How much should I over-cater?

Around ten percent on the main course and more on starters, which always run out first. Running out of the main course is far more visible than running out of dessert.

Everydayevents

Party Food and Drink Quantity Calculator

Catering quantities per head for an event. Standard planning portions with adjustments for event length and meal type, which matters because people eat more over four hours than two.

Also called: catering quantity calculator, how much food for a party.

Main course

8.96

8.96 kg of main course for 40 guests, of which 16 portions vegetarian. Plan 180 starter pieces, 6 kg of rice and 44 desserts. Drinks: 17.9 litres of soft drinks and 96 units.

Vegetarian portions

Starter pieces

180

Rice

Desserts

Soft drinks

17.9

Alcohol units

Ice

How this is calculated

Method and background

How this is calculated

Each item uses a per-head portion from standard catering practice: roughly 200g of main course for a full meal, 150g of rice, and starters that scale with how long people are standing around. Longer events raise consumption of drinks and starters more than main course. Vegetarian share is applied to portions rather than weight so that a mixed menu comes out even.

guests times a per-head portion, adjusted for the type and length of the event

n: Guests
p: Per head

Worked examples

Each of these is asserted on every build. If a change to the engine ever moved one of these answers, the build would fail before the page could print it.

forty guests over four hours

Guests: 40
Length of the event: 4
Type of meal: Full meal
Share who drink alcohol: 50%
Share vegetarian: 40%

Main course8.96

40 x 0.15 kg of rice; 20 drinkers x 4 hours x 1.2

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a short light event needs less

Guests: 40
Length of the event: 2
Type of meal: Light snacks
Share who drink alcohol: 0%
Share vegetarian: 40%

Main course2.4

boundary

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one guest still works

Guests: 1
Length of the event: 4
Type of meal: Full meal
Share who drink alcohol: 100%
Share vegetarian: 100%

Main course0.22

degenerate case

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Method and limits

What it assumes

Adult guests and Indian portion conventions.

What it deliberately does not model

Actual consumption varies enormously with the crowd and the weather.
A buffet needs more than a plated service because people take more than they eat.

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Frequently asked questions

How much should I over-cater?: Around ten percent on the main course and more on starters, which always run out first. Running out of the main course is far more visible than running out of dessert.