Town of East Hampton
Private Dinner Parties in East Hampton, NY
A private chef for a dinner party in East Hampton costs about $700–1,200 for 4–6 guests, $1,800–2,800 for 12–16 and $2,800–4,500 for 18–24, all-in, with surcharges on July 4, August weekends and Labor Day; a caterer takes over above about twenty. Tell us the date, the headcount and where in East Hampton; one chef or caterer who does that size calls within one business day.
Last updated · Reviewed by Sagaponack Catering Co.
A dinner party at a East Hampton house is the event most people here actually give: twelve on the porch in August, twenty for a birthday, eight in February. We put East Hampton hosts in touch with one chef or caterer who does that size well, and we publish the 2026 packages.
Dinner parties in East Hampton: what's different here
Village lanes behind privet with lawns that take a tent for 150, the Further Lane and Lily Pond Lane estates on the ocean, houses in Springs and Northwest Woods that seat twenty, and the institutions in between: LongHouse Reserve, Mulford Farm and the Maidstone Club.
In East Hampton the dinner party ranges from a village house with a galley kitchen to an estate with a catering kitchen behind the main one, and the chef we send you to is chosen for the kitchen as much as the menu.
Rented houses sit on the Town rental registry (2016): renting for under two weeks more than twice in six months is illegal and share houses are banned outright, so a wedding weekend at a rented East Hampton house is a two-week lease. The Town of East Hampton requires a special-event permit for a gathering of 50 or more at a private residence, for amplified outdoor music after 9 p.m., or for a tent of 700 square feet or more (Chapter 151), filed 21 days out for up to 75 guests, 30 days to 150, 48 days to 250 and 60 days beyond, with a $2 million special-event policy or $1 million liability plus a $1 million umbrella naming the Town, and a written parking or valet plan.
Event and tent permits in East Hampton run through the Town of East Hampton Town Clerk (special events) and Fire Marshal (tents) for Springs, Northwest Woods and the rest of the town; the Village of East Hampton Clerk’s Office inside the village; the Town Trustees for the beaches; the caterer we put you in touch with has worked with them before, and this page says when a permit is likely to apply.
How it works
Tell us about the event once. One insured, permitted caterer who works East Hampton and handles dinner parties regularly contacts you within 1 business day. Free for hosts, no spam calls.
FAQ
Dinner parties questions
Plated, family-style, buffet or stations: which is right for a Hamptons event?
Plated is the most staff (one server per 10–12 guests, one chef per 40 covers) and the most control, at $70–150 a person nationally; buffet is the least staff (one server per 20–25, one chef per 50) at $40–90; stations run $35–65 at the budget end and $175–350+ for chef-driven live stations, and cost more in chefs than servers; family-style sits between plated and buffet and its national pricing is genuinely inconsistent across sources. In the Hamptons all four land inside the $150–400+ local range for a wedding. The private house decides more than the budget does: a plated dinner for 150 needs a finishing kitchen and a tent for it; a buffet needs the space for the line; stations need the power.
How far in advance should I book a Hamptons caterer?
For a summer wedding, 9–12 months for the caterer and 18–24 months for a Saturday at a venue that hosts weddings; the average American engagement is 15 months, and the Hamptons calendar is shorter than that. For a corporate gala or conference, 6–12 months; a retreat, client dinner or holiday party, 4–6 months; 50–100 guests, 4–8 weeks. For a dinner party under twenty, two to three weeks, with 48–72 hours possible for a simple menu and three to four weeks in December or for a Friday. Off-season weddings (January to March) want six months rather than a year. A third of all catering orders nationally land in the fourth quarter, so a December party is a September booking.
Read the full answer →How does Sagaponack Catering Co. work?
You tell us about the event once: what it is, when, roughly how many, where in the Hamptons, and the style if you have a preference. We put you in touch with one caterer who does that kind of event at that size in that town, insured and cooking from a permitted kitchen, and they call you within one business day. From there it is their tasting, their proposal, their contract and their staff. It is free for hosts; participating caterers pay us a referral fee for the introduction. We are not a caterer and we do not sell your details; the one company we send you to is the only one that gets your number. We cover 9 South Fork towns and 6 kinds of events.
Services
More in East Hampton
Wedding Catering in East Hampton
Hamptons wedding catering from $150 to $400+ a head, the fee and tax lines that follow, the staffing behind a plated dinner for 150, and the 18-to-24-month calendar for a summer Saturday.
Rehearsal Dinners & Welcome Parties in East Hampton
The Friday of a Hamptons wedding weekend: a seated dinner for 30 at the house, a clambake for 80 or a welcome party for the whole list. Formats, 2026 costs, minimums and the traffic that decides the start time.
Cocktail Parties & Receptions in East Hampton
Passed hors d’oeuvres at $3–7 a piece, a cocktail hour at about $25 a guest, a full standing reception at $110–130 before drinks, the bar packages, and the staff a party of 80 on a lawn actually needs.
Corporate & Foundation Events in East Hampton
New York City pricing applies out east: $65–275 a person across formats, lunches at $35–75, gala dinners at $95–275, receptions at $110–130 plus the bar. Lead times, the summer calendar, the permits.
Holiday & Off-Season Parties in East Hampton
The other eight months: Thanksgiving, December parties, New Year’s Eve, Presidents’ Day and spring. Why winter is easy to book and hard to staff, the lead times, and the menu when the farm stands are closed.
Book a caterer in East Hampton
Ninety seconds: the event, the date, the headcount, the town. One insured, permitted Hamptons caterer who does this kind of event calls you within one business day. Free for hosts; nobody else gets your number.
We use what you send us only to put you in touch with the right caterer. Never sold, never used for marketing. Privacy policy.