Compare Catering Quotes Per Head, Not Per Page — Free
Catering quotes arrive for different numbers of guests, different service levels and different inclusions, so the totals are not comparable and the largest quote is not always the dearest. This label divides each quote by the guests it actually covers, sorts them cheapest per head first, and projects the gap across the number you are feeding — the figure that survives a conversation with the venue.
The proof surface
Free path: the label computes locally in the browser with no key and no account. Where an AI step helps, any free chat assistant works — Google AI Studio's free tier and Groq's free tier were both no-card and rate-limited when this page was reviewed on 2026-09-13 (limits change; check before you rely on them).
Why the flat version breaks
A quote total tells you what a supplier wants for their version of the event, which is not the version you are running. Cost per head is the only figure that travels between quotes, and once every quote is expressed per head the ranking usually changes — particularly when one supplier has assumed 80 guests and another 120.
How to use the catering quote label in four passes
The whole point of the label is that the quotes are written for different numbers. Keep their figure in the second column and let the per-head cost do the normalising.
Service staff, crockery, delivery, VAT, the bar, the venue's corkage and the late-evening snack. A cheaper per-head figure that excludes service is not cheaper.
Confirmed numbers plus the buffer you are planning for. The label projects the per-head gap across that figure, which is the amount the decision is actually worth.
Same guest count, same inclusions, same date. The second round of quotes is the one you can compare directly, and the first round's ranking is only a shortlist.
SAMPLE DATA, NOT A VERIFIED CLAIM: Vantage centenary dinner, 14 Nov 2026 · 110 guests · Fairmount £4,180 for 120 · Dales £3,600 for 80 · Kettle and Crate £2,970 for 110, no service staff. Replace these values with your own source before you rely on anything.
What breaks first
Comparing a catering-only quote with a serviced one
Two staff for four hours is a real cost that sits inside one quote and outside another. Normalise the service before you normalise the price.
Forgetting VAT and the venue's cut
A quote that excludes VAT and a venue that takes a percentage of the bar both change the per-head figure. Add them before you rank, or rank knowing they are missing.
Assuming the guest count will fall
Suppliers quote minimum numbers and per-head prices that rise below them. A 110-guest event that drops to 90 often costs more per head, not less.
What you pay otherwise
| The usual route | What it leaves out | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| An event planner's supplier shortlist | They hold the relationships and negotiate the quotes for you | a percentage of the event spend |
| The venue's preferred caterer | One quote, no comparison, and a margin built into the room hire | an uncross-checked per-head rate |
| Choosing on the total alone | The quote written for 80 guests looks cheapest until you feed 110 | a supplementary bill on the night |
| This page + the free catering quote label | Computed in your tab, result on screen before you type anything | $0 |
Try the free catering quote label
Five catering quotes are already ranked per head against 110 confirmed guests, with the catering-only option at the top and the two-course quote at the bottom. Change the guest count to 80 and the ranking reorders.
Open the free catering quote label →Keep the work if you will use it again
Every quote, the per-head rates, the ranking and the projected saving, plus copy and share-link, with no account.
The on-screen result is free and repeatable forever. The one-time tier adds a tangible file you keep and the saved history that comes with it; it never removes or degrades the free result.
Boundary: This divides the figures you type in; it is not a procurement decision, it cannot verify what a quote includes, and it does not account for VAT, service charges, minimum numbers or a venue's own margin. Check each quote's inclusions with the supplier in writing before you commit.