HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire a BBQ caterer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

BBQ caterers need no licence, but they are food businesses. Read on for the checks, the right questions and a fair quote.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a BBQ caterer in five steps

  1. Check the hygiene ratingCooking meat outdoors needs care; ask the BBQ caterer for its rating and inspection date.
  2. Ask where the grills can goThe venue must allow open grills and gas; agree a safe spot away from guests and buildings.
  3. Plan for rainA gazebo or covered cooking area, and somewhere for guests to eat.
  4. Send allergies and dietsIncluding vegetarian and vegan guests, cooked separately.
  5. Agree what is in the per-head priceMeats, sides, staff, disposables, drinks.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No register or licence applies to BBQ caterers as such in any UK nation, and no cookery qualification is required by law. What does apply is food law: a BBQ caterer is a food business, so the checks below are about registration, allergens and hygiene, not a trade card.

Ask the BBQ caterer which council they are registered with and for a recent reference from a host.

Food business registration and hygiene rating for the BBQ caterer

Registration with the council is compulsory for any business that prepares, cooks or sells food, including people baking at home and mobile traders, and must be done 28 days or more before trading in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland a BBQ caterer registers with the local authority too, with advice from Food Standards Scotland. The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, run with councils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, gives a 0 to 5 score after inspection; Wales and Northern Ireland put it in law, while in England showing it is voluntary. The BBQ caterer is rated like any other registered food business; a 5 means very good hygiene, and anything under 3 needs explaining.

Ask the BBQ caterer for the name of the council it is registered with, then check with that council if in doubt. Ask the BBQ caterer for their rating and the inspection date, and look it up on the Food Standards Agency ratings site. gov.uk →

Allergen information from the BBQ caterer

Every registered food business must tell customers when food contains any of the 14 allergens named in food law — celery, gluten cereals, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soya, sulphites and tree nuts — and handle them properly in the kitchen. For food served loose at your event, the BBQ caterer can give it in writing or by a clear notice saying how to ask.

Send the guests' allergies in writing and ask the BBQ caterer for an allergen list for every dish or item. gov.uk →

Trader status and cancellation terms

Booking a BBQ caterer who does this for a living means dealing with a trader: the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies, including the duty of reasonable care and skill. What usually does not apply is a cooling-off period — regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 takes services for leisure activities or catering on a fixed date outside it — so read how the BBQ caterer handles cancellation and deposits.

Get the BBQ caterer's terms on cancellation, date changes and illness on one page before you commit. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Cooking and serving a BBQ at your event is catering, which is standard-rated at 20%. BBQ caterers whose taxable turnover passes £90,000 must register, charge VAT and show it as its own line on the quote and invoice.

Ask the BBQ caterer for the VAT number and whether the per-head price is before or after the 20%. gov.uk →

“What is your food hygiene rating?”

A good answer: A 4 or 5 with a recent inspection date the BBQ caterer can point to.

“How do you make sure meat is cooked through?”

A good answer: A BBQ caterer who uses a probe thermometer and keeps raw and cooked food apart.

“Will vegetarian food be cooked on a separate grill?”

A good answer: Yes — a BBQ caterer keeps a separate grill, or a separate part with separate tongs.

“Do you bring gas, and where will the grills stand?”

A good answer: A clear set-up need, agreed with the venue, away from guests and anything flammable.

“What happens if it rains?”

A good answer: Cover for the BBQ caterer's grills and a plan for where food is served.

“Are sides and desserts included?”

A good answer: A list of what comes with the BBQ caterer's per-head price.

“How many staff will cook and serve?”

A good answer: Catering staff numbers matched to the guest count.

Getting the quote right

  • The BBQ menu, sides and guest numbers
  • Staff to cook and serve, and their hours
  • Grills, gas, gazebo and disposables or crockery
  • Travel and any pitch requirements
  • The BBQ caterer's VAT number, with VAT shown apart from the per-head price
  • Deposit, final numbers and weather or cancellation terms
  • Who actually attends to cook and serve, and whether the chefs are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • No probe thermometer at the BBQ
  • Raw and cooked meat handled with the same tongs
  • No council registration named
  • No rain plan for an outdoor barbecue
LOW
£10
TYPICAL
£25
HIGH
£50

What a BBQ caterer costs: £10–£50 per head

BBQ catering is priced per head, with sides, staff and a covered cooking area pushing the figure up and a minimum charge for small parties. BBQ Catering price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

BBQ caterers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Set up the cooking areaThe BBQ caterer sets grills on firm ground, clear of guests, with cover and fire-fighting kit.
  2. Keep it coldRaw meat kept chilled until it goes on the grill.
  3. Cook and checkMeat cooked through and checked with a probe; vegetarian food on a separate grill.
  4. ServeFood served hot with sides, allergen information to hand.
  5. Shut downGrills cooled and removed, gas taken away, the area left clean.

Probe thermometer
A thermometer pushed into meat to check it is cooked through.
Cross-contamination
Bacteria passing from raw to cooked food, by hands or tongs.
Gazebo
A covered frame shading the grill and servers.
Per head
The price per guest.
Minimum numbers
The fewest guests a BBQ caterer will price for.
Hot holding
Keeping cooked food hot until it is served.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the order and invoiceMenu, numbers and price agreed with the BBQ caterer.
Check the siteGrease or scorch marks raised with the caterer and venue.
Report illnessTell the BBQ caterer and the council food safety team if guests fall ill.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked jobs, so yours on the BBQ caterer helps the next host. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: they are asked to put it right before your review is published.

STEP 1Put it to the BBQ caterer in writingExplain in writing what fell short — undercooked food, missing sides, a late start — and whether you want part of the fee back or the work redone. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 builds reasonable care and skill into the contract; for a one-off occasion, a reduction in price is the usual remedy.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the BBQ caterer below four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through, then your review is published.
STEP 3Food safety, or a trader who will not engageIf you suspect food poisoning, see a doctor and report the BBQ caterer to the food safety team at the council where it is registered. For anything else, no regulator oversees BBQ caterers. If the trader will not engage, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) covers England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) covers Scotland, and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) covers Northern Ireland; each can pass a complaint about BBQ caterers to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the BBQ caterer will not returnWithout a solicitor, a refund from the BBQ caterer can be pursued up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a BBQ caterer: questions people ask

Not a licence as such, but registration: a BBQ caterer is a food business and must be registered with its council. Alcohol sales, or hot food served after 11pm at an unlicensed place in England and Wales, need licensing separately.

Ask the BBQ caterer for the rating and the date of the last inspection, then search the business name on the Food Standards Agency's ratings site. The scheme covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

£10 to £50 per head, typically around £25. See the bbq catering price guide for what moves the figure, or search your town above for BBQ caterers nearby.

Yes, with space for the grills away from the house and fences, and agreement on where gas is kept.

Agree a gazebo for the grills and a covered space for guests; the BBQ caterer should have a plan.

Ask; a good BBQ caterer uses a separate grill or area and separate tongs.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: Hog RoastHow to hire: CatererHow to hire: Buffet CateringHow to hire: Food Truck HireHow to hire: Wedding CatererHow to hire: Mobile Bar HireHow to hire: Marquee HireHow to hire: Party PlannerAll 701 hiring guides →

BBQ caterers near you

BBQ caterers in LondonBBQ caterers in ManchesterBBQ caterers in BirminghamBBQ caterers in GlasgowBBQ caterers in BelfastAll bbq caterers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — food business registration
  2. Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK) — allergen guidance for food businesses
  3. Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK) — the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme
  4. gov.uk — Temporary Events Notice
  5. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  9. nidirect — small claims process
  10. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  11. Catering, takeaway food (VAT Notice 709/1) — 1.3 Supplies in the course of catering are standard-rated; 2.1 Ordinary meaning of catering
  12. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  13. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register