Short answer
You are often in a different category than commodity per-head catering. Clarify what they are buying before you defend a number.
After this lesson: You will reframe price objections as category mismatches and explain in-home custom work without getting defensive.
The wrong comparison
They got a quote for tacos at five dollars a head. Your in-home dinner is ninety-five a person. They are not crazy for noticing the gap.
They are comparing two different products on the same mental shelf.
What happened once
A prospect was planning a special dinner at home. They had also talked to a taco vendor for a casual party quote at about five dollars a person.
My proposal was in the ninety-five dollar range for a multi-course in-home experience: shopping, cooking in their kitchen, service, cleanup.
The issue was not that I was overpriced for what I offered. They were weighing a backyard taco line against a private chef dinner.
Why this works
Name the category before you negotiate the number. Drop-off tacos scale in a commissary. You scale to one table in their home. When they understand the shelf, the conversation shifts from why so expensive to is this what we want.
What to do
Ask what else they are comparing and listen without arguing.
Explain where you cook, who the menu is for, and what service includes.
Separate per-head commodity catering from custom in-home dining.
If they only want feed-a-crowd economics, release with respect.
- Use production model language: licensed prep and delivery vs their kitchen.
- Tie price to privacy, customization, and on-site attention.
- Offer scope trade only when they want your category at a lower number.
Lines to use
It sounds like you are weighing drop-off catering against an in-home dinner. Those are different products. Let me explain what I am pricing.
Caterers are built for volume. I am built for one dinner in your kitchen.
FAQ
- Should I lower my price to match caterers?
- Only by changing scope or category. Matching taco pricing for a plated in-home dinner destroys your business and their expectations.
- What if they only care about per-head cost?
- They may be a buffet or drop-off buyer. Qualify early and spend your time on clients shopping for custom in-home work.
- Can I compete on quality instead of price?
- Quality lives inside a category. First make sure they want your category.
- What about Costco platters and grocery trays?
- Same lesson. Convenience food at scale is not the same purchase as a chef in their kitchen.
Related: Say the number, then stop