Town of East Hampton
Private Dinner Parties in Montauk, NY
A private chef for a dinner party in Montauk 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 Montauk; 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 Montauk house is the event most people here actually give: twelve on the porch in August, twenty for a birthday, eight in February. We put Montauk hosts in touch with one chef or caterer who does that size well, and we publish the 2026 packages.
Dinner parties in Montauk: what's different here
Resorts on the ocean that host the weddings, Gurney’s and the Montauk Yacht Club among them, mid-century houses on Ditch Plains and the hills that seat twenty, and the lighthouse and Camp Hero at the end of the road, where a state park permit stands in for a town one.
On the ocean side of Montauk dinner is outside if the wind allows, and the July average of 8–9 mph on land is the gentle half of the year; a chef who cooks the beachfront in Montauk plans a course that can move indoors between the fish and the dessert.
July 4 fireworks launch from a barge off Montauk Inlet at about 9 p.m.; Ditch Plains parking is for residents and the standard non-resident permit is not sold there; Montauk is about 120 miles from Midtown, and the Cannonball reaches it in 2 hours 41 minutes on a summer Friday. Montauk is a hamlet of the Town of East Hampton with 4,318 people at the 2020 Census and 60% of its housing counted vacant, a fishing port that claims more saltwater records than any other, and a tourist destination first, which is why most of its weddings are at resorts rather than houses.
Event and tent permits in Montauk run through the Town of East Hampton Town Clerk (special events) and Fire Marshal (tents); 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 Montauk 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 Montauk
Wedding Catering in Montauk
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 Montauk
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 Montauk
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 Montauk
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 Montauk
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 Montauk
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.