How Much Food for a Party: The Definitive Calculator Guide

The most common party cooking failure is miscalculation of quantity. Running short is a social embarrassment; running long is waste. These figures come from sixteen years of professional and home cooking for groups.

Food quantity calculation depends on three variables: the party format, the time of day, and the guest demographics. The same fifteen people eat different amounts at a seated dinner at 7pm, a brunch at 11am, and a cocktail party starting at 6:30pm.

Format by format:

Seated dinner (two courses plus bread): 200–250g cooked protein per person; 150g cooked starch; 150g cooked vegetable; 1 full starter; 1 full dessert.

Buffet (all-you-can-serve): 250–300g cooked protein; 200g cooked starch; 200g cooked vegetable; 80g bread; 40g dips and condiments.

Cocktail party (replacing dinner): 14–18 substantial pieces of food per person over 2.5 hours (counting both passed and stationary).

Cocktail party (before dinner): 6–8 pieces per person over 1 hour.

Brunch: 2 main items per person (e.g., one portion of baked eggs and two pieces of pastry); 60g smoked fish or protein; 1 fruit serving.

BBQ (lunch format): 1.5 patties/sausages per person; 1.5 chicken pieces; 120g potato or grain side; 60g coleslaw; 1 corn.

The adult-to-child conversion: multiply adult quantities by 0.4 for under-8s and 0.6 for 8-12-year-olds. For teenagers, multiply by 1.1. Dessert is always 1.0 for children regardless of age.

The arriving-in-waves multiplier: if guests arrive over a 2-hour window rather than simultaneously, reduce all quantities by 10–15 percent. Early arrivals graze while late arrivals eat the meal; the two groups rarely overlap in maximum consumption.