The four ways halls price
| Model | How it works | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Rental fee | A flat price for the room for a block of hours. Food, bar and décor are separate | Families with their own caterer or cooks |
| Per person | A price per guest that includes the room, food and set services | Comparing all-inclusive packages |
| Food and beverage minimum | No room fee, but you must spend at least a set amount on food and drinks | Large guest counts that easily reach the minimum |
| Hybrid | A smaller room fee plus a per-person menu | Most banquet halls, in practice |
What moves the price
- Day and time. Saturday evenings cost the most. Fridays, Sundays, weekdays and daytime events usually cost less.
- Season. Spring through fall weekends and December book first and price highest.
- Guest count. Per-person costs scale directly. Rental fees don't, so a full room lowers the cost per guest.
- Hours. Most quotes include a fixed block. Setup time and extra hours are often charged separately.
- Menu and bar. Plated dinners cost more than buffets. An open bar costs more than beer and wine or a cash bar.
- Décor and lighting. Linens, centerpieces, draping and uplighting add up fast.
At Treasure, every package is quoted to your date, guest count, event type and hours, and weekday and Sunday events cost less than Saturday evenings. Your written quote lists exactly what is included.
What halls near Ontario publish
Few halls post prices, and the ones that do price in different ways. These are the published figures we found for three venues near Ontario, as listed on Nov 4, 2026. Check with each venue before you plan around them.
| Venue | Published price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Bombay Banquet Hall, Ontario, room only | $1,495 Monday to Thursday, $1,995 Sunday, $2,995 Friday, $3,995 Saturday, plus tax and service charge | Six hours with tables and chairs. Outside catering allowed |
| Bombay Banquet Hall, Ontario, buffet package | $49.95 per person | Buffet, drinks, six hours, linens, servers, setup and cleanup. Minimum of 75 to 150 guests, by day |
| DoubleTree by Hilton Ontario Airport | $50 to $62 per person for quinceañera and sweet 16 packages; $60 to $87 per person for weddings | Hotel packages for 50 to 800 guests. Ask what service charge and tax add |
| Upland Events & Banquet Center, Upland | Weddings from $7,600; couples usually spend about $10,000 | Wedding packages for 80 to 250 guests. Bar service from $10 per person |
Read across the rows: the room alone at a venue-only hall runs about $1,500 to $4,000 before food, and full packages land around $50 to $87 a guest before service charge and tax. For 150 guests, that is roughly $7,500 to $13,000 before those are added.
What gets added after the starting price
| Line item | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Service charge | Is it mandatory? What percentage? Does it go to staff? In California a mandatory service charge is taxable; a truly optional tip is not. |
| Sales tax | On which lines? Look up your city's rate with the state's rate finder. |
| Bar | Hosted, cash or a mix? Bartender fee, per-drink or per-person pricing, corkage. |
| Security | Required? How many guards for your guest count, and for how many hours? |
| Cake cutting and plating | Charged per person when the cake comes from outside? |
| Overtime | The price per extra hour, and whether staff overtime is extra. |
| Cleanup and damage | A cleaning fee or a refundable damage deposit? |
| Event insurance | Does the hall require a one-day liability policy from you or your vendors? |
The math, in one example
Made-up numbers, only to show how the lines stack up. Say a quote lists a $55 per-person package for 150 guests and a mandatory 20% service charge, in a city where sales tax is 8%:
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Package: $55 × 150 guests | $8,250 |
| Service charge: 20% of $8,250 | $1,650 |
| Taxable subtotal | $9,900 |
| Sales tax at 8% | $792 |
| Total | $10,692 |
That total is about 30% above the headline $8,250, before the bar, security or overtime. Now the real comparison: divide each quote's full total by your guest count and compare the cost per guest.
Where families save without it showing
- Pick a Friday or Sunday, or an afternoon event. The room looks the same.
- Book the hall's package when you would otherwise rent linens, chairs and décor separately.
- Trim the bar, not the food: beer, wine and one signature drink instead of a full open bar.
- Keep the guest list honest. Every name is a plate, a chair and a share of the service charge.
- Put the money where photos are: the head table, the cake and the entrance. Guests remember those.
Deposits and payments
Most halls take a deposit to hold the date and schedule the balance before the event. Before you pay, find these in the contract: the deposit amount, whether it is refundable, the payment schedule, the final guest count deadline, and what happens if you move the date or cancel.
At Treasure, a deposit holds your date and is applied to your balance, and the terms are laid out in the rental agreement before you sign anything.
Sources
- Bombay Banquet Hall, Price and information (checked Nov 4, 2026)
- Eventective, DoubleTree by Hilton Ontario Airport listing (checked Nov 4, 2026)
- WeddingWire, Upland Events & Banquet Center listing (checked Nov 4, 2026)
- California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, Tips, gratuities and service charges: mandatory charges (Publication 115)
- California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, Find a sales and use tax rate by address
Treasure Banquets is an event venue, not a law firm, and this guide is not legal advice. We date every guide and update it when the rules change.
