Package Pricing vs Per-Item Pricing: Which Approach Is Right for Your Catering Business?

One of the most fundamental decisions a catering business makes is how to price its services. Should you offer fixed-price packages — a single per-head rate that covers everything — or price each item individually? It's a question we hear regularly, and from our experience working with caterers across the industry, the split is roughly 50/50. There's no single right answer — each approach has genuine strengths and trade-offs depending on your business model, your customers, and the types of events you serve.

In this article we'll break down both approaches from the perspective of the caterer and the customer, and explain how Puree is built to support whichever direction you choose — or both.

What Is Package Pricing?

Package pricing bundles a selection of items and services into a single per-guest price. A customer might see "Wedding Package — $95 per head" and know that covers canapés, mains, dessert, beverages, and staff. The caterer defines what's included, and the customer pays a flat rate multiplied by their guest count.

Some packages are entirely fixed — every item is pre-selected. Others offer flexibility within the package, letting the customer choose, say, three canapés from a list of eight, or pick between two main courses. This "flexible package" model is increasingly popular because it gives customers a sense of choice while keeping pricing simple.

What Is Per-Item Pricing?

Per-item pricing (sometimes called itemised pricing) means every item on the quote has its own price and quantity. The customer sees exactly what each dish, beverage, or piece of equipment costs, and the total is the sum of all individual line items. This approach gives maximum transparency and flexibility — customers can add, remove, or adjust quantities for every single item.

The Caterer's Perspective

Package Pricing — Pros

• Faster quoting — Creating quotes takes less time. You select a package, enter the guest count, and the price is calculated automatically. When you're handling a high volume of enquiries, that speed adds up.
• Simpler for the customer — A single per-head price is easy to understand and easy to say yes to. There are fewer decisions for the customer to make, which can shorten the sales cycle and reduce back-and-forth.

Package Pricing — Cons

• Less flexibility for unique events — Not every event fits neatly into a package. Corporate lunches, themed events, or customers with specific dietary requirements may need bespoke menus that don't align with your standard offerings.
• Harder to adjust — When a customer wants to swap one item or add something outside the package, it can be awkward to price. Do you charge extra? Absorb the cost? It introduces grey areas.
• Can feel rigid — Some customers want to feel involved in designing their menu. A fixed package can feel like a take-it-or-leave-it proposition, which doesn't suit every client relationship.
• Harder to maintain over time — When an event is booked well in advance — a wedding a year out, for example — the menu may change between booking and the event. Updating individual items within a package is more cumbersome than simply swapping a line item on an itemised quote.

Per-Item Pricing — Pros

• Maximum flexibility — Every quote can be completely tailored. You can mix and match items from any category, adjust quantities precisely, and build exactly what the customer wants.
• Full transparency — Customers see exactly what they're paying for. This builds trust and makes it easier to justify the total cost.
• Easy to adjust — Adding or removing items is straightforward. If the guest count changes or the customer wants to swap a dish, you simply update the relevant line items.
• Works for all event types — Whether it's a simple morning tea for 10 or a multi-day corporate conference, per-item pricing adapts to any scenario without needing a pre-built package.

Per-Item Pricing — Cons

• Slower quoting — Building a quote item by item takes more time, especially for large events with many categories. This can be a bottleneck if you're handling a high volume of enquiries.
• More revisions — When customers can see every line item, they're more likely to request changes. "Can we swap the salmon for chicken?" or "What if we drop the dessert and add more canapés?" Each change requires a new version of the quote.
• Margin risk — Customers may gravitate towards lower-priced items or reduce quantities to bring the total down, which can erode your margins if you're not careful with your pricing structure.
• Longer decision cycle — More choices can mean more deliberation. Customers may take longer to finalise their selections, which extends the sales cycle.

The Customer's Perspective

Package Pricing — What Customers Like

• Simplicity — A single per-head price is easy to understand and easy to budget for. Customers know exactly what they're getting and what it costs without needing to evaluate dozens of individual items.
• Confidence — Packages feel curated and professional. Customers trust that the caterer has put together a well-balanced menu, which reduces the anxiety of making the wrong choices.
• Faster decisions — With fewer options to weigh up, customers can commit more quickly. This is especially valued by busy corporate clients or event planners managing multiple vendors.

Package Pricing — What Customers Don't Like

• Lack of control — Some customers want to choose every detail. A fixed package can feel restrictive, particularly for personal events like weddings where the menu is a big part of the experience.
• Paying for unwanted items — If a package includes something the customer doesn't need (e.g. beverages when they're supplying their own), they may feel they're paying for something they won't use.
• Harder to compare — When comparing quotes from different caterers, packages with different inclusions can be difficult to evaluate side by side.

Per-Item Pricing — What Customers Like

• Full visibility — Seeing every item and its price gives customers confidence that they're getting fair value. There are no hidden costs or bundled items they didn't ask for.
• Complete control — Customers can build exactly the menu they want, adjusting quantities and selections to match their budget and preferences.
• Easy to compare — Itemised quotes from different caterers can be compared line by line, which is particularly important for corporate procurement processes.

Per-Item Pricing — What Customers Don't Like

• Overwhelming choices — A long list of items with individual prices can feel daunting, especially for customers who aren't familiar with catering. Too many options can lead to decision fatigue.
• Budget uncertainty — Without a fixed per-head price, it's harder for customers to estimate the total cost upfront. The final number depends on their selections, which can shift during the planning process.
• More effort required — Customers need to actively engage with the quote, reviewing each item and making decisions. Not everyone has the time or inclination for this level of detail.

How Puree Supports Both Approaches

We built Puree to be flexible because we know caterers are flexible. Whether you're a package-first business, a fully itemised operation, or somewhere in between, Puree handles it.

Per-Item Pricing in Puree

Puree's order form is built around itemised pricing at its core. You create items across categories — menu, beverages, equipment, miscellaneous — each with their own price. When building a quote, you select items, set quantities, assign delivery times, and the totals are calculated automatically. You can apply order-level discounts or surcharges, add delivery fees, and include staff costs. Every line item flows through to chef dockets, driver run sheets, and consolidated reports.

Package Pricing in Puree

Puree's Packages feature lets you create pre-configured bundles with a fixed per-guest price. A package can include:

• Fixed items — Pre-selected items with quantities defined as per-guest or fixed amounts
• Flexible choices — Categories where the customer can select from a curated list of options, with limits on how many they can choose
• Staff — Included staff positions with rates and hours
• Venue hire — Included venue reservation types

When you add a package to a quote, the customer sees a clean per-head price. Behind the scenes, Puree knows exactly which items are included, so your kitchen dockets and operational reports still have the detail they need.

Mixing Both on a Single Quote

Many caterers use a hybrid approach — a package for the core menu and per-item pricing for extras like additional beverages, special equipment, or late-night snacks. Puree supports this seamlessly. You can add packages and individual items to the same quote, and everything rolls up into a single total for the customer.

Which Approach Should You Choose?

There's no universal answer — it depends on your business. Here are some general guidelines:

• High-volume, standardised events (corporate lunches, conference catering) — Package pricing tends to work well. Speed of quoting and consistency are key.
• Bespoke, high-value events (weddings, gala dinners) — Per-item pricing gives the flexibility and personalisation these clients expect.
• Mixed event types — Consider offering both. Use packages for your most popular event types and per-item pricing for everything else.

From what we've seen across the caterers using Puree, the split is roughly even — about half favour packages and half prefer itemised pricing. Many are starting to adopt a hybrid model, using packages as a starting point and adding individual items as needed.

The most important thing is that your pricing approach works for your team and your customers. Whichever direction you go, Puree is designed to support it — so you can focus on the food, not the software.