3 ms·

How much a plate will it cost for food? $125, $150 more? If the typical mobile, prepared in advance, reduced menu restaurant with no real physical footprint ca

How much a plate will it cost for food? $125, $150 more? If the typical mobile, prepared in advance, reduced menu restaurant with no real physical footprint can charge per plate what the finest tradition restaurants charge then there is clearly room for disruption. Just as a comparison, the most expensive group dining option at Ruth Chris (selected for no reason other than I like their food) is $115 a plate. That is less than 2/3rds what we paid per plate at our wedding for something called "beaph" and looked like an old shoe.

ghaff 8y ago
I think you're underestimating the costs associated with event catering, especially for a sit-down meal, that have nothing to do with weddings specifically for meals that are prepared on-site. You're loading a truck or more full of gear. Paying for cook and wait staff. Breakdown. Tents/chairs/etc. (Unless you're using an event space which has its own costs.) [As someone else alluded to, sure you can bring in a couple of food trucks, which I see more and more at conference events. But that's not what a lot of people have in mind for a wedding meal.]
- uberman 8y ago
  The location was not part of the price per plate we were charged for "catering". Perhaps that is not always the case. What is though is that all restaurants pay for cooks and wait staff and that sit down restaurant prices do include the cost of the "location". For me, the question is does the caliber of the cook staff, the wait staff, the food at the typical catered event come anywhere near the caliber of what is offered at the very best sit down restaurants? This post has lots of other noting that telling your service provider that the event is a wedding instantly doubles or triples the price. Just my opinion, but it seems that there is plenty of room for "disruption" here. I think the same is true for "realtors" and "funerals" and "tour guides". On the flip side, the forces working to keep these industries protected are basically fear and tradition. Both powerful motivators.
  - michaelt 8y ago
    There might be greater inefficiency in weddings compared to restaurants, due to the requirement to serve every diner's main course within ~15 minutes. Higher kitchen door peak bandwidth, but lower average utilisation. Of course, you've got to balance that against the efficiency gains from the much shorter menu.
    - ghaff 8y ago
      Based on N of several hundred, restaurants can generally do a pretty good job of banquet-style serving for large groups by using a limited menu and keeping things simple. It's probably not quite as good or as customized as ordering off the menu, but it can definitely be serviceable or better. Catering a meal for a large group is tougher without a local kitchen. If you're imaginative about meal choices (e.g. optimize around BBQ of some sort) or if you're willing to tolerate lines for e.g. food trucks you can do better. But in my experience you have to make some choices to serve a large meal where there's no permanent kitchen. (I did work for a caterer once upon a time.)
  - dragonwriter 8y ago
    > all restaurants pay for cooks and wait staff No, they don't, not really, hence, tipping culture. But for catering, unlike menu price at a restaurant, you are paying full freight for service. You are also (compared to a restaurant) paying for the lack of upsell opportunities. (Particularly, if you are supplying drinks separately and don't have a cash bar operated by the caterer: the bar is disproportionately where restaurants make their money.)
    - bbatha 8y ago
      > you are paying full freight for service. I wish. Wedding vendors, especially catering, are also tip driven and its generally expected to tip individuals (coordinators, bar tenders, wait staff etc).
- JMTQp8lwXL 8y ago
  When you put it like that, raw material costs (aka the food) seems like a very small portion of the total catering cost.

ghaff 8y ago

I think you're underestimating the costs associated with event catering, especially for a sit-down meal, that have nothing to do with weddings specifically for meals that are prepared on-site. You're loading a truck or more full of gear. Paying for cook and wait staff. Breakdown. Tents/chairs/etc. (Unless you're using an event space which has its own costs.) [As someone else alluded to, sure you can bring in a couple of food trucks, which I see more and more at conference events. But that's not what a lot of people have in mind for a wedding meal.]

uberman 8y ago
The location was not part of the price per plate we were charged for "catering". Perhaps that is not always the case. What is though is that all restaurants pay for cooks and wait staff and that sit down restaurant prices do include the cost of the "location". For me, the question is does the caliber of the cook staff, the wait staff, the food at the typical catered event come anywhere near the caliber of what is offered at the very best sit down restaurants? This post has lots of other noting that telling your service provider that the event is a wedding instantly doubles or triples the price. Just my opinion, but it seems that there is plenty of room for "disruption" here. I think the same is true for "realtors" and "funerals" and "tour guides". On the flip side, the forces working to keep these industries protected are basically fear and tradition. Both powerful motivators.
- michaelt 8y ago
  There might be greater inefficiency in weddings compared to restaurants, due to the requirement to serve every diner's main course within ~15 minutes. Higher kitchen door peak bandwidth, but lower average utilisation. Of course, you've got to balance that against the efficiency gains from the much shorter menu.
  - ghaff 8y ago
    Based on N of several hundred, restaurants can generally do a pretty good job of banquet-style serving for large groups by using a limited menu and keeping things simple. It's probably not quite as good or as customized as ordering off the menu, but it can definitely be serviceable or better. Catering a meal for a large group is tougher without a local kitchen. If you're imaginative about meal choices (e.g. optimize around BBQ of some sort) or if you're willing to tolerate lines for e.g. food trucks you can do better. But in my experience you have to make some choices to serve a large meal where there's no permanent kitchen. (I did work for a caterer once upon a time.)
- dragonwriter 8y ago
  > all restaurants pay for cooks and wait staff No, they don't, not really, hence, tipping culture. But for catering, unlike menu price at a restaurant, you are paying full freight for service. You are also (compared to a restaurant) paying for the lack of upsell opportunities. (Particularly, if you are supplying drinks separately and don't have a cash bar operated by the caterer: the bar is disproportionately where restaurants make their money.)
  - bbatha 8y ago
    > you are paying full freight for service. I wish. Wedding vendors, especially catering, are also tip driven and its generally expected to tip individuals (coordinators, bar tenders, wait staff etc).
JMTQp8lwXL 8y ago
When you put it like that, raw material costs (aka the food) seems like a very small portion of the total catering cost.