Most advice about catering assumes a large event. For 20 to 30 guests the arithmetic runs the other way, and the honest recommendation for most people at this size is not to book outdoor catering at all.
The minimum order is the problem
Outdoor catering has a minimum order of AED 3,000. At 30 guests, that floor sits above three of our four packages:
- Vegetarian at AED 45 per person: AED 1,350, well below the minimum
- Classic at AED 65 per person: AED 1,950, below the minimum
- Zouq at AED 85 per person: AED 2,550, below the minimum
- Premium at AED 110 per person: AED 3,300, the only one that clears it
So a 30-guest outdoor booking either means taking the Premium package whether or not you wanted it, or paying up to the AED 3,000 floor for less food than the floor represents. Neither is good value, and we would rather say so than sell it.
What to do instead
Book inside the restaurant. The dinner buffet is AED 42 per adult and AED 22 per child Monday to Friday, and AED 65 and AED 33 Saturday and Sunday. Thirty adults on a weeknight is AED 1,260. Thirty at the weekend is AED 1,950.
That is less than half the cost of the equivalent outdoor booking, and it comes with the kitchen, the live counters and the staff already in place rather than transported to you.
If it is a celebration
Our birthday and celebration packages are built for exactly this size. Wall decor is AED 200 at any group size, a cake is AED 150 for a minimum of 10 guests, AED 200 for 20 and AED 300 for 30, and a flower bouquet is AED 100. Those sit on top of the buffet rate per guest.
A 30-guest weeknight birthday with decor, a cake and flowers comes to AED 1,260 plus AED 200 plus AED 300 plus AED 100, so AED 1,860 all in. Compare that with AED 3,300 for the smallest outdoor package that clears the minimum.
When outdoor catering is still right at this size
There are real cases. If the event has to happen at a particular venue, a home, a majlis or an office, then location is not negotiable and the Premium package at AED 3,300 is what it costs. If you need a specific setup we cannot provide in the dining room, the same applies.
But if the only reason you were considering outdoor catering is that you assumed 30 guests was too many for a restaurant, it is not. Thirty is a comfortable group booking.
Either way, the terms
Outdoor bookings take 50 percent on booking with the balance three days before, and final numbers are due on that same three-day deadline. We cover Sharjah, Dubai and Ajman. All four packages and their contents are on the catering menu, and our full payment terms are written up separately.
Thirty guests, done properly
From AED 42 a head inside the restaurant, with decor and cake priced separately and openly.
See Home Party Options
