How much food for a party? A headcount calculator

Put in how many adults and kids are coming and for how long, pick what you’re serving, and get a shopping list you can copy into your notes — mains, sides, dessert, soft drinks, alcohol, ice, plates and napkins.

How to work out how much food to buy

1. Get the real headcountCount adults and kids separately — a child eats about half an adult portion and drinks no alcohol. If you only have a guess, an RSVP link that counts kids and plus-ones gives you the number.
2. Pick the menu and the hoursA four-hour buffet needs more than a two-hour plated lunch. Appetizers that replace a meal need twice as many bites as appetizers before one.
3. Round up, then copy the listThe numbers already round up. Running out is remembered; a few leftovers are lunch tomorrow.

The rules this uses

These are the planning rules caterers use, not a recipe: about 6 oz of cooked main per adult, 4 oz of each side, 1½ cups of salad, 1½ rolls and a generous dessert serving. Appetizer parties plan 12 bites per adult when there is no meal and 6 when there is. Cookouts plan 1½ burgers or hot dogs per adult and one per child.

• Drinks: two in the first hour, one an hour after that, for every person. Alcohol on top of that: one per drinking adult per hour, half as wine (five glasses a bottle) and half as beer.
• Ice: a pound per person, a pound and a half on a hot day outdoors.
• Buffets run about 20% heavier than plated meals because people go back for seconds.

Where the number comes from

Most over- and under-buying comes from the headcount, not the maths. A “30 people” party is often 22 once maybes drop out and people forget to mention a partner or two kids. If you want the real figure, send one RSVP link that asks for adults, kids and plus-ones, and read the total off the top of the guest list.

Questions

How much food do I need for 30 people?

For a four-hour buffet meal for 30 adults, plan about 13½ lb of cooked main, 9 lb of each of three sides, 45 rolls and 45 dessert servings, plus 150 soft drinks. Enter your own mix of adults and kids above for exact numbers.

How many appetizers per person for a party?

Plan 12 bites per adult if the appetizers are the meal, 6 if a meal follows. Offer 4 kinds for a small party, 6 for 20–40 people, 8 for more.

How much alcohol for a party of 50?

One drink per drinking adult per hour. If 30 of 50 adults drink over four hours that is 120 drinks: about 12 bottles of wine and 60 beers, or a batch cocktail in place of some of it.

How much ice do I need for a party?

About one pound per person, or a pound and a half if it is hot and outdoors. Buy the big bags; ice is the thing hosts most often run out of.

Does the calculator store anything?

No. It runs in your browser; nothing is sent to us. Copy the list into your notes when you are done.

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