Wedding Catering Costs in Chicago
Wedding catering in Chicago runs roughly $120 to $250 per guest once food, bar and service charges are counted. Published industry figures put the average full-service Chicago wedding at about $232 per person, with quotes reaching $350 per guest at the high end and starting nearer $85 per guest for food and basic service before rentals, bar and staffing are added.
This guide breaks that down by guest count, explains what actually moves the number, and shows where a dessert and drinks station fits in the budget. We should say upfront: Hello Boba does not cater dinner. We handle the dessert-and-beverage line item. The rest of this guide is here because most couples we speak to are trying to work out the whole catering budget before they can decide what to spend on ours.
Chicago Wedding Catering Cost by Guest Count
These are the totals you should expect for the catering line of your budget — food, bar and service combined. They are calculated from published per-guest ranges for the Chicago market, not from our own quotes.
| Guests | Budget end ($120/guest) | Mid-market ($185/guest) | Premium ($250/guest) |
| 75 | $9,000 | $13,875 | $18,750 |
| 100 | $12,000 | $18,500 | $25,000 |
| 125 | $15,000 | $23,125 | $31,250 |
| 150 | $18,000 | $27,750 | $37,500 |
| 200 | $24,000 | $37,000 | $50,000 |
| 250 | $30,000 | $46,250 | $62,500 |
For scale: industry estimates put a full Chicago wedding in 2026 in the region of $35,500 to $43,500 all-in. Catering is typically the single largest line in that figure, which is why getting a realistic per-guest number early changes every other decision you make.
What Actually Moves the Number
- Service style. Plated dinner costs more than buffet, which costs more than family style or stations. The gap between plated and buffet is frequently the largest single lever in the whole quote.
- Bar. An open bar can add substantially per guest. Many of the quotes couples receive look cheap because bar is priced separately — always ask whether it is included before comparing two caterers.
- Service charge and gratuity. Often 18–24% on top of the subtotal, and frequently applied to rentals as well as food. This is the line that most often blows a budget, because it is applied at the end.
- Rentals. Linens, glassware, china and flatware may or may not be in the quote. Venue-supplied rentals can save thousands.
- Season and day. Saturday evenings in June through September carry the highest pricing in Chicago. A Friday or Sunday date, or a November through March wedding, can move the per-guest figure meaningfully.
- Guest count itself. Per-guest cost usually falls as headcount rises, because fixed staffing and setup costs are spread wider.
The question to ask every caterer: “Is this figure the final one, including service charge, gratuity, rentals and bar?” The answer separates comparable quotes from incomparable ones.
Where Dessert and Drinks Fit
This is the part we can price exactly, because it is ours. A Hello Boba dessert and drinks station is a flat rate, published, with no service charge, gratuity, travel fee or parking charge added at the end.
| Guests | Package | Total | Per guest | Share of a mid-market catering budget |
| 40 | P1 Tasting Party | $395 | $9.88 | — |
| 75 | P2 Spirit Night | $695 | $9.27 | 5.0% |
| 100 | P3 Full Experience | $850 | $8.50 | 4.6% |
| 150 | P4 Grand Event | $1,150 | $7.67 | 4.1% |
| 200 | P5 Festival | $1,500 | $7.50 | 4.1% |
So at 150 guests, a staffed dessert and drinks station is roughly 4% of your catering budget — about $1,150 against a $27,750 mid-market total. Per-guest cost falls as the count rises, for the same reason it does with any caterer: the staffing and setup are fixed.
An indoor boba bar can also be booked per drink instead: a $500 setup fee plus $8.95 per drink with a 40-drink minimum, from about $858. Drop-off delivery, unstaffed, is $65 plus $8.95 per drink.
What We Do and Do Not Cover
We cover: a staffed dessert and drinks station for cocktail hour, the dessert course, or a late-night pick-me-up after dancing. Bubble tea, fresh fruit smoothies, refreshers and lemonades, our Ube Banana Pudding, and a full topping bar guests build themselves. Two trained baristas for the length of your service window. Dairy-free, caffeine-free and gluten-free options as standard. In colder months, a hot chocolate bar instead.
We do not cover: dinner, appetizers, alcohol service, cake, rentals, linens, or staffing beyond our own station. We are one line on your catering budget, not the whole thing, and we will happily work alongside your venue caterer or a bakery.
If you want the full detail on formats and setup, our wedding catering page covers it, and the dessert catering page has the complete menu.
Four Ways to Bring the Number Down
- Move off Saturday. A Friday or Sunday date in the same venue with the same caterer is frequently cheaper, and the saving usually exceeds anything you would claw back by trimming the menu.
- Cut the guest list before you cut the menu. Catering scales per head. Twenty fewer guests at $185 saves $3,700 — more than switching from plated to buffet on a list of 150.
- Ask what the venue already owns. Linens, glassware and china included in the venue fee remove a rental line entirely.
- Check where the service charge lands. If it is applied to rentals and bar as well as food, moving a cost out of the caterer’s quote saves you the charge on it too.
How much does wedding catering cost per person in Chicago?
What is the total catering cost for a 150-guest Chicago wedding?
How much should I budget for wedding desserts and drinks?
Does Hello Boba cater wedding dinner?
Why is wedding catering more expensive in Chicago?
What questions should I ask a wedding caterer about price?
Get Your Dessert and Drinks Line Priced
Tell us your date, venue and guest count and we will confirm availability and send an exact figure within one business day. No consultation required to find out what it costs — the packages above are the packages.
Contact our Events Manager Jackie Kotarba at (224) 266-0637 or info@hellobobatruck.com.
We are a WBE and MBE certified Chicagoland business serving the full Chicago metro area.
Cost ranges in this guide are drawn from published 2026 Chicago wedding market figures and are indicative only — your caterer’s quote is the authority on your own budget. Hello Boba package prices are our own and are current.