1 Meat Package
$16.99per person
Includes:
- 1 meat for each guest, or your guests can choose between 2 meat options
- 2 side dishes
Example: Choose Beef Tri-Tip ONLY, or let your guests choose between Beef Tri-Tip (OR) Grilled Chicken.
Serving All Of San Diego County, California
Wood-Fired Catering Menu
View all pricing & request a Detailed Quote below
Qfire is San Diego County's premium caterer for the #1 wood-fired menu for: weddings, corporate and private parties — Led by Chef Terry Matthews a Food Network veteran!
4.9 average · 400+ reviews across multiple review platforms · Quote within 4 business hours
Trusted. Awarded. Proven.
Featured on Food Network
BBQ Brawl · Bobby Flay
Cutthroat Kitchen Champion
Camp Cutthroat finalist
2,500+ Events Catered
Weddings · Corporate · Private
4.9★ Client Rated
400+ reviews across multiple review platforms
San Diego Wood-Fired Pricing
San Diego BBQ catering, per guest.
2 Meat Package
$22.99per person
Includes:
- 2 meats for each guest, (OR) 1 meat for everyone plus a choice between 2 additional meats
- 3 side dishes
Example: Everyone gets Brisket, then each guest chooses either Pulled Pork (OR) Chicken.
Premium Package
$34.99per person
Includes everything in the 2 Meat Package, plus:
- Any salad option
- 2 appetizers
This is our most popular package for weddings, corporate events, and larger celebrations.
San Diego Service Options
Food Services We Offer
The prices above are for the food. Then you pick how you want it handled. Here is what each choice costs.
- You pick it up
You come get the food from us. Nothing extra to pay.
Free - We drop it off
We bring the hot food to you. You serve it yourself.
$25 – $50 - We serve a buffet
We set up the buffet, keep it full, serve your guests, and clean it up.
Add 25% - We serve family style
We bring big platters right to each table so guests pass the food around.
Add 35% - We plate every dinner
Each guest gets their own plate made in the kitchen and brought to their seat.
Add 45%
The percent is added to your food total. Your final price also adds state tax and an only 10% gratuity.
Step 1
Choose Your Meat(s)
Additional meat $5.99
Tap the picture to select your meat. (GF)
Step 1B
Premium Meat Options
Additional meat $5.99 + premium charge
Tap the picture to select your premium meat. Upcharges are per guest. (GF)
Meat Substitutes
Vegetarian & Vegan Options
$6.99 per selection (VG, V, GF). Orders of 10 servings minimum.
Step 2
Choose Your Sides
Tap the picture to select your sides.
Step 2B
Premium Sides
Tap the picture to select. Upcharges are per guest.
Add Bread
Butter Bread Rolls
Would you like to add butter bread rolls for $1.99 per guest?
Add-Ons
Appetizers
$3.99 per selection unless noted.
Add-Ons
Desserts
$3.99 per selection.
Add-Ons
Drinks
$1.99 per selection.
Your San Diego County Selections
Review your picks & request your quote
Scroll up and tap any dish to add it to your selections. You can still submit without picks if you'd like us to walk you through the menu on a call.
BBQ Catering Planning Guide
How to Plan BBQ Catering in San Diego County
BBQ catering in San Diego County is a permit-and-weather exercise as much as a cooking one. Coastal venues, marine layer and fire-season rules shape the plan, and the guide below is how we build a county event.
Chef-Attended Buffet
Our most-booked format for BBQ catering. Meats are sliced to order on the line, sides stay hot in covered holding, and guests move through quickly without the food sitting out.
Family Style
Platters of brisket, tri-tip, chicken or pork land on each table with the sides beside them. It keeps the table social and the pacing relaxed, and it plates well for photographs.
Plated Service
Individual portions are composed in the kitchen and served by staff. The right choice when the reception runs on a tight timeline or the room is formal enough that a buffet line would break the mood.
How Much To Order
Portions and staffing by guest count
20–50 guests
One or two meats plus two sides is usually plenty. Expect roughly a half pound of cooked meat per adult. A single chef-attended line serves this group in about 20 minutes.
50–120 guests
Two meats and three sides gives guests a real choice without slowing the line. Plan on two service staff plus the chef, and a double-sided buffet if the room allows it.
120–250 guests
Three meats and three to four sides, served from a double line so nobody waits more than 15 minutes. Staffing typically runs one server per 35–40 guests.
250+ guests
Multiple wood-fired rigs, staged cook times and two or more buffet stations. At this size the timeline matters more than the menu — we build the cook schedule backward from the dinner hour.
Booking Timeline
When to lock each decision
6–12 months out
Peak-season Saturdays — especially weddings — get claimed early. Lock the date first; the menu can be finalized much later.
2–3 months out
Choose your meats, sides and service style, and confirm the venue's live-fire and load-in requirements. This is the right window for a tasting.
30 days out
Certificates of insurance go to the venue, the rental and staffing plan is confirmed, and dietary needs are added to the kitchen sheet.
15 days out
Final guest count and timeline lock. Changes before this point cost nothing — after it, we cook to the confirmed number.
Choosing Your Meats
Which menu fits your crowd
For the crowd-pleasing table
Wood-fired brisket and pulled pork are the safest pair on any menu. Between them, almost every guest finds something familiar, and both hold beautifully through a long service window.
For a more upscale menu
Tri-tip and Wood-Fired Prime Rib read as steakhouse rather than backyard. Both slice to order on the line, which is part of the show.
For mixed and lighter eaters
Mesquite-grilled chicken and cedar-plank salmon give guests a lighter entrée without breaking from the live-fire menu, and they cover most pescatarian requests.
For dietary restrictions
Most of our sides are naturally vegetarian, and we prepare gluten-free and vegan plates on request when they're flagged before the 15-day count lock.
San Diego Logistics
What changes in San Diego County
Coastal permits and venue rules
Del Mar, La Jolla, Encinitas and Coronado each handle beach-and-bluff catering differently. We pull the permits, carry the COI language venues ask for, and stage the grills to fire-marshal setbacks so your planner isn't chasing paperwork.
Marine layer, wind and fire season
June gloom, evening fog and Santa Ana wind days each call for a different cook plan. Our rigs hold sear temperature under tents and in coastal wind, and backup covered grills roll on every job.
A staffed local kitchen
Our staffed San Diego kitchen at 9932 Mesa Rim Rd A supports events across the county — prep, staging and load-in all start locally rather than arriving from out of state.
Events we cook for most
San Diego weddings
One of the few BBQ operations in the county set up for coastal permits and beach or bluff service, from Del Mar bluffs to Coronado waterfront homes.
Corporate and team events
Campus lunches, client events and company celebrations across Sorrento Valley, downtown and North County, cooked on site.
Private parties
Backyard and estate gatherings where the whole point is that the food was cooked in front of everyone, not trucked in finished.
Serving San Diego County
Find BBQ catering near your event.
Explore local planning details for the communities we serve, or compare the full catering options available across San Diego County.
Cities We Cater
San Diego County BBQ catering — every city.
We cater weddings, corporate events and private parties across all of San Diego County.
Why San Diego Books Qfire
Chef-led, wood-fired, and built for San Diego venues.
Qfire is chef-led by Terry Matthews, a Food Network veteran (BBQ Brawl with Bobby Flay, Cutthroat Kitchen champion), and we cater from full mobile wood-fired kitchens purpose-built for San Diego events.
Our San Diego BBQ menu spans wood-fired brisket, tri-tip, cedar-plank salmon, mesquite chicken and pulled pork, alongside the full Steakhouse Experience for premium receptions. Every event is executed by chef-attended staff — no drop-off, no chafing-dish shortcuts.
We know the region's venues cold: The Crossings, Estancia La Jolla, Cape Rey, Lot 8, The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, Rancho Bernardo Inn, private Del Mar bluff estates and Coronado waterfront homes.
Coastal-permit ready. Del Mar, La Jolla, Encinitas and Coronado each have their own beach-and-bluff catering rules. We pull permits, carry the COI language every venue asks for, and stage grills to comply with fire-marshal setbacks. Your planner will not need to babysit us.
Weather-adaptive. San Diego's marine layer, June gloom and Santa Ana wind days each require a different cook plan. Our wood-fired rigs run under tents, in wind and through coastal fog without losing sear temperature. Backup covered mobile grills roll on every job.
Venue knowledge that saves you calls. We know the county's venues cold and handle coastal permits, tight load-in windows and generator-only power setups without a callback — from North County estates to downtown and the Coronado waterfront.
Real 4.9★ track record. 400+ reviews across multiple review platforms. See them on our reviews page — every one is real, none are curated.
The Chef Behind The Fire
Chef Terry Matthews.Food Network champion. Your event's chef.
The same live-fire instincts tested on national television guide every brisket, rib, steak, and flame-kissed side served at your event.
Chef Terry is a Cutthroat Kitchen winner, Camp Cutthroat winner, and BBQ Brawl competitor with Bobby Flay. He has catered professionally since 2011 and led more than 2,500 events.
Food Network Two wins 2,500+ events Live-fire expert
4.9★ Client Rated
What our clients say
4.9 / 5 · 400+ reviews across multiple review platforms
"Terry and his crew helped to make our special day magical. We did a food tasting a few weeks prior to the ceremony, and we were instantly sold! The food portions were more than plentiful!! There was enough food left over from the food tasting to share with our friends. On the day of the ceremony, his staff arrived on time, and they were so professional and friendly. The food was amazing, we heard about it from our guests all night long."
Tene
Wedding · 8/20/2025
"These guys were absolute rock stars at our wedding! We had to reschedule our wedding due to COVID-19, and they were so compassionate and easy to work with when making plans to change. The day of, they showed up early, set up, and provided a meal that was better than we could have imagined. The baked potato bar was so impressive! They were such professionals. By the time my husband and I picked our heads up from grace, Terry was sliding our plates in front of us. The pulled chicken was so flavorful and juicy, and the brisket was a crowd favorite!"
Brittany D.
Wedding · 7/23/2020
"Terry's BBQ is a crowd pleaser and the way to go! All of our wedding guests are still talking about the BBQ from the wedding and how to get it! Not to mention, Terry's provides a great personal presence and energy to events. People said he could have easily been the MC! Terry was so fun and flexible to work with. He truly cares about how to make the guests happy and holds his employees to high standards that he plans ahead to fulfill. We hope to have his bbq every year on our anniversary, it is so dang delicious!"
Mindy T.
Wedding · 11/15/2021
"We had BBQ Daddy for an 85 person wedding shower that was a nice event. Terry BBQ'd tenderloin, rib eye steaks, and salmon along with 2 cold and 2 hot appys (the bacon wrapped scallops were to die for). It was really a great event. The food was awesome and so was the staff. Terry was SUPER easy to deal with and had great communication throughout."
Nanette B.
Wedding Shower · 85 guests · 8/30/2023
"Best 50th Birthday Dinner EVER! HUGE shoutout to Chef Terry and his amazing assistant, Leslie! We hired them to cater my 50th birthday, and they literally brought the steakhouse to my backyard. Seriously, he brought his own grill! When Chef Terry says, 'We bring the steakhouse to you,' you better believe him. Every New York Strip, chicken, and salmon was grilled perfectly to temperature. What a FEAST!"
Tangy Robinson
50th Birthday · 1/20/2026
"Terry cooked up a feast for my bachelor party and delivered it right to our backyard of the Airbnb. Food was amazing!!! We got the brisket, the BBQ chicken, mac n cheese, broccoli, and baked beans. The brisket was cooked perfectly and was more fatty pieces (which is great for me cuz that's my preference)."
Michael C.
Bachelor Party · 5/25/2022
Frequently Asked
San Diego BBQ catering — FAQ
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