San Diego Catering Cost: 2026 Pricing Guide

Individually boxed lunches are available by quote. Box contents, pricing, quantities, and preparation time are confirmed in your written quote. For shared trays, compare the current catering packages. Family Tray serves 7–10 for $159.99; 20-person Spread serves 20 for $399; 30-person Office Spread serves 30 for $599; 50-person Full Spread serves 50 for $999; 75-person Banquet Spread serves 75 for $1,500; 100-person Grand Spread serves 100 for $1,999.

How much does catering cost per person in San Diego?

At Shawarma House, our family-style tray packages land between about $20 and $27 per person depending on group size. We’re a family-owned, halal-sourced Iraqi-Mediterranean restaurant in Ocean Beach, and we cater across San Diego County, from a 20-person team lunch to events of 100+ guests. Here are our exact tray packages, served family-style:

The pattern is straightforward: a 20-person 20-person Spread works out to about $19.95 a head, while a 100-guest 100-person Grand Spread drops to roughly $20 a head. Scaling up is where you get the best value per person. You can see the full lineup and what comes in each spread on our catering packages page.

How much do boxed lunches cost?

Individually boxed lunches are available by quote. Box contents, pricing, quantities, and preparation time are confirmed in your written quote.

What changes the cost of your catering?

Two events with the same guest count can land at different prices. Here’s what moves the number:

• Headcount. Per-person cost drops as the group grows. The 100-person Grand Spread (100 guests) is your most economical option per head.
• Service style. We offer pickup, delivery, or staffed service. Drop-off trays arrive with optional place settings, ready to eat, which keeps things simple and affordable. Staffed full service is a step up.
• Protein mix. A spread or box selection leaning on chicken shawarma, falafel, and veggie options sits lower; beef shawarma, beef kebab, and combo builds push toward the top of the range.
• Delivery distance. Delivery is available across San Diego County; the fee varies by distance from our Ocean Beach kitchen.

Whether you’re feeding a team lunch at the office or a larger corporate event, the package and service style you choose are the two biggest levers on total cost.

Net-30 billing for businesses

For established business accounts, we offer Net-30 invoicing, so your team can order now and your accounts-payable department can settle the invoice on your normal terms. It’s one less thing to expense on the spot. Just mention it when you request your quote.

What’s included and who we feed

Every package is halal-sourced, and we run a full vegan menu plus gluten-free-friendly builds, so a single order can cover halal, vegan, gluten-free-friendly, and meat-eating guests. Menu highlights include chicken shawarma, beef shawarma, gyro, shish tawook, beef kebab, falafel, cream chop, hummus, and fattoush, Greek, and tabouli salads, with toum, tzatziki, and tahini on the side, and baklava and dolmas to round it out. Teams and offices across San Diego order from us regularly, including SHEIN, Rady Children’s, Scripps OB/GYN, San Diego Digestive Disease Consultants, Cable Street Family Practice, Sekisui House, The Shipyard, and SDSU. If your event is fully plant-based, our vegan catering options work as their own order too.

How much lead time do you need for catering?

Plan ahead where you can. Most drop-off orders need about 48 hours’ notice, and full-service staffed events for 50+ guests need 5 or more days. The sooner you reach out, the more flexibility you’ll have on date, menu, and service style.

How to get an exact quote

The prices above will get you 90% of the way to a budget. For an exact number tailored to your headcount, menu mix, service style, and delivery address, request a quote, it’s the fastest way to a firm figure. You can browse everything first on our Mediterranean catering hub, then send us the details.

Ready to price your event? Request a quote through our catering form, call us at (619) 352-0144, or order directly through ezCater. Tell us your date, guest count, and whether you want drop-off or staffed service, and we’ll get you an exact quote.