Disposable Bowls for Catering: Serving vs Lidded Bowls
For catering and events, choose disposable bowls by where the food is eaten. Open serving bowls such as a palm square bowl or a small bamboo bowl suit buffets and grazing tables, while noodle boxes, or bowls fitted with clear PLA, PP or CPLA lids, suit food that has to travel to the venue first.
Key takeaways
- Open bowls are for the service line: guests take them from the table and eat straight away.
- Lidded bowls and noodle boxes are for transport: food packed in your kitchen and carried to the venue.
- Plan bowl numbers from your own guest count, the number of bowl-served dishes and how many servings each guest is likely to take, then round up to whole cartons.
- Every product is sold by the carton, and each product page shows the carton price and the price per item.
- There is no minimum order, so you can order one carton of a serving bowl alongside cartons of lids.
Should I use open bowls or lidded bowls for an event?
Use open bowls where guests serve themselves and eat on site, and lidded bowls or boxes where food is portioned ahead and moved by car or van. Many caterers need both: lidded containers to get the food there, and open bowls on the table once it arrives.
Open bowls work best for buffets, grazing tables, canapé stations and dessert bars, where guests fill a bowl and move on. Lidded bowls suit drop-off catering, boxed lunches and any job where portions are packed before service and covered on the way.
Which open serving bowls suit buffets and grazing tables?
For a natural look on a buffet or grazing table, the Palm Square Bowl 7" is made from palm leaves, measures 180x35mm and costs $49.87 per carton, or $0.50 each. For tasting portions, desserts and sides, the 4oz bamboo bowl is made from Bamboo Fibre + PLA Coated, at $103.95 per carton, or $0.10 each.
The palm square bowl comes in a carton of 100 in a Natural colour, practical for one-off events where you do not want to store a large carton afterwards. The 4oz bamboo bowl is Brown and comes in a carton of 1000, so it fits venues that run regular functions, and it can be custom printed with your logo.
Which lidded bowls and boxes travel best to the venue?
For noodles, rice and stir-fries packed in your kitchen, noodle boxes are the simplest choice: the 8oz noodle box is $156.73 per carton ($0.16 each) and the 32oz noodle box is $185.23 per carton ($0.37 each). Both are Brown and made from Paper + PLA Coated.
If you already pack salads or grain bowls in salad bowls, add a clear lid so guests can see what is inside. The clear PLA lid for 16oz–32oz salad bowls is $102.58 per carton ($0.34 each), and the clear PLA lid for the 42oz salad bowl is $119.68 per carton ($0.40 each).
For sides packed in 12oz or 16oz tubs, the white PP lid for 12oz and 16oz tubs is $69.81 per carton ($0.14 each). These lids are sold separately from the bowls and tubs they fit, so order both.
Here is how the open bowls, noodle boxes and lids compare (prices include GST):
| Product | Size / material | Carton qty | Carton price | Price per item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Square Bowl 7" | 180x35mm, Palm Leaves | 100 | $49.87 | $0.50 |
| PLA Coated Bamboo Bowl 4oz | 4oz, Bamboo Fibre + PLA Coated | 1000 | $103.95 | $0.10 |
| PLA Coated Noodle Box 8oz | 8oz, Paper + PLA Coated | 1000 | $156.73 | $0.16 |
| PLA Coated Noodle Box 32oz | 32oz, Paper + PLA Coated | 500 | $185.23 | $0.37 |
| Clear PLA Lid for Salad Bowl 16oz–32oz | 16oz, PLA | 300 | $102.58 | $0.34 |
| Clear PLA Lid for Salad Bowl 42oz | 42oz, PLA | 300 | $119.68 | $0.40 |
| PP Lid for 12oz & 16oz Tubs | 12oz, PP | 500 | $69.81 | $0.14 |
How many disposable bowls do I need for my guest count?
Work it out from your own event details rather than a rule of thumb: multiply your confirmed guest count by the number of dishes served in a bowl, then by how many times you expect each guest to go back. Add a spare allowance for dropped bowls, staff meals and late arrivals, then divide by the carton quantity and round up to whole cartons.
A simple way to plan it:
1. Start with confirmed guests. Use the final RSVP number, not the invitation list.
2. List the bowl-served dishes. Count each station or course that uses a bowl, and separate open bowls on the table from lidded containers packed in the kitchen.
3. Estimate return trips. Grazing tables and dessert bars usually see guests come back, so allow more than one bowl per guest for those stations. Plated or boxed portions need one container per serve.
4. Match lids to bowls. For every lidded portion you need one bowl or tub and one lid, so the lid count follows the container count.
5. Round up to cartons. Divide each total by the carton quantity shown on the product page, then round up. Unopened full cartons can be returned within 14 days of delivery if you over-order, with the customer paying return freight.
Keep a note of what was actually used after each event to guide the next quote.
Which one should I buy?
- Grazing tables and buffet lines: Takeaway Container – Palm Square Bowl 7" (Carton of 100).
- Canapé stations, desserts and tasting portions: 4oz PLA Takeaway Container – Coated Bowl (Carton of 1000).
- Noodles, rice and small sides for drop-off catering: the 8oz PLA Takeaway Container – Coated Noodle Box (Carton of 1000).
- Main-meal portions and boxed lunches: the 32oz PLA Takeaway Container – Coated Noodle Box (Carton of 500).
- Salads and grain bowls transported to the venue: the 16oz PLA Takeaway Container – Clear Lid for Salad Bowl 16oz–32oz (Carton of 300) or the 42oz PLA Takeaway Container – Clear Lid for Salad Bowl (Carton of 300), matched to your salad bowl size.
- Sides packed in 12oz or 16oz tubs: the 12oz Takeaway Container – PP Lid for 16oz Tubs (Carton of 500).
For the full range, browse takeaway containers. For regular catering stock, see buying takeaway containers in bulk; for plastic options, see plastic disposable bowls.
There is no minimum order, so you can mix a single carton of serving bowls with cartons of lids. Delivery is $35 flat to metro areas, free on orders over $750, and $75 flat to regional areas, free over $1,000. Delivery takes 3–5 business days to capital cities and 4–6 business days regional, so order well before the event date. All orders are prepaid online and prices include GST. Unopened full cartons can be returned within 14 days of delivery (customer pays return freight), and damaged or faulty items are replaced or refunded free. When you know your carton counts, use quick order to place them in one go.
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No minimum order · free delivery over $750 (metro) / $1000 (regional) · 14-day returns · Delivery details
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