Delen Catering

As soon as your venue is selected and booked, we advise that you book a caterer to secure your spot and allow for maximum time to accommodate to your needs. This changes with the time of the year (weddings, Christmas parties, etc) as we are extremely busy at certain times of the year. So as not to be disappointed, it is best to book as soon as you know the date of your event.

We make an assumption regarding the number of guests when bookings are made. Unless there is a huge deviation that may affect staffing, we need to know minimal changes to number of guests 1 week to 10 days before your event. Five business days before the event this number will be reflected in the final invoice. Please note that we have strict guidelines regarding cancellations.

Forming a budget for your event is a crucial aspect in planning an event. In order for us to give you an estimate, you will need to decide on a realistic budget allocated to catering and service. There are a lot of things to consider: food selection, number of hours your event will run, staffing, bump-in challenges, equipment rentals and any other services that you may require. We will need to know the venue location and any commission fees that are applicable to that venue, as well as the estimated number of guests and type or theme of the event. An average cost of a cocktail reception will run from $50.00 per person to $100.00 per person. A sit down dinner can run $90.00 per person to $400.00 per person and a grazing menu can run about the same. The pricing is dependent on how elaborate you want your party to be.

Usually there is special pricing on meals for children. This is highly dependent on the party set up. When children pricing is applicable, children under five eat for free and children 6 to 11 are charged between 60% – 75% of the menu price (subject to set up of event).

Timing is critical in calculating the number of canapes needed to serve. For a mid-afternoon cocktail reception lasting three hours plan on 6-8 pieces per person, plus some to which they can help themselves. One hour before dinner guests will probably nibble on 4 pieces. For a two-hour cocktail over the dinner hour it would be safer to serve 10 – 14 pieces per guest or consider a chef station or grazing table to satisfy larger appetites and to add another focal point to the reception.

Delivery costs vary and are dependent on size of function and estimated length of bump in/ bump out. Additional charges apply for functions outside of Sydney.