An outside caterer working at a venue with no in-house kitchen needs to bring everything. This guide covers the full hire kit from mobile cooking equipment to tableware, with quantities for 50, 100 and 200 covers.
An outside caterer working at a venue with no in-house kitchen needs to bring everything. This guide covers the full hire kit from mobile cooking equipment to tableware, with quantities for 50, 100 and 200 covers.
An outside caterer working at a venue with no in-house kitchen needs to bring everything: cooking equipment, hot holding, service equipment, and all tableware. This guide covers the full hire kit for a professional outside caterer, with quantities for 50, 100, and 200 covers.
\n\nThe cooking equipment needed depends on the menu. For a plated dinner or buffet produced from scratch at the venue, the standard mobile kitchen setup includes:
\n\nExpo Hire stocks Blue Seal commercial ovens, double and single fryers, and stainless steel prep tables. See the catering equipment page for the full cooking equipment range and current availability.
\n\nFood produced in a mobile kitchen needs to be kept at temperature before service. Hot cupboards maintain food at the correct serving temperature without drying it out. For a 100-cover event with a two-course hot dinner, one four-door hot cupboard is a minimum. For a 200-cover event with a longer service window, two units give more capacity and flexibility during the service period.
\n\nBain maries keep sauces, soups, and side dishes at serving temperature during service. For a 100-cover dinner with 4 to 6 side dishes or sauces, a two-well or four-well bain marie is the standard choice.
\n\nChafing dishes are used for buffet service to keep food hot at the table or buffet station. For a 100-cover buffet with 4 hot dishes, 4 chafing dishes are the minimum. Add a spare unit for reliability during a long service window.
\n\nTea and coffee service after a dinner requires urns or catering kettles. A 30-litre urn produces around 100 cups at 250ml each. For a 100-cover dinner, one urn for tea and one for hot water covers the post-dinner service. For 200 covers, two or three urns give enough capacity without a long wait after the meal.
\n\nTableware quantities for an outside caterer follow the same calculation as any formal dinner, with an additional 10 per cent buffer to account for breakages during transport and handling off-site.
\n\nFor a two-course dinner at 50 covers: 100 to 110 plates across both courses, 50 to 55 side plates, 300 to 330 pieces of cutlery, and 150 to 165 wine and water glasses.
\n\nFor 100 covers: 200 to 220 plates, 100 to 110 side plates, 600 to 660 pieces of cutlery, and 300 to 330 glasses.
\n\nFor 200 covers: 400 to 440 plates, 200 to 220 side plates, 1,200 to 1,320 pieces of cutlery, and 600 to 660 glasses.
\n\nSee the crockery hire and glassware hire pages for available sets and case quantities. Expo Hire can supply matching sets across all tableware categories.
\n\nOutside caterers working at marquee or private venue events are often responsible for supplying linen. Expo Hire stocks white, ivory, and black tablecloths in sizes to fit round tables (5ft and 6ft) and rectangular trestle tables, along with napkins in matching colours.
\n\nFor 100 covers at 12 round tables, the linen order is 12 round tablecloths and 100 napkins. See the linen hire page for available sizes, colours, and pricing.
\n\n| Covers | Plates (2 courses) | Cutlery pieces | Glasses | Napkins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 100–110 | 300–330 | 150–165 | 55 |
| 100 | 200–220 | 600–660 | 300–330 | 110 |
| 200 | 400–440 | 1,200–1,320 | 600–660 | 220 |
Expo Hire delivers to England and Wales. Delivery and collection is available seven days a week. For delivery charges, minimum order values, and lead times, see the carriage and delivery page.
See also: buffet setup guide and pop-up restaurant hire guide.
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