The money question
How Much Do Home Caterers & Plate-Sale Cooks Make? (Real Math, 2026)
The plate-sale economy is real money hiding in plain sight: Sunday dinners, repasts, church events, office trays. But "how much can I make" depends on three numbers — plate price, plates per week, and food cost — not on anyone's average. Here's the honest math, then a calculator for your numbers.
Run your numbers
The honest ranges
Weekend plate sellers moving 30–60 plates at $12–$18 typically gross $1,500–$4,000/month. Steady home caterers adding trays and small events (a $400 repast tray here, a 50-person office drop there) gross $4,000–$10,000/month. Full event caterers with staff run a different business entirely. The ceiling on home-scale is usually YOUR HOURS — which is why the winners raise prices and sell trays (more dollars per hour of cooking) rather than just more plates.
Food cost is the whole game
The rule the pros live by: food cost at 28–35% of price. A $15 plate should carry roughly $4.50–$5.25 of ingredients. Above 40%, you're working for the grocery store. Track one batch honestly — every ingredient, including the oil and the to-go containers (30–80 cents each!) — and price from that. Containers, gas, and your hours are the silent killers of "I sold out but where's the money?"
The three levers
1. Pre-orders with payment up front. Cooking to confirmed, PAID orders kills waste — the #1 profit leak. 2. Trays over plates when you can: a $220 tray takes barely more work than eight $15 plates and sells to one buyer. 3. The cutoff: "Order by Friday 6pm for Sunday pickup" turns chaos into a production schedule and lets you buy exactly what you need.
Questions people ask
Is selling plates from home legal?
In most states, yes under cottage food laws — but rules on what foods, how much revenue, and where you can sell vary a lot by state. Check your state department of agriculture or health page (our state-by-state guide is coming).
How do I stop losing money on no-show orders?
Take payment (or a deposit) at order time, not pickup. Paid orders show up; "I got you Friday" orders evaporate.
What should my food cost percentage be?
28–35% of the sale price for plates and trays. Track one full batch honestly — including containers — to find yours.