The Budget Line That Always Comes Back Larger
A line producer is locking a 12-day indie feature budget. She estimates $8 per person for lunch, based on a general production guide she read online. On day 3, the crew of 25 needs two meals plus craft services. The caterer's actual invoice is $1,200 for the day. The original estimate was off by 60%, and the production is burning through its contingency fund on food instead of film stock.
Underestimate catering and the per-day burn rate eats the contingency. Overestimate and the budget looks too expensive to greenlight. The difference between a $30 and $50 per-person per-day estimate on a 20-person, 10-day shoot is $4,000. On a 40-person shoot, that same $20 spread doubles to $8,000.
This post gives a practical method for estimating crew catering costs before the budget is locked, including per-person rates, meal counts, regional adjustments, and union meal penalty calculations. The Shooting Day Cost Calculator handles the daily burn rate math including catering as a line item.
Per-head cost ranges below draw from 2026 production catering data for US markets. The GSA M&IE per diem rates for FY 2026, published at gsa.gov, range from $68 to $92 per day depending on location and serve as a useful external benchmark. Union meal penalty figures cite the SAG-AFTRA Basic Agreement and IATSE Basic Agreement meal period provisions.
The Catering Cost Formula and Its Four Components
A complete crew catering budget includes four distinct components that are often collapsed into one figure. The formula is:
Daily catering cost = (crew count x meals per day x cost per meal) + (crew count x craft services per day) + location surcharges + contingency
Component 1: Hot Meals. The primary catered meal, typically lunch on a standard shoot day. Industry range in 2026: $12 to $18 per head for breakfast, $14 to $20 per head for lunch, $18 to $28 per head for dinner or second meal. NYC and LA markets run 15 to 30% higher than national averages.
Component 2: Craft Services. The continuous snack, beverage, and light-food table available throughout the shooting day. Budget $3 to $5 per head per day. A $3 per head table is functional: coffee, granola bars, chips. A $5 per head table includes fresh fruit, hot beverages throughout, and snack variety appropriate for a full shooting day.
Component 3: Union Meal Penalties. Under the SAG-AFTRA Basic Agreement, a meal must be provided within 6 hours of crew call. Failure to provide a timely hot meal triggers a meal penalty: $25 per performer for the first half-hour, $35 for the second, and $50 for each subsequent half-hour. For Ultra Low Budget films, the penalty is reduced to $25 per half-hour. IATSE penalties run $7.50 for the first half-hour, $10 for the second, and $12.50 for each subsequent half-hour when shooting outside a studio. One late lunch across a 10-person SAG cast costs $250 in penalties before the meal is served.
Component 4: Location Surcharges and Contingencies. Caterers charge distance surcharges for locations beyond 30 to 45 miles from their base, typically $100 to $350 per day. Budget a 15 to 20% contingency for standard urban or suburban productions, and 25 to 35% for remote or rural locations.
Worked example: 20-person crew, 2 meals (breakfast at $15, lunch at $18), craft services at $4 per person. Daily cost = (20 x $15) + (20 x $18) + (20 x $4) = $300 + $360 + $80 = $740. Add 15% contingency = $851 per day. Over 12 shoot days, the total catering line is $10,212.
Three Real-World Catering Estimates by Production Tier
Micro-Budget Short: 12 People, 3 Days, Urban
One meal (lunch) at $15 per person. Craft services at $3 per person. Daily cost = (12 x $15) + (12 x $3) = $180 + $36 = $216. Add 15% contingency = $248 per day. Total for 3 days: $744. At this tier, the producer often handles craft services themselves, buying from Costco or a restaurant supply store, and orders hot lunch from a local restaurant.
Low-Budget Feature: 35 People, 15 Days, Suburban
Breakfast and lunch on set. Breakfast at $14, lunch at $19. Craft services at $4. Daily cost = (35 x $14) + (35 x $19) + (35 x $4) = $490 + $665 + $140 = $1,295. Add 15% contingency = $1,489 per day. Total for 15 days: $22,343. This is the tier where catering becomes a significant budget line. A $22,000 catering allocation on a 15-day feature is reasonable and should be defended to investors as a crew retention and compliance expense.
Commercial in Los Angeles: 60 People, 5 Days, Three Meals
Breakfast at $16, lunch at $22, dinner at $25. Craft services at $5. Daily cost = (60 x $16) + (60 x $22) + (60 x $25) + (60 x $5) = $960 + $1,320 + $1,500 + $300 = $4,080. Add 15% contingency = $4,692 per day. Total for 5 days: $23,460. The working dinner line item is the single biggest cost driver at this tier. Any shoot day scheduled for 12 or more hours requires a second hot meal.
Catering Cost Per Person by Meal Type and Region
The table below shows per-head catering rates by meal type and US region for 2026. Use the GSA M&IE breakdown as a sanity check: the FY 2026 standard M&IE is $68 per day ($16 breakfast, $19 lunch, $28 dinner, $5 incidental), with high-cost localities up to $92 per day ($23 breakfast, $26 lunch, $38 dinner, $5 incidental).
| Meal | Low-Cost Region | Mid-Cost Region | High-Cost Region (LA, NY) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | $12 | $15 | $18 |
| Lunch | $14 | $18 | $22 |
| Dinner / Second Meal | $18 | $22 | $28 |
| Craft Services (per day) | $3 | $4 | $5 |
The GSA M&IE rate is a per diem for travel meals, not a catering budget. Actual on-set catering typically costs more per head because it includes delivery, setup, and service. Use the GSA rate as a floor, not a target.
How to Calculate a Catering Budget Before Locking: Step by Step
Step 1: Lock the crew count for each day of production. Use the Crew Size Estimator to arrive at a realistic headcount for each department. Catering scales with headcount, not with shoot days alone. Include principal cast, background, day players, drivers, and security if they are on set during meal times.
Step 2: Determine how many meals are provided each day. A standard 8 to 10-hour day requires one hot meal. A 12-hour day requires two: lunch and a second meal at the 6-hour mark from lunch. Any day scheduled for 14 or more hours should budget three catering intervals.
Step 3: Look up the regional catering rate per meal from the table above. Confirm with at least two caterer quotes before locking the figure. A quote from a specific caterer for your crew size, location, and shoot dates is more defensible than a per-head average from a published guide.
Step 4: Add craft services at $3 to $5 per person per day. Budget this separately from hot meals. Craft services is a constant: coffee, fruit, snacks, and water available at all hours, not a meal break.
Step 5: Add 15 to 20% contingency for late additions, dietary requests, and headcount changes. For remote or rural locations, increase to 25 to 35%. Multiply by total shoot days and add to the Budget Breakdown Calculator to see how catering sits relative to total below-the-line costs.
Pro Tips and Common Mistakes
Pro Tip: Ask the caterer for a flat per-person rate rather than itemized pricing. A flat rate is easier to budget and avoids surprise upcharges for premium items. Most film caterers are accustomed to quoting a per-head figure that includes protein, starch, vegetable, salad, and non-alcoholic beverages.
Pro Tip: Budget separately for dietary restrictions. Vegan, gluten-free, and allergy-specific plates often cost 20 to 30% more per serving. On a 35-person crew, expect 5 to 8 people to have specific dietary needs. Add a separate line item rather than absorbing the cost into the general per-head rate.
Pro Tip: On SAG productions, treat meal timing as a scheduling constraint. The meal must be provided within 6 hours of crew call regardless of whether you are mid-setup, mid-rehearsal, or mid-take. Building a 45-minute meal break into the day's schedule, and confirming the caterer arrives 15 minutes before meal time, is cheaper than discovering a $25-per-performer penalty at wrap.
Common Mistake: Forgetting the second meal on a long day. Anything over 6 hours from the first meal may require a hot meal or a meal penalty. The fix: check your call sheet against the 6-hour rule for every shoot day. If the day is scheduled for 12+ hours, budget for two hot meals from the start.
Common Mistake: Using the GSA M&IE rate as the catering budget. M&IE is a per diem for individual travel meals, not a catered meal cost. Actual catering includes delivery, setup, service, and waste. The fix: use the GSA rate as a floor and add 30 to 50% for catering service overhead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is catering tax-deductible for the production?
Yes, as a production expense. Direct catering is a normal business expense on the production's cost report. Per diem has separate tax rules under an accountable plan. The IRS Publication 463 covers travel, gift, and car expenses including per diem rules. Consult a production accountant for the specific treatment in your jurisdiction.
How do meal penalties work on a SAG-AFTRA production?
Under the SAG-AFTRA Basic Agreement, if a meal is not provided within 6 hours of the performer's call time, the production owes each affected performer a meal penalty. The penalty is $25 for the first half-hour, $35 for the second, and $50 for each subsequent half-hour. For Ultra Low Budget films, the penalty is a flat $25 per half-hour. A 10-performer cast missing one meal costs $250 in penalties. The SAG-AFTRA meal periods page publishes the current penalty schedule.
Should I include cast in the catering estimate?
Yes. Include principal cast, background performers, and day players. Also include drivers, security, and on-set visitors if they are present during meal times. A commercial shoot with a 20-person crew may have 5 to 8 agency and client attendees on any given day. Budget an additional 20 to 30% on top of the crew count for commercial and agency productions where client attendance is expected.
What is the difference between catering and craft services?
Catering refers to prepared hot meals served at a break, typically lunch or dinner, from a dedicated catering truck or company. Craft services is the continuously stocked table available throughout the production day with snacks, fruit, beverages, and light foods. On union productions, both are typically required. Budget them as separate line items.
Can I use per diem instead of providing meals?
Yes, but the per diem must be reasonable and the crew must be away from their tax home. The SAG-AFTRA per diem minimum as of December 2025 is $75 per day, per the DGA Basic Agreement per diem update. Many productions provide meals because it is simpler, more controllable, and keeps the crew on set rather than dispersing to restaurants during a tight shooting day.
Related Tools
The Shooting Day Cost Calculator calculates total daily burn rate including catering as a line item. The Travel Per Diem Calculator checks per diem rates for out-of-town crew against current GSA M&IE tables. The Budget Breakdown Calculator allocates catering into the full production budget and flags when catering is undersized relative to overall production scale.
For the adjacent budget items that interact with catering planning, How to Budget Location Costs covers the full daily cost structure including location, crew, equipment, and catering as integrated line items. For crew sizing, How Many People Should Be on Set covers department-by-department headcount that feeds directly into the catering calculation.
For current GSA M&IE per diem rates by location, the FY 2026 rates are published at gsa.gov/travel/plan-a-trip/per-diem-rates. For SAG-AFTRA meal penalty schedules, the agreement is publicly available at sagaftra.org/meal-periods.
A Line Item Worth Spending Time On
Catering is a per-person, per-meal, per-day math problem. Get the meal count and regional rate right, and the total is predictable. Get it wrong, and the contingency fund disappears into food costs before the shoot reaches the halfway mark.
This post covers on-set catering for productions shooting under a standard day rate. Catering for multi-day location holds, travel days, and international productions involves additional per diem and allowance structures not covered here.
What is the biggest catering surprise you have seen on a set, and how did the production handle it?
