Buy a Seminar Catering Package or Order Each Break and Lunch Separately?
Dateen's full-day seminar packages on GatherPlate cost RM63-RM75 a head for 35 guests or more. Ordering breakfast, lunch and tea break separately comes to about RM55 a head, but adds more deliveries.
By Nurul Aina · 17 October 2026 · 8 min read
A full-day seminar package from a caterer on GatherPlate costs RM63 to RM75 a head for 35 delegates or more, covering breakfast, lunch and tea break. Ordering the same three meals as separate items works out nearer RM55 a head, but you then handle several deliveries and get no setup crew. At 50 delegates the gap is about RM380 before delivery fees. Below, both routes are priced from the listings as they stood on 17 October 2026.
Every price below is a starting price shown on a GatherPlate package page on 17 October 2026, before the distance-based delivery fee added at checkout. One hotel figure comes from the hotel's own published PDF and is labelled where it appears.
What one full-day package puts on the table
Full Day Seminar Package A from Dateen Catering is RM63 a head, with a minimum of 35 guests. It covers three services. Breakfast is fried tom yam mee hoon, curry puff and Swiss roll, with Americano and teh tarik. Lunch is steamed rice, signature rendang chicken, mushroom omelette, stir-fried mixed vegetables, assorted fruits and iced cordial. The tea break is marble butter cake, cream puff, a chicken slice and cheese sandwich, and coffee and tea.
Packages B and C are RM75 a head. B swaps in a Chinese-style lunch of fried rice, fried mee hoon, Kung Po chicken and sweet and sour fish. Package C is Western: aglio olio, oriental fried rice, black pepper chicken chop and marmite fish fillet. Same three services, same 35-guest minimum.
How the food arrives is priced on top. Drop-off is RM3 a head under 50 guests and included from 50. A buffet line, with chafing dishes, melamine crockery and a helper on site for four to five hours depending on the package, is RM8 a head under 50 and RM5 a head from 50. Your venue needs a sheltered spot with room for a 5ft table (two for bigger groups), a power point nearby, and access for the crew at least one hour before service.
The same day ordered as three separate items
To price the alternative, I picked one listing for each part of the day:
- Breakfast: Dateen's Breakfast / Tea Box, RM13.50 a head, minimum 10, individually packed with disposable cutlery.
- Lunch: Munch Eaters' Standard Bento, RM15.90 a head, minimum 15. One meat, one vegetable, one side and a dessert, with disposable cutlery.
- Tea break: Robin's KL Royal Hi-Tea, RM26 a head, minimum 30. One hot item, three savouries and a drink. The basic buffet setup with two hours of service needs 50 guests or more.
Together that is RM55.40 a head. It is not a like-for-like swap. A bento is a closed box, while the package lunch is rice with shared dishes, so the box route suits a room with no space for a buffet line and a crowd that will eat standing up.
What seminar catering costs for 40, 50 and 80 delegates
The totals below are my arithmetic from the listed per-head prices. They leave out delivery fees, and the pages do not say how tax is treated, so read the checkout total before you commit.
- 40 delegates: Package A with drop-off RM2,640 (RM63 x 40, plus RM3 x 40). With a buffet line RM2,840. Three separate items RM2,216 (RM55.40 x 40).
- 50 delegates: Package A RM3,150, drop-off included. With a buffet line at RM5 a head RM3,400. Package C with a buffet line RM4,000. Three separate items RM2,770.
- 80 delegates: Package A RM5,040, or RM5,440 with a buffet line. Package C with a buffet line RM6,400. Three separate items RM4,432.
Ordering separately is cheaper at every size: RM424 less at 40 delegates, RM380 at 50 and RM608 at 80, measured against Package A with drop-off. Against Package A with a buffet line the gap widens to RM624, RM630 and RM1,008, but that package then brings crockery and a helper and the boxes do not.
Delivery is the number the pages leave out. Each listing adds a fee calculated from distance, and the separate route can mean up to two more deliveries than the package. At 50 delegates, those two extra fees would need to come to less than RM380 in total, about RM190 each, for separate orders to stay cheaper.
Where a hotel meeting package fits
Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur's meetings and conferences PDF lists a full-day package at RM350++ per person, 9am to 5pm. It includes the main meeting room, two coffee breaks with three snack types each, a conference lunch, a projector and screen, a flipchart and Wi-Fi. On the PDF's own terms, ++ means a 10% service charge and 6% government tax, which puts it somewhere around RM406 to RM408 a head by my arithmetic.
Two cautions. The PDF's heading says 2025 but its terms say 1 to 31 July 2022 only, so confirm the current rate with the hotel. And it is not a food-only comparison, because the room and equipment are in the price. If you already have a hall or a company meeting room, that is the part you are not buying, and a caterer package is the right size of purchase.
The route I would take at 50 delegates
If I were organising a 50-delegate seminar in a hall with no kitchen, I would take Package A with the buffet line at RM3,400. One vendor, one delivery, one number to call when the tea runs low. I would pay the extra RM630 over separate orders for that.
If the room is a boardroom with nowhere to set up a line, or you have fewer than 35 delegates, I would order boxes and a tea break instead, because the package is closed to you below its minimum. I would not pay RM12 a head more for Package B or C, which is RM600 at 50 delegates, unless the Chinese-style or Western lunch matters to your audience. The RM63 menu already has a rice-and-dishes lunch and two coffee services. For ideas on what goes on the tea break table itself, see our guide to tea break catering in Malaysia.
From booking to the last cup
- Settle the headcount range first. Dateen's packages start at 35 guests and the box listings at 10 to 15, so the range decides which route is open to you. Count speakers, crew and organisers, not only registered delegates.
- Check the lead time on the package page. Each vendor sets its own, and GatherPlate's booking policy says it can be as short as one day, with the calendar refusing dates inside the window. I would not lean on one day for 50 people.
- Submit the order. No payment is taken at that point. The vendor has 24 hours to confirm or decline, and payment is processed once it confirms.
- Note your refund cut-off. A full refund applies if you cancel by 23:59 Malaysia time seven days before the event, though some vendors set longer windows, shown at checkout.
- Brief the venue contact: a sheltered spot, a 5ft table (two for bigger groups), a power point, and crew access an hour before service.
- Agree the break times with the programme owner, so the tea break lands between sessions and not in the middle of one.
Checking halal status before you pay
Dateen Catering describes itself on its listings as "Authentic Halal Catering", but the seminar packages and the breakfast box carry no specific halal statement on the package page. The Munch Eaters bento page and the Robin's KL hi-tea page make no halal claim either. A vendor calling itself halal is not the same as JAKIM certification. If your delegates need certified food, ask the caterer for its certificate details and check them on the Halal Malaysia Portal. Tell the caterer about vegetarian and allergy needs when you order, since the menus above are fixed lists.
How we got these numbers. GatherPlate pages read on 17 October 2026: the conference and seminar category (17 vendors showing a starting price, of which only Dateen's three packages are labelled as full-day seminar packages), the three Dateen seminar package pages, the Breakfast / Tea Box, Standard Bento and Royal Hi-Tea pages, and the booking policy. The hotel figure is from Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur's own PDF, read the same day, with the date conflict noted above. GatherPlate's Catering Price Index (edition 2026-09, prices collected 24 September 2026) has no seminar format, so there is no index benchmark for the packages. It does put the tea break median at RM20 a head and bento at RM17.50, so the RM26 hi-tea above sits higher and the RM15.90 bento lower. All totals and differences are my own arithmetic from those listed prices. Researched and drafted with AI assistance from the sources above.
Frequently asked questions
How much does seminar catering cost per person on GatherPlate?
As of 17 October 2026, Dateen's full-day seminar packages are RM63 to RM75 a head for breakfast, lunch and a tea break, with a 35-guest minimum. Ordering a breakfast box, a bento and a hi-tea separately came to RM55.40 a head from the three listings used above. These are listings on one marketplace, not a market average.
What is the minimum number of delegates?
Dateen's seminar packages need 35. The breakfast box needs 10, the Standard Bento 15 and the Royal Hi-Tea 30, and its basic buffet setup needs 50 or more. Under 35 delegates, the separate route is the one open to you.
How far ahead should I book a seminar?
The vendor sets the lead time on each package page, and it can be as short as one day. For 40 delegates or more I would book as soon as the date and headcount are fixed. There is no deposit at submission, and a full refund is available if you cancel by 23:59 Malaysia time seven days before the event.
Does the package include plates and a helper?
Drop-off comes with disposable plates, cutlery and cups. The buffet line option adds chafing dishes, melamine crockery and one helper on site. The package page is somewhat unclear about which tier gets which item, so ask the caterer to confirm in writing before you pay.
