How Much Does a Funeral Repast Cost?

Most parish repasts land between $14 and $28 per guest for buffet service in 2026. Drop-off catering — food delivered hot, served by volunteers — typically runs $9 to $16. Plated service with waitstaff starts closer to $32.

The spread is wide because a repast is really three separate purchases bundled together: food, labor, and equipment.

Labor is usually the largest swing factor. A hall with no dishwasher, no warming equipment, or no loading access requires the caterer to bring more staff and more gear, and that shows up in the quote.

Timing matters too. A repast booked with three days' notice competes for a kitchen's already-committed capacity, and weekend midday slots are the busiest window in institutional catering.

Choosing two hot mains instead of three rarely changes how the meal feels but reliably cuts 10 to 15 percent. Serving coffee and dessert from parish stock is another common saving.

The largest saving is usually structural: if the parish has volunteers willing to serve and clear, drop-off service costs roughly half of full-service catering.