Weddings · Corporate · Festivals · Private parties
Catering Event Staff, Booked by the Shift — Waiting, Bar, Hosting and Kitchen Crew
Our catering event staff cover weddings, corporate dinners and festivals across London and the UK. Tell us the date, the venue and the guest count. We'll send a briefing-ready team — briefed, uniformed and food-safety checked before they walk through the door.
- Right-to-Work verified
- Food Safety Level 2 minimum
- Uniform provided
- 5.0★ rating
- 2–6 hrsTo confirm urgent event cover
- 1 per 10Servers per guest, plated standard
- 24/7Bookings line +44 333 2422 711
What kind of event?
Different rooms, different rhythms. Pick the closest match and we'll build the crew around it.
Weddings
Ceremony drinks through to the last table cleared. Waiting, bar and toast service, with someone owning the timings.
Book wedding catering staff in GuildfordCorporate & conference
Breakfast through to the drinks reception, same crew all day if you want continuity between sessions.
See event catering coordinator roles in SloughFestivals & large-scale
Volume crews, staggered shifts and one supervisor per ten staff so nobody's waiting on a decision.
Arrange event staffing in WolverhamptonPrivate parties & dinners
Two servers or twenty. No minimum booking, and no awkward conversation about contract length.
View the event coordinator vacancy in UxbridgeSports & hospitality boxes
Matchdays and race days. Box hosting, bar service and quick turnarounds between sittings.
Explore housekeeper and event roles in CoventryCatering event staff, role by role
What each role actually does on the day, and what you'll pay for it. No job titles that mean nothing.
| Role | What they do on the day | Typical rate (£/hr) |
|---|---|---|
| Event waiting staff | Set, serve, clear, reset between courses | 12.00 – 15.00 |
| Wedding servers | Plated and buffet service, table wine, toast service | 12.50 – 15.50 |
| Bar & beverage staff | Pours, cellar basics, glass collection, ID checks | 12.50 – 16.00 |
| Hosts & hostesses | Guest registration, cloakroom, door, VIP escort | 13.00 – 17.00 |
| Event supervisors | Team brief, rotation, client liaison, sign-off | 16.00 – 22.00 |
| Back-of-house / KP | Pot wash, pass support, waste, stock runs | 11.50 – 14.00 |
| Event chefs | Bulk prep, plating to spec, dietary handling | 18.00 – 32.00 |
Rates are indicative for London and the South East. Regional rates vary — see the pay index in our linkable assets, benchmark permanent roles against the UK chef salary guide, and have a look at a live listing such as the event and waiting staff role in Wembley for what the market's paying this week.
How many catering event staff do you actually need?
This is the question we're asked more than any other. Here's the honest answer, before you ring anyone.
| Guests | Waiting staff | Bar staff | Kitchen support | Supervisor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 50 | 4 | 1 | 1 | Shared |
| 50 – 100 | 6 – 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 100 – 200 | 10 – 14 | 3 | 3 | 1 – 2 |
| 200 – 400 | 18 – 26 | 5 | 5 | 2 – 3 |
| 400 – 800 | 32 – 50 | 8 | 8 | 4 |
| 800+ | By brief | By brief | By brief | 1 per 10 staff |
Plated service needs more hands than a buffet. A seated three-course wedding for 120 usually lands around 12 waiting staff and 2 on the bar. Add one server for every extra 20 guests, and always add a supervisor once you're past 100 — someone has to own the room.
Kitchen support is the number people forget. If your caterer is bringing chefs but no porters, you'll need cover for pot wash, pass support and waste runs — that's what prep cook and event roles in Reading look like in practice.
Event staffing ratio calculator
The booking link carries your numbers through to the form, so you won't be typing them twice.
Event staffing facts and figures
Straight off our bookings desk log, not an industry survey. Ask us for the working if a number looks generous.
| Booking type | How fast we confirm | Lead time advised | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same-day emergency cover | 2 – 6 hours | None | Ring the 24/7 line, not the form |
| Wedding (full team) | 24 – 48 hours | 2 – 4 weeks | Optional venue walkthrough |
| Corporate event | 24 – 48 hours | 1 – 2 weeks | Can reuse the same crew monthly |
| Festival / large-scale | 48 – 72 hours | 4 – 6 weeks | Volume brief required |
| Recurring weekend contract | 24 – 48 hours | Rolling | Preferred-crew matching |
| Metric | Figure | Measured by |
|---|---|---|
| Client satisfaction | 97 – 99% | Post-event survey |
| Candidate satisfaction | 97 – 99% | Shift feedback |
| Repeat event bookings | 93 – 97% | Rolling 12 months |
| Shift fill rate | 95%+ | Bookings desk log |
| No-shows across all event shifts | Under 1% | Attendance records |
| Staff arriving late | Under 2% | On-site sign-in |
| Role | Entry (£/hr) | Experienced (£/hr) | Weekend uplift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen porter | 11.50 | 14.00 | +£1.00 – £2.00 |
| Event waiting staff | 12.00 | 15.00 | +£1.00 – £2.50 |
| Wedding server | 12.50 | 15.50 | Standard |
| Bar staff | 12.50 | 16.00 | +£1.50 – £3.00 |
| Host / hostess | 13.00 | 17.00 | Weekday-heavy |
| Event supervisor | 16.00 | 22.00 | +£2.00 – £4.00 |
| Event chef | 18.00 | 32.00 | +£3.00 – £5.00 |
Chef-specific rates move faster than the rest. Check the chef salary guide for the UK before you set a budget, and for London specifically see pastry chef hire in London and temporary chef jobs in London. Comparing suppliers? Our write-up on top catering recruitment agencies in London and our shortlist of the top 5 chef agencies in London are both worth ten minutes.
Latest hospitality & catering jobs
Real vacancies, updated by our bookings desk every morning. No scraped listings.
| Role | Event type | Location | Shift | Status | Apply | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Event waiting staff | Hotel banqueting | Wembley | Weekend, long shift | 13.00 | Urgent | Apply |
| Today | Event coordinator | Corporate events | Slough | Full day | 17.00 | Open | Apply |
| Today | Event coordinator | Private events | Uxbridge | Part-time | 15.50 | Open | Apply |
| 1 day | Event catering staff | Wedding venue | Guildford | Day shifts | 12.50 | Open | Apply |
| 1 day | Catering event staff | Cambridge venues | Cambridge | Weekend | 12.75 | Open | Apply |
| 1 day | Head waiter | Hotel dining | Cambridge | Permanent | On request | Open | Apply |
| 2 days | Prep / event cook | Events | Reading | Rolling | 15.00 | Open | Apply |
| 2 days | Event housekeeping | Conference venue | Coventry | Flexible | 11.75 | Urgent | Apply |
| 3 days | Hospitality event staff | Coventry venues | Coventry | Part-time | 12.00 | Open | Apply |
| 3 days | School head chef | Education catering | Camberley | Term-time | 22.00 | Open | Apply |
| 4 days | Catering staff | Events & venues | Edinburgh | Various | 12.50 | Open | Apply |
| 5 days | Event staff | Venues | Feltham | Shift work | 12.00 | Open | Apply |
Nothing matches that combination right now. Clear a filter, or browse every live catering and event vacancy.
Why venues book our event teams again
Briefed before arrival
Every team gets a written brief: timings, menu, uniform, allergies and who to report to. Nobody turns up asking where the kitchen is. Our full standards are set out on the why us page.
One supervisor per ten staff
You get a single point of contact on the floor instead of chasing six people mid-service. Supervisors come from our event staff pool and know the venue types.
You pay for hours worked
No placement fee on temporary event shifts, and a transparent uplift for weekends and bank holidays. Compare that against other catering staff hiring agencies before you book, or talk to our catering recruitment team about permanent cover.
Booking catering event staff — the process
- 2 minutes
Brief us
Date, venue, guest count, service style. Phone or the post a job form — whichever's quicker for you.
- 2 – 48 hours
Team proposed
Names, roles, rates and certificates sent over for approval. You can decline anyone without explaining why.
- 48 hours before
Brief circulated
Everyone gets the timings, menu and uniform before they travel. Changes after that go through the supervisor.
- On the day
Delivered and signed off
We invoice per hour worked and keep your preferred crew on file, so next time is a two-line email.
What we check before anyone is assigned
- Right-to-Work verification
- Photo ID and address confirmation
- Food Safety Level 2 as a minimum
- Allergen awareness for plated service
- Two references, contacted
- Role-specific skills assessment
- Uniform issued and fitted
- Certificates held on file — see how we work with catering staff hiring agencies compliance standards
Want to work events?
Weekend work, festival work, wedding work. Pick the shifts that fit around whatever else you've got going on — we handle payroll, holiday pay and the paperwork.
- Weekly pay, straight into your account
- Shifts near you, not across the county
- No uniform cost
- Food-safety refresher support
Event work open this week
Every live catering and event vacancy Catering events staff opportunities in Cambridge Head waiter role in Cambridge Hotel receptionist jobs in Cambridge Hotel receptionist work in Ambergate School head chef jobs in Camberley School catering jobs in Tower Hamlets Chef jobs in Derby About the team you'd be working withWhat an event staff job actually involves
Written by people who've worked the shifts, not copied from an HR template. If you're writing your own advert, take what's useful.
What you'll do
- Arrive 30 to 45 minutes before doors, get your section and your brief.
- Set tables to the plan — covers, glassware, cutlery in the right order.
- Serve plated courses from the left, clear from the right, and keep the timing tight across your section.
- Pour wine and water through the meal, and handle toast service if there's a speech.
- Watch for dietary cards. If you're unsure what's in a dish, ask the chef rather than guessing.
- Clear down, reset the room and help with the pack-away at the end.
- On bar: pour, collect glasses, run ID checks and keep the service area clean.
What we ask for
- Right to work in the UK and photo ID — we check both before your first shift.
- Food Safety Level 2, or a willingness to complete it. We'll point you at the refresher.
- Blacks or the uniform we issue, clean and pressed. Safe, closed shoes.
- Reliability above everything. Turning up on time is most of the job.
- A calm head when a table of ten changes its order at once.
- No formal experience needed for waiting and kitchen-support roles — we'll train you on the pass.
Want this as a document you can edit? The printable catering event staff job description template is in our resources below, alongside the day brief template supervisors actually print.
One office, national reach
The team runs out of Ilford — the bookings desk runs 24/7.
- Office
- Catering Jobs
344-348 High Road, Ilford IG1 1QP - [email protected]
- Phone
- 020 3086 9080
- 24/7 bookings line
- +44 333 2422 711
- Full details
- Contact the Catering.Jobs bookings desk
Where we staff events
What clients and crew say
★★★★★
"Twelve waiting staff for a 120-guest wedding, all briefed before arrival and all on time. The supervisor handled the room so we didn't have to."
★★★★★
"We run monthly client dinners and now use the same crew every time. Booking takes one email."
★★★★★
"I work three or four events a month around my course. The brief comes through in advance so you know exactly what you're walking into."
Free tools for event planners and venues
Built for the people doing the rota at 11pm. Use them, print them, embed them — a credit link back is welcome, not required.
Event Staffing Ratio Calculator
Guest count in, crew split out. Planners link to it instead of doing the maths themselves.
Open the calculatorCatering Event Staff Job Description Template
The version above, formatted so venues and HR teams can drop it straight into their own adverts.
Download the templateUK Event Staff Pay Rate Index
Rates by role and region, with a year-on-year column. The citable number when someone asks what things cost.
Download the rate indexEvent Day Brief Template
Timings, menu, uniform, allergens, reporting lines. Supervisors print this and carry it.
Grab the brief templateWedding Staffing Checklist
A clean timeline from setup to clear-down, with the staffing decision points marked.
Get the checklistEmbeddable badge — vetted event staff in 4 hours
For venue partners and wedding blogs who want to show their staffing is agency-backed.
Copy embed codeCite this page
Using our ratios or rates in a blog post, a report or a venue guide? Here's the line to use.
Catering.Jobs (2026) Catering Event Staff: UK Staffing Ratios and Pay Bands. Available at: https://catering.jobs/event-catering-staff (Accessed: 18 September 2026).Catering event staff FAQs
What are catering event staff?
Catering event staff are temporary or contract workers who handle food and drink service at events — waiting staff, wedding servers, bar staff, hosts and supervisors. They're employed and paid by the agency and booked by the venue or organiser for a set number of hours. See the full event staff service.
How many event staff do I need for my wedding?
A common starting point is one waiting staff member per 10 guests for plated service, and one per 15 for a buffet. A seated 120-guest wedding usually needs around 12 waiting staff, 2 on the bar and a supervisor. Our ratio calculator gives you an exact split.
How much do catering event staff cost per hour?
Event waiting staff typically run £12.00–£15.00 per hour, bar staff £12.50–£16.00, hosts £13.00–£17.00 and event supervisors £16.00–£22.00. Weekend and bank holiday shifts carry an uplift. You pay for hours worked with no placement fee on temporary shifts.
How far in advance should I book event staff?
Two to four weeks is comfortable for a wedding or a full corporate team, and four to six weeks for large-scale events or festivals. We also handle same-day emergency cover — call the 24/7 line rather than using the booking form for those.
Can you cover an event at short notice?
Yes. Urgent event cover is typically confirmed within 2 to 6 hours. Ring +44 333 2422 711 at any hour — the bookings desk runs around the clock, including weekends and bank holidays.
What's included in the event staff hourly rate?
The rate covers the staff member's pay, employer National Insurance, holiday pay, payroll, Right-to-Work and ID checks, food safety certification, uniforms where required, and the written event brief. There is no separate placement fee on temporary event shifts — more on that from our catering recruitment desk.
Do your staff have food safety and allergen training?
Every member of our event pool holds Food Safety Level 2 as a minimum, and staff handling plated service receive allergen awareness training. Certificates are held on file and can be shared before the event on request. Our vetting standards are set out on the why us page.
Do you provide event supervisors as well as front-of-house?
Yes. We supply supervisors at roughly one per ten staff, and we recommend always including one once an event passes 100 guests. Supervisors run the team brief, manage rotations, act as your single point of contact and sign off hours worked. Senior kitchen leadership comes through head chef recruitment.
What areas do you cover for event staffing?
London and the South East are our core patch, including Enfield, Feltham and Guildford. We also staff events in Cambridge, Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Edinburgh, Manchester, Oxford, Reading and Northampton, with UK-wide coverage for larger bookings. Compare local options in our directory of catering recruitment agencies.
How do I apply for event staff work?
Browse live roles and register through the candidate section of this page. You'll need photo ID, proof of right to work and a food safety certificate if you have one. Shifts are matched by location, skill and availability, with weekly pay. Start at the jobs board.
Got a date and a guest count? Let's fill the floor.
Send the brief and we'll come back with names, rates and certificates. Same-day cover goes through the 24/7 line.
