What catering for 50 people costs in Brisbane
17 October 2026 · 2 min read
Fifty guests is where catering stops being a few platters and starts needing a plan. Here is what four caterers serving Brisbane publish for an event that size, checked on 17 October 2026.
The short answer
For 50 guests, published starting prices run from about $825 for food truck rolls to $4,400 for a banquet, before staff and travel. Grazing tables sit in between, at roughly $700 to $1,325.
What 50 guests costs, caterer by caterer
| Caterer | Style | Published price | For 50 guests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best of the Wurst (Brisbane food truck) | Rolls (On a Roll package) | From $15 a head + GST | From $825 incl. GST |
| Grazing Acres (Palmwoods, delivers to North Brisbane) | Grazing table | From $700, about $12 to $17 a guest | About $700 to $850, plus travel of $10 to $150 |
| Sunny Rays (Sunshine Coast, travels to Brisbane) | Grazing towers and tables | From $26.50 a guest | From $1,325, plus staff and travel |
| Sunny Rays | Banquet dining | From $88 a guest | From $4,400, plus staff and travel |
| Koma Sliders (Brisbane food truck) | Party platters | From $190 + GST a platter, each serving 10 to 30 | Depends on the platter mix |
Best of the Wurst builds its birthday catering packages on a minimum of 50 guests and prices them on request. Its German buffet is aimed at 100 guests or more.
Staff, hire and travel
Delivered food, like a grazing table or platters, needs no extra staff. A served meal does. Sunny Rays publishes its rates: wait staff $66 an hour, cooks from $66 an hour and bar attendants $77 an hour, each with a four-hour minimum. Its staffed events carry a $2,000 minimum spend from Friday to Sunday. Travel is $150 return to North Brisbane and $200 to central and south Brisbane.
Hire adds up too. Sunny Rays hires main plates at $3.30 each and cutlery sets at $5.50 each, so plates and cutlery for 50 come to $440 before delivery, which starts at $66 each way. Grazing Acres hires trestle tables at $75 each and a props package at $150.
Before you book
Ask your venue whether outside caterers are allowed, and which certificates it needs from them, such as public liability insurance and a food licence.
A food truck needs level access and room to park and serve. In a park or other public space, check with the council before booking one.
Serving alcohol? Hire bar staff with a current RSA, and check with your venue or Queensland's Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation whether your drinks plan needs a liquor licence.
Prices were read off each caterer's own website on 17 October 2026 and can change. Confirm them when you ask for a quote.
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Common questions
What is the cheapest catering for 50 people in Brisbane?
Food truck rolls, from about $825 including GST, based on published Brisbane prices.
Do I need wait staff for 50 guests?
Not for delivered food like a grazing table. A served meal does. Sunny Rays publishes wait staff at $66 an hour with a four hour minimum.
Do I need a liquor licence if drinks are served?
Hire bar staff with a current RSA, and check with your venue or the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation whether your drinks plan needs a licence.