Event catering is concentrated rather than spread, which changes the weekly number. A crew that works four events in a month can earn more in those four weeks than a colleague with a flat schedule.
Over a year, 20 hours a week at the $15.24 occupation median produces about $15,850 before tax, and the same hours at the $21 an hour top of the on-site range produce about $21,840.
Gross earnings for a part-time catering worker| Hours a week | At $15.24 an hour | At $18 an hour | At $21 an hour |
|---|
| 10 hours | $152 | $180 | $210 |
| 20 hours | $305 | $360 | $420 |
| 30 hours | $457 | $540 | $630 |
| 20 hours a week over 52 weeks | $15,850 | $18,720 | $21,840 |
What perks come with the job?
The meal is the reliable perk, and the shift is the one people underestimate.
Catering contracts commonly include a staff meal, which on an eight hour shift is worth a real amount of money and is the reason the effective rate is higher than the published wage.
Some contracts include a service charge pool, which is discretionary and should not be budgeted.
Two details are worth checking in the contract rather than assuming. Whether the meal is provided on every shift or only on shifts over a certain length.
And whether the shift rate covers the whole time on site, because a crew that is paid from service to service is being paid for fewer hours than it works.
Our guide to part time restaurant server waiter waitress covers the tipped version of the same shift, and the difference in take-home is large.
How do you find catering work?
Catering companies and the venues that run their own catering are the two places to look.
Catering companies hire crew on a regular basis and they are the ones who know which events are coming. The second route is a venue or hotel with an in-house catering operation, where the rate is set by the venue rather than by an agency.
Two questions to ask. What is the rate per hour and how many hours is it guaranteed from arrival to departure. And whether the shift rate covers the load-in and the break down.
Our guide to part time event security officer jobs covers the other event-based role, where the shift is shorter and the rate is similar.
What changes about catering work next?
Expect the setup to shrink and the service to stay, because the event business is growing while the labour market is tight.
Three forces shape the next two years. Food and beverage serving employment is projected to rise from 5,143,000 in 2025 to 5,423,800 by 2035, which is 5 percent growth with about 280,800 new jobs a year.
Waiter and waitress employment grows more slowly, at 2 percent.
The second is the event market, where the volume of corporate and private events keeps growing and the crews are the same size. The third is the labour supply, which stays tight enough to keep the rate rising in the high-cost markets.
For a candidate the conclusion is that the work is plentiful and the rate is set locally, so the venue matters more than the job title.
Next steps
Work out the pay for the whole time you are on site, not the service hours alone.
- Compare the rate with the $15.24 serving median and the $16.98 food preparation median
- Ask whether the shift rate covers the load-in and the break down
- Ask whether the staff meal is provided on every shift
- Check the travel distance, because a flat fee can lose money on a long trip
- Ask how many events a month the contract actually covers
- Treat the service charge pool as a bonus rather than income
One final thought. The pay figures here are occupation medians and published employer rates, which is the best guide available before an interview.
htm">Bureau of Labor Statistics occupation profile gives the entry requirements and the training picture for food service work, which is the quickest way to confirm that no experience is needed before you apply.
Photo: Dorigo, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/photos/table-table-setting-cutlery-5696243/)
Fazlur Rahman
