Before we dig into the nitty-gritty of determining how much food and drink you should order for your party, let’s get one thing straight: It’s always better to have too much food than too little.
While running out of food can ruin a party, having extra food means you can have guests take home food packages or you can toss it in the freezer for leftover easy meals.
Ordering isn’t a perfect science. Each individual person will vary on how much food and drink they will consume hourly or over the course of the event. However, there are guidelines for ordering to ensure that no one goes hungry.
Use our advice to make sure your guests are happy and well-fed throughout your event. Here’s how you can figure out how much to order:
General Ordering Rule of Thumb
Let’s start with a general guideline that might be a good gut check once you’ve made some selections and are ready to make your order. The “one-pound rule” is an established guideline that gives you a feel for how much your guests are likely to consume:
The One Pound Rule = Provide one pound of food for each adult guest (not including dessert or drinks.)
If you have children attending your event, simply cut this number in half. Allocating about ½ a pound of food per child.
Appetizers
The number of appetizers you need to order depends on if appetizers are the main event or just snacks before the main meal. If you are hosting a co*cktail party where finger food is the only food you are serving, you likely want to plan for about double the number of appetizers as you’d need if appetizers are the snacks before a sit-down meal.
Plan for:
- 6 pieces per guest (if served before a meal)
- 12 pieces per guest (if no additional meal is served)
- 2 rolls per guest if serving before a meal
Main Dishes
![How Much Food and Drink Should You Order for Your Party? (1) How Much Food and Drink Should You Order for Your Party? (1)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
If you’re hosting a brunch or lunch event, ordering is very straightforward. We recommend:
- 1.5 sandwiches per guest for lunches
- 1.5 bagels and pastries per guest for breakfast and lunches
So for an event with 50 people, you may want to order 75 sandwiches.
Dinners are a little tricker. You should plan for:
- 8 ounces of poultry, meat, fish, or vegetarian entree (for buffet or sit-down meals)
Side Dishes
For side dishes, the main determining factor is how many side dishes you are planning on offering. For a buffet it is not uncommon to half a dozen side dishes between grains, vegetables, fruits, salads, etc. It’s safe to go a little lighter with ordering here as guests might want to try a small sampling of everything.
Account for:
- 1.5 ounces of rice and grains per guest
- 5 ounces of potatoes per guest
- 4 ounces of vegetables per guest
- 2 ounces of pasta per guest
- 1 ounce of green salad per guest
Tip: If your caterer doesn’t make the weights clear, a typical rule of thumb for sides is two platters of fruits or veggies per 25 guests.
Desserts
Most guests are likely to save room for dessert at your party so you don’t want to skimp here either. Here are our general rules:
- 1.5 pastries or cupcakes per guest
- 1.5 scoops of ice cream per guest
Cakes have a lot more variables and will likely be best determined with some advice from your bakery. As a starting point, consider the serving sizes:
- Party cake slices = 2x2 inches
- Wedding cake slices: 1x2 inches
So you can use this as a rough guide:
- A 6-inch cake = 10 servings
- A 12-inch cake = 25-35 servings
Soft Drinks
Onto the drinks! Starting with non-alcoholic use this rule:
- 1 cup of water or bottle per person per hour
- 1 lemonade, tea, or soda per person per hour
Beer & Wine
You’ll know your guest list better than we do for this one–but here’s a starting point for you:
- 2 drinks per person per hour
Spirits
![How Much Food and Drink Should You Order for Your Party? (2) How Much Food and Drink Should You Order for Your Party? (2)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
Again, this depends on if co*cktails are a main component of your event. Will your event have a signature co*cktail? If so, use this rule for any main spirits like vodka, tequila, rum, or whiskey:
- 1 bottle per every 10 guests
Final Ordering Advice:
- Rely on your caterer: Unless they’re a brand new vendor, chances are they will have an excellent idea of how much you’ll want to order based on the size of your guest list. They’ll also have insight into which dishes tend to be more popular than others.
- Consider the ages of your guests: Children under 12 should account for half portions compared to adult servings.
- Pace the party: Don’t put all the food out at once. If you slowly introduce new courses throughout the event, your guests will pace themselves and be able to munch throughout the event so they don’t fill up fast then leave hungry.
Looking for more event planning advice?
Visit the EventUp blog for more advice on choosing a venue, planning for the big day, and making sure your event goes off without a hitch.
FAQs
Rules to Plan By
How to figure out how much food to order for a party? ›
The overall rule that most caterers and party planners use is to calculate a pound of food per person, and a half pound per child. Professionals typically recommend breaking it down further from there: Aim for 2 to 4 ounces of appetizers per person—think 5 to 6 bites.
How much food for a 50 person party? ›
On average, plan for each adult to consume about 1 pound of food total (not including dessert). Count on children to consume about a ½ pound. Remember; the more options you have, the less you need of each.
How much food and drink for 20 people? ›
The “one-pound rule” is an established guideline that gives you a feel for how much your guests are likely to consume: The One Pound Rule = Provide one pound of food for each adult guest (not including dessert or drinks.) If you have children attending your event, simply cut this number in half.
How much food to feed 100 guests? ›
3. Estimate How Much Food and Drink You'll Need to Feed Your Guests
Type of Food | Serving Size per Person | For 100 guests |
---|
Meat | 6 ounces | 38 pounds |
Vegetables | 4 ounces | 25 pounds |
Rice | 2 ounces | 13 pounds |
Pasta | 4 ounces | 25 pounds |
2 more rowsApr 9, 2024
How do you calculate how much drinks for a party? ›
When planning an event, the average consumption per person is one drink every 45 minutes. If the event will last 2 hours, plan on 3 drinks per person. Start with your best guess of the drinking habits of your guests. Divide the number of guests between the types of beverages you plan to serve.
How much finger food for 50 guests? ›
Quantity. A good rule of thumb when working with your caterer on just how many hors d'oeuvres to choose is as follows: for 10 – 12 guests a minimum of 5 selections, 25 guests a minimum of 9 selections and for 50 guests, a minimum of 13 selections.
How many drinks do I need for 50 guests? ›
For a 4 hour party with 50 guests, you will need approximately 200 drinks: 80 beers, 72 glasses of wine (15 bottles) and enough for 48 individual co*cktails (amounts will depend upon what type of co*cktail you serve). If you aren't serving wine, plan on 120 co*cktails.
How to feed 100 guests on a budget? ›
Serving budget-friendly cuisines like salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes can be a very cost-effective choice. Or, if you're looking for a more casual option, how about a barbeque? Burgers, hot dogs and other grill-oriented foods are sure to be crowd favorites, and they won't rack up a big bill.
How much does food cost for 50 guests? ›
Average Cost Per Person
Type of Catering | Avg. Price Per Person |
---|
Traditional | $70 - $85 |
Food Trucks | $15 - $40 |
Private Chef | $50 - $150 |
Bar Service | $25 - $60 |
1 more rowMar 13, 2024
Plan on having two bottles of water per person available. If offering mixed drinks, keep it simple and have only three options of spirits available. This helps control the mixers and garnishes needed. Signature drinks pre-poured are a great way to tie food and beverage into the theme of the party.
How many cans of soda per person at a party? ›
Okay, back to the easy stuff: your other non-alcoholic drinks like soda, lemonade, and punch. I'd estimate one drink per person, per hour of the event, plus one more each. In other words, if the party is three hours long, plan on each person having around four servings of their chosen beverage.
How to feed 50 people? ›
19 Ideas For Easy Meals For Large Groups
- Taco Bar. A taco bar is one of the best inexpensive meals for large groups. ...
- Meatballs. ...
- Butter Chicken. ...
- Lasagna. ...
- Chili. ...
- Homemade Pizza. ...
- Baked Pasta. ...
- Skewers.
How do you estimate food for a party? ›
Rules to Plan By
Each adult will consume 1 pound of food total; children, about 1/2 pound. The more options you have, the less you need of each; decrease the main course portion sizes by 1 to 2 ounces if served on a buffet. Guests will always eat — and drink — more at night than during the day.
What is the cheapest food to make for a party? ›
20 Great inexpensive party food ideas
- Ham and cheese pinwheels. ...
- Mini spinach pies. ...
- Spaghetti bolognese. ...
- Baguettes with toppings (bruschetta) ...
- Egg, cheese, and ham skewers. ...
- Chicken pot pie. ...
- Cheese straws. ...
- Macaroni and cheese. You can make a few dishes of macaroni and cheese and serve it from warming trays.
How many full trays of food do I need for 20 guests? ›
What Does a Typical Catering Tray Feed? Generally, a catering tray can feed 15-20 people. For example, a full tray of chicken breasts should have enough protein for 15-20 people. However, remember that people may choose sides like salads and desserts, which may not factor into this.
How do you calculate food costs for an event? ›
Calculating Actual Food Cost Percentage Per Dish Formula
- Calculate what it costs for you to make a dish (a.k.a. Total Cost of Dish). ...
- Find out Price of Dish to Customer. ...
- Divide Total Cost of Dish Per Serving by Price of Dish to Customer. ...
- Multiply your answer by 100 to find out your Food Cost Percentage Per Dish.
How to determine the amount of food for catering? ›
It's pretty simple too: We just determine an appropriate size portion of any dish in ounces per person, the we multiply that times the number of guests and divide by 16 (# of oz in a pound) and just like that you get the number of pounds you'll need.
How much food should I order for 20 people? ›
Food for Dinner Parties
Food | Up to 10 guests | 20-30 |
---|
Whole chicken | 2 (4-pound) | 6 (4-pound) |
Whole turkey | 1 (12-pound) | 3 (12-pound) |
Boneless beef roast | 5 pounds | 15 pounds |
Pork roast or ham | 5 pounds | 15 pounds |
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How to feed 50 guests on a budget? ›
Feed the masses without breaking the bank with these budget-friendly dishes.
- Mexican Lasagne. A spicy lasagne for those of us who love Mexican and Italian food. ...
- Cheese Cob Dip. ...
- The Best Burger in Oz. ...
- Kangaroo Casserole. ...
- Sausage Casserole. ...
- Nanna's golden sausage casserole. ...
- Quiche Lorraine. ...
- Turkey and Pumpkin Lasagne.