Food per person

Nebb

Say you were catering a party (not a wedding) with anywhere from 30-40 people. How much food do you need to have per person for it to be an acceptable amount since the party will be in the evening. I am thinking lots of hors doeuvres, and maybe some dishes people can spoon out onto plates. Not sure yet.

I just... dont have any idea how much is required. I kinda havnt done this in a while...

Nebb

Ordering from somewhere, I dont really want to have to spend all day making food.

Beachy730

I don't blame you.  We had our RD catered and just gave a head count and they decided how much food.  It was a perfect amount, even leaving plenty of leftovers.

Some places might give you options of different packages too, inluding appetizers and what not for set prices.  The pizza place I used to work at did catering and they had 4 different party options, and you just picked the one you wanted and gave us a head count.

shortee426

If you tell them how many you are expecting, they should be able to estimate how much food you need.

Birdie1483

Yeah I would definitely talk to the caterer then. I've seen some caterers give pricings for $$ for 24 pieces or something like that. I would give them your estimated head count and ask how many total pieces they think you should have. I've been trying to think about how much I would personally eat, but I don't know if I'm over or under estimating.

ootmother2

For a full meal feeling, about 12 pieces per person.

or

20 bites if you're measuring that way

Nebb

Hmmm it sounds like im going to have to firm up the guest list and start emailing to get quotes. That sounds like the best way to find out.

Birdie1483

P.S. I love Michael Pitt in Boardwalk Empire. He's soooo much better looking now than when he had the creepy role in Murder By Numbers.

lyndausvi

Most places will make food for about 5-10% of the amount of guests expected.  So I would give them a lower number than a higher number.

Beachy730

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_food-per-person?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:6b814385-cf2f-464f-a7b3-935f11cdc033Post:51f15397-eaa6-4cb3-96b8-f48b9dd2bbd5">Re: Food per person</a>:
[QUOTE]P.S. I love Michael Pitt in Boardwalk Empire. He's soooo much better looking now than when he had the creepy role in Murder By Numbers.
Posted by Birdie1483[/QUOTE]

I was just going to ask if he was the guy from Dawson's Creek, and then you said his name so I looked it up, and I was right. 

Nebb

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_food-per-person?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:6b814385-cf2f-464f-a7b3-935f11cdc033Post:ce9f066d-bd17-425c-84c4-6ecb8e0256b4">Re: Food per person</a>:
[QUOTE]For a full meal feeling, about 12 pieces per person. or 20 bites if you're measuring that way
Posted by ootmother2[/QUOTE]
Thanks OOT!! I Knew you would know!

SD3194

I'm a chef at a catering company and we usually serve 20-25 pieces per person if the hor dourves are substituting dinner and if the event is no longer than 2 hours. Dips and spreads are around 2 Tablespoons per person depending on how many you're offering.

thesuninherhead

Usually I go way overboard for my parties. Last time we had about 30 people, I think, and I LOTS of snacks/canapes as well as about 3 buffet style main dishes (in huge quantities), a few sides and a lot of desserts. I made all of this myself, though (which took about a week to prepare!), so it might be different if you're hiring someone. 

 

What is the celebration for?

Nebb

My husbands 30th is coming up so I want to make a big deal over him and invite all of his distant friends for a get together.

dco324

I remember reading 3-5 per person per hour when looking into things for my cocktail hour.  Think of your guests and the time of day-if you're serving a bunch of dainty eaters in mid afternoon than maybe 2-3 per person would be acceptable.  If you're serving heavy eaters at dinner time you may need 5+ per person.

mattycam

If I was catering a party for 30-40 people, I would make sure I had enough food for 50 people as some eat more than others