs the biggest worry for 39% and food costs for 34%; the ICA found 86% understaffed. The owners quoted here say the same thing: the margin lives in the per-guest price, the deposit, the planning before the day, and the repeat corporate account.
How much do catering business owners make?
No public survey reports it. As an employee, a chef or head cook earned a 2025 median of $30.03 an hour, $62,470 a year, and a food service manager $69,390 (O*NET). One Alabama owner's company catered 368 weddings in a year; one Toronto founder went from 20 events in his first year to a thousand. The owner's income is what's left after the kitchen hours, the permit, the insurance, the food bought before the host pays, and the servers.
What insurance does a catering business need?
In the US nothing is required by law for a solo caterer except workers' compensation where your state requires it once you have employees, but every venue asks for a general liability certificate. Insureon's medians for caterers are $45 a month for general liability, $96 for a business owner's policy, $28 for liquor liability, $82 for workers' comp and $204 for commercial auto (September 2026); FLIP's food-business policy is $25.92 a month or from $299 a year, $37.75 with liquor liability. Buy liquor liability before the first drink you serve and commercial auto before the first business-owned van.
How much deposit should a caterer take?
Enough to cover the food you'll buy before the host pays. An invoicing company's guide puts the industry practice at 25% to 50% to hold the date, with 50% on signing for any event over $500 and the balance one to two weeks before; one Missouri caterer's own menu takes a $400 deposit on its smallest room and 50% on the largest. Put the deposit, the menu and the final-headcount date in writing on every booking.
What is the most profitable food to cater?
No public survey ranks it, so beware anyone who says. What the dated figures show: a boxed corporate lunch sells for $12 to $35 a head and repeats weekly, a wedding plate for $65 to $85 and books a year out with the most staffing, and buffets run about 11% more per person than boxed meals (CaterCow). The owners quoted here price each event from its own guest count, service style and staffing rather than by dish — the profit is in the per-guest price, the food cost and the labor, not the cuisine.
Do I need an LLC for a catering business?
No — a sole proprietorship with a DBA is the cheapest legal start. An LLC separates your personal assets from the business, which matters in a trade where a foodborne-illness claim is the risk; it's $40 in Kentucky, $300 in Texas and $70 in California plus a $20 statement of information, where every LLC also owes $800 a year. Our guide to whether you need an LLC walks through the choice.
Can I start a catering business with no money?
Nearly, if you rent the kitchen by the hour and let the deposit buy the food: one Alabama owner started on a loan from a friend, one Washington mobile-bar owner started from a commissary she could afford as a small business. But plan for the manager certificate ($179), the health permit ($258 in Texas, more elsewhere), the registration fee, general liability before the first event ($25.92 a month at FLIP) and the chafers and carriers. Our catering business plan's full start, with three months of kitchen hours and a year of insurance, is $5,144 to $26,410 — before a vehicle.
How do I get my first catering clients?
Cater two friends' events at cost, photograph every spread with the headcount, and ask: take a tasting box to three venues and two planners, tell every office manager you know you're delivering, and ask every host for the review before the guests leave — FLIP's 2026 policyholder survey found word of mouth the primary source of new clients for 89.7% of caterers. Then answer what hosts search for: your menus, your per-person starting prices and your delivery area on your website and Google Business Profile. Zarla builds the website from one sentence — a call button at the top, your menus and starting prices, and a quote request form — and once you connect your Google profile, your Google rating and reviews show on the site.