Catering Budget?

Divide 150 by 2000 and that is your total per person price including tax gratuity and tip. If that per person price seems feasible then go for it.

ETA: That is less than 15$ per person. Which is more than likely not feasible. You need to cut the guest list or up your budget

That's less than $13.50 per meal. The Bay Area is fairly expensive but I'd look into BBQ, Italian or taco bar options for that budget.

@ Munchkin, I highly doubt OP is going to be able to cut her guest list given she's getting married in just over a month...

OP, I'd also look into a local restaurant, BBQ, etc. Don't bother with a professional catering company, I highly doubt you'll get the pricing you need based on your budget.

In addition to food, you also will be paying for tax, service charges, and gratuities. $2000 wouldn't get you very far for 150 people even if you didn't live in the second highest cost of living area in country.

I bet you could do that if you did small stations or only small apps passed around. Bruschetta etc. sometimes you get a good deal because they don't have anything booked. I'd start emailing or I'd think about Costco seriously.

Yikes that seems on the low end for 150 people. I'm at $2,000 for half that many. You're looking at only $13 per person.

Not sure where in the Bay you are but in Oakland I follow Plate Craft: http://www.platecraft.com/ and Big Serg BBQ for their tri tip

The caterer you were going to hire? You mean you never even hired a caterer?

Good luck, I have no idea how you'll feed 150 people in the Bay Area on 2 grand.

FOOD TRUCKS! Look into them!

Good luck, I'm at $16 pp and that is BBQ in Kansas for 150 people without tax and tip. Are you also trying to get drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) in that price? You may need to move some money around to make that work. I hope it works out for you!

Oh boy that's a bit tight! that was my original budget for 60, but we had to even up that to ~3500 (granted, we are opting for the all out package). The closest thing I've seen to $13pp is a pasta bar caterer. They're in FL, so maybe look for something similar by you? I'd reach out to Italian restaurants and see what they charges for like a spaghetti meatball option, an Alfredo option and like a veggie pasta option. That or BBQ...those are my only two thoughts! Good luck!!

I would definitely say look into restaurants or bbq. Something that can be done on a larger scale at a lower price. We are spending about $4,500 on our caterer for 86 people. This is for 2 entree options, 2 sides, salad and food for cocktail hour.

That is not enough money.

A good budget for a casual party with drinks is at least four times that.

Is that catering budget for drinks as well?

Since it's more of a casual thing, I hired a catering company that would do a taco bar but there were some differences that I decided to drop them. Taco bars are inexpensive, actually Mexican caterers don't cost that much because it's rice, beans, and meat. I was leaning towards that or Italian food, which is also not too expensive.

I don't think it's impossible to find something that fits my budget, maybe I'll have to add $500-$100

And no, does not include drinks.