Enough food?

puff5655 · April 2014

We are doing take-out catering at our wedding, and it will be buffet-style (so people can go back for seconds and thirds). Will this be enough for 50 people?

54 Large Pulled Pork Servings (18lbs)

72 Large Rolls

30 Servings of Quarter Kansas Chicken

8 quarts Mac'n'Cheese

8 quarts Potato Salad

2 half-watermelon fruit salad bowls

Thanks for the help!

RebeccaB88 · April 2014

If you have 54 servings of pork, what if a lot of people want thirds on it? Or buns? I think you at least need enough for seconds of everything for the majority of people, so the single serving eaters balance out the ones who might want thirds. (You know your guest list best.) BBQ meat makes good leftovers and they freeze well, so you can use them later. The type of meat and fruit sounds fine, but you have 2 starches (not counting the buns) and no vegetables. I would add coleslaw and veggie trays at the least, and probably 2 or 3 additional vegetable dishes (corn on the cob, green beans, bean salads, green salad, grilled veggies, etc) and some kind of baked or ranch style beans. Beans are good for filling people up cheaply. People will eat less of the meats if they have other stuff to fill up on. Also, any vegetarians would be stuck with just starch and fruit to eat. The baked beans can be made without meat. Increase your vegetable offerings so they have more to eat. Someone else will have to help on how many servings of whatever are in a quart (your caterer/restaurant contact should be able to tell you all this), but you should plan for people to take generous helpings. If you plan on, say, a half cup per person and most people take closer to a cup, you'll run out.

QueerFemme · April 2014

I'd add 25 or so more rolls and maybe another 10 or 15 more pork servings. You might also consider adding a green salad. Also, what about vegetarians?

puff5655 · April 2014

Thanks for the tips. I'll add more pork/rolls and we'll make a big salad. No vegetarians on our guest list. Baked beans would get too messy, especially with the toddlers.

theartistformerlyknownas · April 2014

I think this is a good guide. (If too small click here) I think you need more chicken.

Maggie0829 · April 2014

puff5655 said:

Thanks for the tips. I'll add more pork/rolls and we'll make a big salad. No vegetarians on our guest list. Baked beans would get too messy, especially with the toddlers.

Pretty sure the pulled pork and quartered chicken will also get messy when it comes to toddlers.

RebeccaB88 · April 2014

Any food can be messy, kids or adults. I still think you need more vegetable dishes.

theartistformerlyknownas · April 2014

Definitely agree with more vegetables. Can you add a big green salad?

indianaalum · April 2014

also, if you have 50 guests, you should have AT LEAST 50 portions of the chicken. with your math, not every person could get chicken.

I would also add a ton more rolls.

I agree about the veggie.

and I would have more salad. That didn't sound like alot to me, though can't really do the math. I would probably have about 1/4 lb salad per person, AT LEAST

It's always best to have EXTRA food, than not enough

thesummersky · April 2014

I second what PPs are saying about adding a veggie option, and that more would be safer in this situation.

@lolo883 That chart is so helpful! Just bookmarked it.

MandyMost · April 2014

With what you have proposed, I'd hate to be that 50th person in line for food. People might take 2 servings of something on the first pass, or might just take a giant plate of one thing and none of the other things. You need to make sure that when that 50th person is in line for firsts (or heck, maybe they were stuck in conversation, and 20 people already went back for seconds so they're essentially the 70th person in line!) that they have all the options available. I'd assume you should plan for about 2 servings of everything for each guests...so that's 100 servings of everything for 50 guests. This way, if half your guests only eat 1 serving and half go for 3, you're all set!

Edited to add that this is why buffet is often MORE expensive than a plated dinner, contrary to popular belief. In a plated meal you only need 1 serving per person. In a buffet, you need much more than that.

Enough food?

Re: Enough food?

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