All businesses / Catering for events
Starting an event catering business in Europe costs €6,000–€30,000 in 2026, with first income after about 10 weeks and earnings of up to €5,000 a month working full time.
Last updated: September 2026 · sources at the bottom of the page
Food for weddings and companies.
| Money to start | €6,000–€30,000 | What you spend before the first customer pays: kit, stock, licences, launch. |
|---|---|---|
| Hours a week | 20–50 | What it takes to run it properly, from part time to full time. |
| Weeks to first income | about 10 | How long you pay in before any money comes back. You still need to live in those weeks. |
| Kept of every €100 | €40 | What stays with you after running costs, before you pay yourself for your hours. |
| Most it earns a month | €900 part time · €5,000 full time + | A realistic ceiling for you running it. It can grow further, but only by hiring or adding units. |
| Competition | medium | Some competition: running it well is what decides. |
| Licence or qualification | needed | Count it in months, not weeks, and check the rules where you live. |
The figure above is what this earns in the shape described: you, running it. Past that it keeps going, but by hiring people or adding units, not by you working more hours. That is a different job from the one you would be starting, and worth knowing before you start it.
You cook only when someone has already paid, which makes it far safer than a restaurant. But it is entirely weekends and evenings, and one bad event in a wedding Facebook group can cost you a season.
These are the categories this business pays for in the first month. We go through the software side on the tools page.
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LaunchKit · €390 + VAT
A site made for your an event catering business business, Google profile, domain and email, a QR poster and a 30-day launch plan built on the numbers above. Live in about a week.
Between €6,000 and €30,000 to begin. That covers kitchen access, hygiene registration, equipment and chafers and the rest of the setup. It does not cover your own living costs during the 10 weeks before the first income arrives, which is the cost most people forget.
Around 10 weeks to the first euro. Reaching the realistic maximum of €5,000 a month takes considerably longer, and assumes 50 hours a week.
Up to about €5,000 a month working full time, or €900 part time. Of every €100 it takes, about €40 stays with you after running costs. Past that it can grow, but by hiring people or adding units rather than by working more hours.
Yes, at a cost. Part time it realistically tops out around €900 a month, against €5,000 working full time, and it needs 20–50 hours a week.
Competition is medium. Neither crowded nor protected: winning comes down to how well you run it rather than whether you can enter.
Compare further: every business you can start with €10,000 · what it costs to start a business, across all 115 · all 115 ranked by startup cost
Where these numbers come from. Figures are rounded ranges for European markets; check the ones you are about to spend money on. Last checked September 2026.
These numbers are the average case. Whether this business clears your target depends on your money, your hours and how long you can wait. Put them in and see.
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