Expensive caterers

[Lutricia007]

Is it normal to pay 12.500 for 50 people - for canapés, no alcohol included .i just find if extremely expensive , I always thought that canapés would be cheaper then sit down meal ? Am I wrong ??? Almost feel like cancelling venue - they told us that we have to choose their caterers…. Annoying to say at least

Yeah that's ridiculous

That is fucking daylight robbery unless each guest is getting their own personal Oscietra caviar tin and champagne.

Canapés at the top end should be £50 per head and that’s proper fine dining style. Tell them to do one!

12,500 pounds?? £250 a head? Fucking liberties 😂 that’s some top end prices. Isn’t it usually around £100 per guest for the full meal? Or am I way out of touch?

I would look elsewhere. That's an absolute rip off.

£250 per head? 😮

I can't believe you're asking if that's normal.

Same, if I got given a quote like that I would assume it was a typo 😂
£25/head is more my style 😂

I had canapes and a 2 course meal done for same number for half that price!

Where is this? Claridges?!

Is that including the venue cost? Or have you added an extra 0 on the end. I would want to be hand fed canapés by Hugh Jackman off the end of his Wolverine claws for price.

😂

It can't be £12 500 to feed 50 people canapés. Have you got that wrong somehow?

Surely a mistake somewhere here? £250 a head is clearly madness. Even if that cost includes the venue hire and alcohol and so it’s a lot. I got married admittedly 10 years ago but in a very fancy hotel and I’m sure it was only just over £100 a head for everything - sit down 3 course meal, wine, champagne on arrival and for toasting, evening food, and that was the venue hire included. £250 a head just for catering cannot be right even 10 years on!!?

Is there some sort of minimum headcount/spend? ie your choice to have 50 but you'll be paying for 100 people anyway? Even then it's pretty steep with no booze and a few canapés

I assumed it was a typo and was actually £12.50 per head!

Clearly clarification is needed as the OP is very open to interpretation. Key is:
whether the fee includes room hire
how many canapes are included!

Canapés are expensive as they are individually made and obviously vary a lot in ingredients cost. £250 is extortionate though. I would look at a more standard buffet - for comparison I book buffets frequently for work and a good high quality selection with warm food included (sausage rolls, mini quiche) and service is £25 a head plus £200 for 4 staff (3 hours) and they provide cutlery, crockery and paper napkins.

Does that include the venue hire or just the Canapes?

if the latter it’s extortionate, if the former then it’s certainly at the high end but if a five star London venue and quantity is in lieu of a sit down meal it’s not a total outlier.

I went to a wedding at a Hilton in London a few weeks ago. The family paid £12,000 for 300 people which included canapes, mocktails & a 3 course meal with unlimited plate top ups. The food quality was excellent. This was an external caterer and venue hire was a separate fee.

😂😂😂😂😂

It doesn’t include venue hire
includes cuttlery , napkins, set up bar - ( we get our own booze ) serving staff, 2 chefs , and miniature dessert table so not only canapés 😳

As mentioned below

price didn’t include only canapés but the rest - chefs , waiters , mini deserts table or what ever it called , cutlery , tax , mini bar set up

sorry I confused things

So is it £12. 50 a head (very reasonable) or £12500 altogether (outrageous, whatever it includes!!) £1250 for 50 people would probably be about right…

Please will you tell us the venue/catering company so we can be nosey and check them out 🙏
(Or a similar alternative if you don’t feel comfortable sharing that info!)

I’m just so intrigued