Party Calculators
Buffet vs plated cost.
Enter the per-person price quoted for a buffet and for a plated dinner, the servers each needs and the service charge and tax. See the total and per-guest cost of each and which is cheaper. Runs in your browser; nothing is sent or stored.
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Result
Fill the form and press Calculate.
Buffet vs Plated Dinner Cost Calculator: the short answer
Which style costs less depends on your quotes. Enter each per-person price, the servers, the service charge and the tax and the calculator shows the total and per-guest cost of both.
Worked example
80 guests. Buffet at $45 each with 10% extra food and 4 servers; plated at $62 each with 10 servers; servers cost $25 an hour for 5 hours; 18% service charge, no gratuity, 13% tax on everything. Buffet: food 80 x 45 x 1.1 = $3,960, servers 4 x 25 x 5 = $500, service charge 18% of $4,460 = $802.80, tax 13% of $5,262.80 = $684.16, total $5,946.96 ($74.34 per guest). Plated: food $4,960, servers $1,250, service charge $1,117.80, tax $952.61, total $8,280.41 ($103.51 per guest). The buffet is cheaper by $2,333.45, or $29.17 per guest.
How it works
Food = guests x price per person (x (1 + extra) for the buffet). Servers = number x hourly cost x hours. Service charge and gratuity are percentages of food plus servers. Tax is a percentage of food plus servers, and of the service charge and gratuity too if you tick that box. Total = food + servers + service charge + gratuity + tax.
This compares the numbers from your own quotes. Which is cheaper depends entirely on those quotes, because caterers price service styles differently; the tool makes no claim that one style is cheaper in general. Whether a service charge is taxable depends on your province or state, so check the quote.
Sources and basis (opened 2026-10-08): Arithmetic on the prices and rates you enter. No external rate or price is applied.
FAQ
Is a buffet cheaper than a plated dinner?
It depends on the quotes. Enter both and the calculator shows the difference, including servers, service charge and tax.
Why add extra food to the buffet?
Buffets are often ordered with a margin so the dishes do not run empty. Set it to 0 if your quote is a fixed price per person.
Are servers included in the price?
Often yes. If so, set the server hourly cost to 0 and the calculator uses only the per-person price.
Is the service charge taxable?
It depends on where you are. Tick or untick the box to see both results, and check your quote.
Does this include drinks and cake?
No. Enter the food quote only, then add other costs in the party budget split calculator.