Corporate Catering Cost in London: 2026 Price Guide

For most London businesses looking to serve food at meetings, the single biggest question is also the simplest: how much does it cost? 

It's a fair question. Unfortunately, the honest answer is also frustratingly simple: it depends. Pricing shifts based on service format, guest numbers, dietary needs, and how far in advance you book, so rather than quote one number, we've broken down what you can expect to pay across each catering type in 2026. 

The average costs shown in this guide are estimates based on current market rates in London, where prices are typically 25 to 40 percent higher than the UK average according to Statista 2025. These figures reflect the realities of sourcing ingredients, paying staff, navigating deliveries across a global city, and the increased operational complexity of catering for businesses in London. 

For complete transparency, Owen Brothers Catering has been supplying businesses across London since 1974. We always provide detailed quotations so you know exactly what you're paying for upfront. If you'd like to understand the market first, we've broken down the pricing landscape for corporate catering in London below. 

Please note: all costs in this blog are estimates based on publicly available London market pricing in 2026. Actual costs vary by budget, guest numbers, event format, location, and dietary requirements. Always request a detailed quotation from your chosen provider for an exact figure.

Here's a benchmark of typical per-person prices across the most popular corporate catering formats. 

The prices above include food, standard packaging, and the core catering service. Delivery, staffing, equipment hire, service charges, and presentation costs are explained in more detail below.

Breakfast is the cheapest catering option, even in London. Expect to pay around £8 per head for pastries and fresh fruit. £15 per head will generally get you hot options too, like eggs, smoked salmon and other cooked choices. 

Breakfast meetings are ideal for early morning board meetings, training meetings, client briefings and conference opening sessions. 

A big breakfast can also help fuel you through the day. 

We provide breakfast catering across London for everything from small team meetings to conferences with up to 500 guests. 

Individual boxed lunches remain the most popular option for weekly and monthly corporate catering services in London. 

Expect meals that have been professionally prepared, clearly labelled with allergens and individually packaged ready for distribution at around £12 per head. 

Higher prices typically reflect better quality ingredients, more variety on the menu and more extensive dietary management. 

It's not just the food. More expensive caterers often include more detailed allergen management and consideration of complex dietary needs. They'll provide better value for your organisation if you have a diverse workforce with lots of different diets. 

Many corporate catering companies will also offer discounted rates for recurring lunch programmes rather than one-off orders. If you're looking at regular catering for your office, check if they do programme rates from day one.

Working lunch catering is generally served as platters, sharing spreads, or buffet-style service. It typically costs slightly more than individual lunch delivery because of the additional presentation involved. 

Around £15 per person generally provides a selection of quality sandwiches and wraps with salads. Towards £30 per person, you'll usually see greater variety, including hot dishes, grain or pasta salads, seasonal vegetables, and a more balanced menu for different dietary requirements. 

This format works particularly well for meetings, training sessions, and client lunches where food complements the meeting rather than interrupting it.

Canapé pricing varies considerably because receptions themselves can differ significantly in both style and scale. 

At around £18 per person, expect simpler ingredients, fewer canapés per guest, and a lighter service style. At £35 to £45 per person, menus generally feature premium ingredients, more food per guest, and presentation suitable for client entertainment, product launches, and similar events. 

Canapé and bowl food service also requires more staffing than buffet catering because servers circulate throughout the event. As a result, staffing forms a larger proportion of the overall quotation. 

Corporate event catering covers a wide range of occasions, from internal training days to client receptions. 

At £25 to £35 per person, you'll generally receive high-quality buffet or bowl food suitable for internal events and team celebrations. 

Between £40 and £60 per person, catering is typically designed for client-facing events where presentation reflects directly on your organisation. 

Three-course seated dinners generally range from £28 to £65 per person. Premium client entertainment typically starts from around £65 per person, where budget is less of a deciding factor and presentation is expected to be exceptional. 

Wrap parties, award ceremonies, product launches, and celebration events can all be tailored to your specific requirements.

The single biggest factor is the style of service. 

Drop-off delivery simply involves delivering the food. Buffets require staff to set up and maintain the service. Canapé and bowl food events require circulating servers, while seated dinners require staff throughout the event. 

On manned events labour often makes up around 25-40% of your quotation. For serving staff in London you can expect to pay anywhere between £15-£30 per hour. Chefs will be able to charge you more per hour.

Cost per head usually decreases as your guest number increases. 

Larger events allow caterers to purchase ingredients more efficiently, streamline preparation, and spread staffing and delivery costs across more guests. 

Smaller events (typically fewer than 20 guests) may be subject to minimum order values or higher per-person pricing.

Delivery fees will usually be higher in London than across the UK due to congestion charges, limited parking, difficult access to venues and longer travel times. 

Venues outside of central London or easily accessible by vehicle will often have lower delivery costs. 

Venues with equipped kitchens or serving infrastructure won’t need to hire equipment.

Meeting special dietary needs requires separate preparation, labelling and ingredients which can add cost. 

Having said that, there isn't normally a large upcharge for basic dietary needs like vegan or gluten-free meals in the London corporate catering marketplace. If you are being quoted much higher than the menu price then shop around.

Regular catering programmes often qualify for discounted pricing. 

If your business orders catering on a recurring basis rather than as one-off events, you'll usually benefit from more favourable rates.

Owning up front, your final bill will sometimes have extra fees on top of the per person quote you see here: 

• Delivery: Usually covered if your order is above a certain amount. Otherwise, you pay around £20–£60 for delivery costs.
• Service charge: Service charges of 12.5 to 15% are common with event catering. VAT at 20% is often added on top too, so make sure you know if your quote includes both or not.
• Packaging: Cutlery, plates, napkins are usually compostable and included, but not always. If packaged separately, budgets around £1–£2 per head.
• Equipment hire: Glasses, Plates, Servers, chafing dishes etc. will usually have additional hire fees depending on venue.
• Minimum order values: Most caterers within London have a minimum order value of circa £250.
• Last minute bookings: Booking on the day or at very short notice will always incur a premium.

To provide as much transparency as possible, Owen Brothers Catering includes the cost of delivery, equipment hire, packaging, dietary requirements and service setup in your quote wherever possible.