How much coffee for 50, 100 or 200 guests in Dubai?
For a two-hour gathering, our planning rule of thumb is two hot drinks per guest: about 100 cups for 50 guests, 200 for 100 and 400 for 200. A 1L flask pours about 6 cups, so that is 17, 34 or 67 flasks from AED 40 each, or a barista cart (about 100 guests for a half day, about 200 for a full day) from AED 3,000. Every figure here uses ROAST's published prices, ex 5% VAT.
Prices as published on this site on 13 October 2026, ex 5% VAT.
The short version
- 50 guests: about 100 cups, so 17 karak flasks (AED 680) or 10 trays (AED 2,500).
- 100 guests: about 200 cups, so 34 karak flasks (AED 1,360), or a half-day cart at AED 3,000 if guests want espresso drinks.
- 200 guests: about 400 cups, so 67 karak flasks (AED 2,680), or a full-day cart at AED 4,500.
- Not included: delivery on flasks and trays, and 5% VAT.
Our planning rule of thumb
ROAST does not publish a consumption figure, so this one is ours: plan one hot drink per guest per hour for the first two hours, then half a cup per guest for each extra hour, and round up. A seated workshop, a standing reception and an exhibition stand all drink differently, so treat it as a starting point, not a promise. The pack sizes and prices below are different: those are published.
Flask and tray maths
Divide the cups you need by 6 for 1L flasks, or by 10 for trays, and round up.
| Format | Published pack | From (ex VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Karak chai flask, 1L | About 6 cups | AED 40 |
| Saffron chai flask, 1L | About 6 cups | AED 44 |
| Arabic gahwa flask with dates | Cup count not published | AED 55 |
| Specialty filter-coffee flask, 1L | About 6 cups | AED 65 |
| Karak tray | 10 cups (samosa pav bundles extra) | AED 250 |
| Live karak and gahwa station | Sized on your quote | AED 900 a day |
On those prices a karak flask works out at about AED 6.67 a cup (40 ÷ 6) and a tray at AED 25 a cup (250 ÷ 10). Flasks are the cheaper way to cover a crowd; trays are tidy 10-cup units that are easy to count.
Worked examples: 50, 100 and 200 guests
Each example assumes a two-hour gathering at two cups a guest, our rule of thumb. Prices are the published “from” prices, ex 5% VAT, before delivery.
| Guests | Cups (2 each) | Flasks (cups ÷ 6, rounded up) | Trays (cups ÷ 10) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 100 | 17 | 10 |
| 100 | 200 | 34 | 20 |
| 200 | 400 | 67 | 40 |
| Guests | Karak flasks | Filter-coffee flasks | Karak trays | Cart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 17 x 40 = AED 680 | 17 x 65 = AED 1,105 | 10 x 250 = AED 2,500 | Half-day AED 3,000 |
| 100 | 34 x 40 = AED 1,360 | 34 x 65 = AED 2,210 | 20 x 250 = AED 5,000 | Half-day AED 3,000 |
| 200 | 67 x 40 = AED 2,680 | 67 x 65 = AED 4,355 | 40 x 250 = AED 10,000 | Full-day AED 4,500 |
Per-head meeting packages are the other published route: Coffee Break from AED 45 a head, Working Breakfast AED 55 and Full Meeting Day AED 95, minimum 8 people. A Coffee Break for 50, 100 and 200 guests is 45 x 50 = AED 2,250, 45 x 100 = AED 4,500 and 45 x 200 = AED 9,000. Run your own numbers in the cost-per-head estimator.
Delivery is extra on flasks and trays. The published terms in Dubai are AED 250 minimum per delivery, free delivery above AED 500, flat AED 40 below that.
When a cart beats flasks
On paper, karak flasks win on price: at 100 guests, 34 flasks are AED 1,360 against AED 3,000 for the half-day cart. A cart wins when:
- Guests want espresso drinks. The cart runs an unlimited espresso menu with all milks and consumables inside the package price. Flasks pour karak, saffron chai, gahwa or filter coffee.
- The flask count gets unwieldy. 67 one-litre flasks for 200 guests is a lot to place and top up. The full-day cart (2 baristas, up to 8 hours, about 200 guests) is AED 4,500.
- The coffee is part of the occasion. Launches, client days and conferences suit a staffed bar.
- The event runs long. The half-day cart covers up to 4 hours with 1 barista; an extra hour is AED 400.
ROAST publishes no cup count for a cart, because it is priced per package, not per cup. Dividing by our rule of thumb gives AED 15 a cup for the half-day cart at 100 guests (3,000 ÷ 200) and AED 11.25 for the full-day cart at 200 guests (4,500 ÷ 400), against about AED 6.67 for a karak flask. That is arithmetic, not a capacity promise. For add-ons and your own total, use the cart cost estimator; for the side-by-side, read cart or station.
For 200 guests who want espresso and karak, the Signature Bar at AED 4,500 plus the staffed karak and gahwa station at AED 900 is AED 5,400. The Coffee + Karak Experience at AED 5,900 adds Cha Cha Chai street food.
Ordering and notice
Trays and flasks carry no contract and can often be delivered same-day to nearby Dubai offices when ordered in the morning. Coffee carts and live stations need from 5 working days' notice for private and corporate events, and a 50% deposit confirms the date. Purchase orders are accepted and every order comes with a VAT tax invoice with TRN. Send the date, address, headcount and hours and we reply within one working day (Monday to Friday).
Common questions
How many cups of coffee should I plan per guest?
Our planning rule of thumb is one hot drink per guest per hour for the first two hours, then half a cup per guest for each extra hour, rounded up. For a two-hour gathering that is 2 cups: 100 cups for 50 guests, 200 for 100 and 400 for 200.
Our rule of thumbHow many flasks do I need for 50, 100 or 200 guests?
A 1L flask pours about 6 cups. At two cups a guest that is 17 flasks for 50 guests, 34 for 100 and 67 for 200. Karak flasks from AED 40 come to AED 680, AED 1,360 and AED 2,680 ex VAT, before delivery.
Karak trays and flasksHow many karak trays do I need?
A tray is 10 cups, from AED 250. At two cups a guest that is 10 trays for 50 guests (AED 2,500), 20 for 100 (AED 5,000) and 40 for 200 (AED 10,000), ex VAT.
See the worked examplesWhen is a coffee cart better than flasks?
When guests want made-to-order espresso drinks, or the flask count gets unwieldy. A half-day cart (about 100 guests) is from AED 3,000 and a full-day cart (about 200 guests) from AED 4,500, with all milks and consumables included.
Estimate a cartDo the totals include delivery and VAT?
No. All figures are ex 5% VAT, and flask and tray totals exclude delivery: AED 250 minimum per delivery, free delivery above AED 500, flat AED 40 below that. Cart packages include delivery, setup and teardown in Dubai.
Ordering and noticeHow far ahead should I book?
Coffee carts and live stations need from 5 working days' notice for private and corporate events, with a 50% deposit to confirm the date. Trays and flasks can often be delivered same-day to nearby Dubai offices if ordered in the morning.
How an order worksKeep planning
Sources on this site: Karak trays and flasks · Coffee cart hire · Cart cost · Cost per head · Corporate FAQ.
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- Licensed halal UAE F&B operator
- VAT tax invoice with TRN
- ROAST since 2018 · Cha Cha Chai since 2013
- Dubai-based