How to Start a Catering Business in Nigeria (2026): Costs, Equipment, Pricing Per Plate and Getting Event Bookings

Start a catering business in Nigeria in 2026: start-up costs, the equipment list, how to price per plate and per event, food safety, and how to win wedding,…

Published September 2026 · Business · by Skillnaija Team

Nigerians celebrate constantly — weddings, burials, naming ceremonies, birthdays, church programmes, corporate events, end-of-year parties — and every celebration is fed. Catering is a business you can start from a home kitchen with a first booking of fifty plates and grow into a company feeding a thousand guests with a team, coolers and a truck. This guide covers what it costs to start in 2026, the equipment, how to price per plate, food safety, and how to win bookings.

Choosing your lane

• Event catering (full meals): jollof and fried rice, swallow and soups, proteins, salads and drinks for weddings and parties. The largest market and the most work.
• Small chops and finger foods: puff-puff, samosa, spring rolls, peppered gizzard, grilled chicken — lower start-up, high margins, easy to sell in trays for parties.
• Corporate and daily catering: office lunches, conference catering, staff canteens — steady weekday income, contracts.
• Specialities: grills and barbecue, cakes and desserts (see Baking & Cake Decorating), healthy meals, cultural cuisines (northern, calabar, efik) for premium events.

Start-up costs in 2026

• Cooking: large pots and pans, gas burners or an industrial cooker, gas cylinders: ₦150,000 to ₦450,000
• Storage and transport: coolers and food warmers (chafing dishes), insulated food carriers, plastic containers: ₦120,000 to ₦400,000
• Serving: serving dishes, spoons, trays, disposable or hired plates and cutlery: ₦50,000 to ₦200,000
• Deep freezer and a fridge: ₦180,000 to ₦450,000
• Blender, food processor, grinder, scales: ₦60,000 to ₦180,000
• Uniforms, aprons, hairnets, gloves, cleaning supplies: ₦30,000 to ₦80,000
• Registration and food-handler medical certificates: ₦20,000 to ₦60,000
• First event's ingredients (working capital): covered by the client's deposit

A home-based caterer can start for ₦400,000 to ₦900,000; a small-chops business for ₦150,000 to ₦400,000; a commercial kitchen with staff and a delivery vehicle ₦3 million to ₦10 million. Most caterers start at home and hire coolers, chafing dishes and a van per event until bookings justify buying.

How to price per plate

Cost every ingredient for the menu at today's market prices and divide by the number of plates to get the food cost per plate. Add packaging or plate hire, gas, transport, staff for the day (cooks and servers at ₦5,000 to ₦15,000 each), and a share of equipment wear. Then add a margin of 30% to 50%. In 2026, a standard party plate (rice, protein, salad, a drink) is priced at ₦3,500 to ₦7,000 in most cities and ₦7,000 to ₦15,000 for premium menus and Lagos and Abuja events; small chops trays at ₦8,000 to ₦25,000; corporate lunch packs at ₦3,000 to ₦6,000. Quote per plate with a minimum number, list what is included, and give the client a written menu and price. Food prices move weekly, so date the quote and buy after the deposit.

Deposits and cash flow

Collect 50% to 70% at booking (which buys the ingredients) and the balance a day before the event — not after, when the client is tired and broke. Never cater an event on credit; the client who cannot pay a deposit cannot pay a balance. Keep the numbers per event — ingredients, staff, transport, hire, margin — with Small Business Accounting.

Food safety and the regulations

Food-handler medical certificates for you and your staff (required by most state health authorities and by corporate clients), clean water, cold storage that stays cold, cooking to temperature, hot-holding above 60 °C, no cross-contamination between raw and cooked, and packaging that protects the food in transit. One food-poisoning incident at a wedding ends a catering business. Register a business name with the CAC for corporate contracts, and ask your local government about caterer permits. NAFDAC registration applies to packaged products for sale, not to event catering.

Winning bookings

Event planners and decorators (they recommend caterers to every client), church and mosque event committees, wedding vendor WhatsApp groups, corporate HR and admin managers, and photographs and short videos of your food and your serving team on Instagram. A tasting for a planner or a committee is the most effective sales pitch in the business. Reliability — food that arrives hot, on time and in the quantities promised — is what turns one wedding into a referral network. The free Catering & Event Cooking course covers menus, bulk cooking, costing, safety and the business, and Event Planning shows how the planners you want to work with think.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to start a catering business in Nigeria in 2026?

A home-based caterer can start for ₦400,000 to ₦900,000 in pots, burners, coolers, warmers, storage and serving equipment; a small-chops business for ₦150,000 to ₦400,000; a commercial kitchen with staff and a vehicle for ₦3 million to ₦10 million. Ingredients are funded by client deposits.

How much do caterers charge per plate in Nigeria?

A standard party plate is ₦3,500 to ₦7,000 in most cities in 2026 and ₦7,000 to ₦15,000 for premium menus or Lagos and Abuja events; small chops trays ₦8,000 to ₦25,000; corporate lunch packs ₦3,000 to ₦6,000.

How do I price catering per plate?

Cost all ingredients at today's prices divided by plates, add packaging or plate hire, gas, transport, staff and equipment wear, then a 30% to 50% margin. Quote with a minimum number of plates, date the quote and buy ingredients only after the deposit.

What deposit should a caterer collect?

50% to 70% at booking to fund ingredients, and the balance a day before the event. Never cater on credit.

Do caterers need NAFDAC registration in Nigeria?

Not for event catering; NAFDAC applies to packaged products sold to the public. Caterers need food-handler medical certificates for staff, good food-safety practice, a CAC business name for corporate work and any local-government caterer permit.