For a given event enquiry, buffet and à la carte are different profit machines: buffet trades a lower per-head margin for predictable costs and less service labor, à la carte earns more per cover but staffs and wastes differently. Enter both scenarios for the same guest count and this calculator shows which format wins, and by how much.
Compare formats on total profit for the same guest count: buffet profit = guests × (buffet price − buffet cost per head), à la carte profit = guests × (expected average check − cost per cover). The bigger number wins the enquiry.
| Guest count | 100 |
| Buffet price per head | 899 ₹ |
| Buffet cost per head (incl. over-production) | 380 ₹ |
| Buffet service & setup cost (total) | 12000 ₹ |
| À la carte expected average check | 1100 ₹ |
| À la carte cost per cover | 400 ₹ |
| À la carte service cost (total) | 20000 ₹ |
Because a buffet must look full until the last guest is served, which forces 10-20% over-production, and consumption is uncapped: a wedding crowd eats differently from a corporate lunch. Cost your buffet per head from actual production quantities, not from a plated-portion equivalent.
Smaller groups (under roughly 40-50 covers) where buffet over-production overwhelms the margin, high-check menus where the average order comfortably exceeds a viable buffet price, and events where service pacing matters more than speed. Above 100 covers, buffet economics usually take over.
A plated set menu is often the best of both: buffet-like cost predictability with à la carte perceived value. Model it here as the à la carte side with the set-menu price as the average check and a tighter cost per cover, since portioning is controlled.
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