Charter catering splits into two tiers: standard provisioning, which comes with the aircraft, and ordered catering, which is prepared to your request and billed through. Standard provisioning on most jets means a stocked galley — soft drinks, water, coffee, ice, snacks, often beer and a modest spirits selection — included in the price. Ordered catering is anything beyond that: breakfast spreads, plated meals, sushi platters, a specific wine, a birthday cake, and it is arranged by the operator through FBO-affiliated caterers and invoiced at cost plus handling.
The costs are higher than restaurant intuition suggests, because aviation caterers price for delivery to a ramp, packaging that survives handling, and small-batch preparation. Typical per-person figures: continental breakfast $25–60, sandwich or salad platters $40–80, full hot meals $75–200, premium orders (sushi-grade fish, prime steaks, kosher or other certified preparation) $150–300+. Add delivery and handling of $50–150 per stop. A full dinner service for six on a heavy jet can reach $1,500–2,500 without extravagance. On light jets the sums are smaller but so is the galley — many light and very light jets have no oven, so "hot meal" is not an option regardless of budget, and the practical ceiling is excellent cold food.
What to expect by class: turboprops and light jets carry standard provisioning and cold ordered items; midsize and super-midsize cabins usually add an oven or microwave and can serve genuinely hot meals; heavy and ultra-long-range jets have full galleys, and long-haul flights typically include a cabin attendant who plates and serves. Bizliners operate at another level entirely — full galleys, sometimes a chef. Operators differ on what "included" means at the top end: many heavy-jet operators fold reasonable catering into the quote for long legs, while others itemize everything, so ask rather than assume.
Practical notes that save money and disappointment. Order 24–48 hours ahead — same-day catering at smaller airports may be limited to whatever the FBO's café can plate, and remote or Sunday departures can have no catering availability at all. You can generally bring your own food and drink aboard with no corkage-style penalty, which for a two-hour flight is often the smartest play. Dietary requirements are routine to handle with notice and hard without. And on aircraft listings in the Yond catalog, galley equipment appears in the amenities — worth a glance before promising anyone a hot breakfast at 41,000 feet.
