Starting a catering business
How to start a catering business.
Starting a catering business: what it costs, what you can earn, the permits you need, and the step-by-step path from your kitchen to your first booked event.
What you need before day one
Let me say what nobody else will. Most people who start catering don't fail because they can't cook. They fail because they priced a wedding like a dinner party, lost money on every event, and called it a business. Catering is not cooking. Catering is logistics, pricing, and selling, with food as the deliverable.
Here's why it actually works when you do it right. Deposits hit before you buy a single ingredient. Per-head pricing means a 200-person wedding is one sale, not two hundred. A bar package or an upgraded protein adds margin on staff who are already at the event. You don't need a storefront, you don't need foot traffic, you need a permitted kitchen and a booking calendar.
Most aspiring caterers get stuck on the permits because nobody warned them. A home kitchen will not pass inspection in most states. You need commissary access, food-safety certification, and an entity that can carry liability insurance before you can quote a corporate gig. Do the paperwork first. Then the kitchen, the gear, the brand, the website, and your first tasting. In that order.
Michal Mujgoš, mujgos.com More about Michal → - $6k–$25k Startup cost Commissary rent, equipment, permits, insurance, food float
- 4–12 weeks Time to first $ Faster once food-safety and kitchen permits clear
- Required Licensing Food handler permit, kitchen inspection, business license
- Permitted kitchen Hardest part Home kitchens rarely pass; budget for commissary access
Honest check: is starting a catering business for you?
Yes, keep reading if
- You know the kitchen and the food-safety rules, or you can hire someone who does
- You're ready to register, license, and insure properly. No shortcuts.
- You can put $6k–$25k into the business (commissary rent, equipment, permits, insurance, food float), or finance it
- You'll answer the phone yourself for the first 6–12 months
- You're done waiting for someone else to give you a raise
Skip this and read something else if
- You're chasing a "passive income" pitch
- You want a six-figure salary in month one
- You want to skip the license and "see how it goes"
- You expect leads to roll in without picking up the phone
- You want everything outsourced from day one
What you can realistically earn from a catering business
A weekend calendar from a shared commissary, where flat overhead eats a large share of every job.
Weddings and corporate work on the same commissary rent and insurance. Upsells push a 12% net toward 15%.
Food and labor double while fixed costs barely move, so the real margin tends to climb.
Ballpark monthly ranges for a typical US operation, worked through in the profit guide. Your market and pricing move these.
Your path from $0 to your first call
The order to actually do this in. Each step links a deep-dive guide.
- Know your numbers Startup budget, food cost ratios, and the per-head price you need to break even. Write it down before you cook a thing. Read the guide →
- Register & get permitted Form the entity, get food-safety certified, secure commissary or commercial kitchen access, and lock in insurance. Read the guide →
- Equip your kitchen Cooking, transport, and serving gear plus a cash buffer. Budget $6k–$25k from a shared commissary. Read the guide →
- Brand & logo Pick a name that travels on a wedding invite and a logo simple enough to print on a chef coat. Read the guide →
- Launch a website that converts Where event clients see your menus and request a quote. This is the one thing we build for you on day one. Get your website →
- Book your first event Run a tasting, hit up two local venues, and price your first booking to be profitable. Then you graduate to the grow track. Read the guide →
How working with us actually goes
No 12-month contracts, no jargon, no lock-in. You pick what you need, we do the work, and you keep the keys.
- 01
Diagnose
Free 30-minute call. We figure out where you really are and what the next dollar of effort should go to. Honest read on whether we can help. If we can't, we'll point you at someone who can.
- 02
Plan
We build your full business plan with you. Numbers, target market, launch sequence, what to spend and what to skip. The thing you don't write yourself because you're busy.
- 03
Build
We build your website. Fast, clear, conversion-focused. The one thing you should not DIY when you're trying to take your first call this month.
- 04
Grow
Ongoing playbooks and articles you can read in five minutes, plus a Slack thread or call when you're stuck. You run the business. We're the brain you call when something's off.
Starting a catering business: guides
Written by Michal Mujgoš -
How to start a catering business step by step
The exact order to start a catering business: ServSafe, commissary contract, LLC and permits, insurance, first menu, test event, then book. An 8-week launch sequence.
-
How much do you need to start a catering business
What it really costs to start catering: a commissary-based launch runs $6k to $25k, a full commercial buildout $80k to $250k, and deposits fund your first events.
-
How do I set up and register a catering business
Register a catering business in order: LLC and EIN, ServSafe Manager cert, a signed commissary agreement, the catering and health permits, then insurance certs.
-
The best way to start a catering business is not to build a kitchen
Start catering lean: rent a commissary by the hour, book events on signed deposits, price at a 30% food cost, and skip the buildout until the calendar is full.
-
Equipment and supplies for a catering business: what to buy, rent, and skip
What catering gear to buy versus rent: own the transport and hot-holding chain for $3k to $8k, rent chafers, linens, and china per event, never buy a walk-in.
-
How much profit can a catering business make
Catering nets 8% to 15% on a well-run event, but the number is built from a 30% food cost, labor, and rentals. See the per-event P&L and which jobs actually pay.
-
How to make a logo for a catering business
How to make a catering logo brides trust: the right file formats, Canva vs a designer, colors and type that read premium, and where it has to work.
-
How to make a website for a catering business
What a catering website needs to book events: a quote form above the fold, a real food gallery, sample menus, reviews, and mobile speed.
-
How to start a catering business that makes money: the ultimate guide
Two caterers, same paperwork, same food: one clears six figures, one folds. The model, food cost, labor ratios and deposit terms decide which one you are.
-
The ideal location for a catering business is a licensed kitchen
Foot traffic means nothing to a caterer. Your location is two decisions: a licensed production kitchen, and the drive-time radius you serve from it.
-
Start a catering business with no money and for free
You can't skip the license, insurance, or a legal kitchen, but you can start catering near-free by pre-selling events and letting the 50% deposit fund the first job.
Don't reinvent the wheel.
Copy what works.
We build your website for you in 7 days. You own all of it, and most changes go live within 24 hours.
Get Your Website →Common questions about catering businesses
The questions people ask us most before they start.
How much does it cost to start a catering business?
A lean caterer working from a shared commissary opens for roughly $6k–$25k: registration, ServSafe, permits, first commissary rent, a starter equipment pack, the first insurance installment, and a food float. Building your own commercial kitchen pushes it to $80k–$250k. Off-premise catering generally cannot be cooked in a home kitchen.
Read the full guide →Do I need a license to start a catering business?
Yes. Almost every state requires food-safety certification, a permitted commercial kitchen, and a business license, plus liability insurance. The setup guide walks through registration step by step.
Read the full guide →Can I run a catering business from my home kitchen?
Almost never. Most jurisdictions require a commercial, inspected kitchen for paid catering. Many caterers rent commissary time by the hour before they can afford their own space.
Read the full guide →How much profit can a catering business make?
A well-run event nets 8%–15% after food, labor, and rentals. At a 12% net, $150k of yearly bookings takes home about $18k and $300k about $36k, so the early years are about filling the calendar. Weddings and corporate work sit at the top of that range; price-shopped volume jobs net 2%–6%.
Read the full guide →What equipment do I need on day one?
Hot boxes and insulated transport, serving and chafing gear, your core cooking kit, and a vehicle that can move it all. You do not need a fully built-out commercial kitchen to take your first booking.
Read the full guide →Do I need a website to launch?
Yes, even before the first tasting. Event planners and brides vet you online before they reply. A clean menu page, real photos, and a fast quote form beat anything fancy.
Read the full guide →