Most people planning a party for twenty, thirty or forty want one number before they pick up the phone. I host at home every December, help run church potlucks and keep the books part time for a family business, so I add things up before I trust a menu. This guide does the adding.
Rx Catering NWA cooks Christmas dinners in its Fayetteville kitchen at $18.95 per person, with a 10-person minimum. Jay Ramsey founded Rx Catering in 2001, and AY Magazine listed the business as a "Best Caterer" finalist in 2024. Below, three party sizes are built from the holiday menu, with every line of arithmetic shown.
How much do Christmas catering packages cost in Fayetteville, AR?
A Christmas dinner from Rx Catering NWA costs $18.95 per person with a 10-person minimum, so a dinner for 20 is $379.00 for the food. Lunches, finger foods and trays are priced per person, per dozen or per tray. You combine them into the package your party needs. The three builds below run from $12.65 to $23.55 a guest.
Every price here comes from the holiday menu behind Rx Catering NWA's Christmas catering packages and party food. The page uses the word package for the holiday dinner: "Each holiday dinner is a package priced per person, with a 10-person minimum. You pick the meat, then one holiday vegetable, one holiday side, a bread, and a salad." The meats are glazed, spiral cut Holiday Ham, Smoked Turkey with dressing, gravy and cranberry sauce, Beef Brisket and Pork Tenderloin. All four cost the same.
How do you build a Christmas dinner for 20?
Start with 20 holiday dinners at $18.95 each, which comes to $379.00, then add only the extras you want. The glazed Holiday Ham is the classic. Here is one way to finish the table.
- 20 Holiday Ham dinners: 20 × $18.95 = $379.00
- Sweet Potato Casserole as an extra side: 20 × $3.50 = $70.00
- Two gallons of sweet tea: 2 × $11.00 = $22.00
- Total: $379.00 + $70.00 + $22.00 = $471.00, or $23.55 a guest
A gallon pours about 16 eight-ounce cups, so two gallons gives 20 guests 1.6 cups each. Want dessert? Three dozen Brownie Bites add 3 × $24.99 = $74.97 and bring the total to $545.97.
At events, chafing dishes are set up on site. Hot catered meals come with plates, napkins, cutlery and serving utensils, so nothing needs washing afterward. The page puts the appeal plainly: "Christmas dinner catering lets the host sit down at the family celebration instead of standing at the stove." If half your table wants ham and half wants turkey, ask. The page says Rx will customize any of it.
How do you build an office or clinic Christmas lunch for 30?
Order 30 Box Lunches at $13.49 each, which is $404.70, then add a sweet and drinks. This build suits a pharmaceutical rep feeding a hospital unit or an office manager with a team to fill. Rx Catering NWA names the Walmart Home Office in Bentonville, Tyson Foods in Springdale, J.B. Hunt in Lowell, Mercy Hospital in Rogers and the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville as inside its delivery area. So are the supplier offices, clinics and banks around them.
- 30 Box Lunches: 30 × $13.49 = $404.70
- Three dozen Brownie Bites: 3 × $24.99 = $74.97
- Three gallons of tea, two sweet and one unsweet: (2 × $11.00) + $10.00 = $32.00
- Total: $404.70 + $74.97 + $32.00 = $511.67, or $17.06 a guest
Three gallons is 48 cups, which is 1.6 per person again. Hot office lunches arrive in insulated carriers, ready to serve. Ask what goes in a Box Lunch and how choices work for a mixed group. If your headcount spans shifts, say so on the call.
A sit-down holiday lunch is the other route. The page says it "works well with the $18.95 dinners." Thirty dinners are 30 × $18.95 = $568.50, which is $163.80 more than the Box Lunches alone.
What does a finger-food party for 40 cost?
A finger-food party for 40 comes to $505.88 when you order three hot items by the dozen and three trays. The page describes the party menu as food that "holds up on a table for a few hours while guests come and go." Its finger foods are "sold by the dozen, with a 3-dozen minimum order," so each hot item below is three dozen.
- Meatballs, Sweet & Sour or Spicy BBQ: 3 × $24.99 = $74.97
- Tortilla Pinwheels: 3 × $20.99 = $62.97
- Bacon & Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms: 3 × $33.99 = $101.97
- Vegetable Tray with Buttermilk Ranch: $82.99
- Cheese & Cracker Tray: $99.99
- Fresh Fruit Platter with dip: $82.99
- Total: $74.97 + $62.97 + $101.97 + $82.99 + $99.99 + $82.99 = $505.88, or $12.65 a guest
That is 108 hot pieces for 40 guests, or 2.7 each, before the trays. Ask how many guests each tray serves before you count on it for 40.
If the party runs through dinner, add Chicken Strips at $8.49 per person: 40 × $8.49 = $339.60, for a total of $845.48. Forty holiday dinners are 40 × $18.95 = $758.00, which is $87.48 less. At that point, the dinner is the better buy.
How do the three Christmas packages compare?
The finger-food party is the cheapest per guest at $12.65, and the dinner for 20 is the most at $23.55.
| Package | Guests | What it holds | Total | Per guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinner for 20 | 20 | Holiday Ham dinners, extra side, sweet tea | $471.00 | $23.55 |
| Lunch for 30 | 30 | Box Lunches, Brownie Bites, tea | $511.67 | $17.06 |
| Finger-food party for 40 | 40 | Three hot items, three trays | $505.88 | $12.65 |
Choose the dinner when guests expect a sit-down meal. Choose the Box Lunch build when people eat at their desks or between appointments. Choose the finger-food build when guests drift in and out, as at an open house.
How far ahead should you book Christmas catering in Northwest Arkansas?
Rx Catering NWA asks for 24 hours' notice on orders, but December fills up, so booking earlier is wiser. The page suggests booking early for a Friday lunch or a Saturday party in the weeks before Christmas. Have your headcount, the date, the delivery address and any allergies ready when you call.
Drivers deliver to Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville and the towns around them, plus Fort Smith, Van Buren and Harrison. The order goes to your office, home, church hall or venue. Gluten-free hot entrées are marked GF on the printed menu, and vegetarian dishes like Veggie Lasagna and Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms are on the regular menu.
Rx Catering NWA is at 121 West Township Street, Fayetteville, AR 72703. Call (479) 502-9879 Monday through Friday from 6:30 AM to 5 PM or Saturday from 7 AM to 3 PM, or find it on the Rx Catering NWA Google listing. The totals above are menu prices for the food. For your date, your address and anything this guide does not cover, call and ask.
Christmas catering package questions
What is the smallest Christmas dinner order?
Ten people. The holiday dinner has a 10-person minimum, so the smallest order is 10 × $18.95 = $189.50 for the food.
Can I change what is in a package?
Yes, ask. The page says Rx will customize any of it, and that if you do not see something listed, you should just ask.
Can every dish on the menu be delivered?
Yes. Every dish shown on rxcatering.net can be ordered and delivered, from the holiday dinners to the party trays.