Food and drink quantities per guest
Tell it how many guests are coming, what kind of event it is and how long it lasts. You get an estimate of canapés, portions, drinks, ice and cake, with the assumptions on show so you can adjust them to your kitchen.
Starting assumptions · sit-down lunch or dinner, 3 h, summer
- Food: 2 portions per adult (starter and main) and 1.5 rolls. If there’s a drinks reception first, work it out separately with that event type.
- Drinks: 2 drinks per adult in the first hour and 1.5 for each extra hour (5 in total), split between beer, wine and soft drinks (35% / 35% / 30%). More wine at meals and in winter; more beer in summer.
- Containers: beer and soft drinks in 330 ml cans or bottles; wine in 150 ml glasses (5 per bottle); fizz in glasses of about 125 ml (6 per bottle); water in 1.5 l bottles.
- Water and ice: more in summer and at long events. The ice is for drinks: if you also chill bottles in buckets, work that out separately.
- Children: eat 50% of an adult’s food, drink no alcohol and count in full for the cake.
- Margin: 10% is added to everything so you don’t run short.
These are rules of thumb to get you started, not measured data. Adjust the values below to what you know about your kitchen and your guests.
How to use the calculator
- Enter how many adults and children are coming. Use the confirmed number, not the one from the first phone call.
- Choose the type of event: a drinks reception before a meal, a canapé reception that is the meal, a sit-down lunch or dinner, or a buffet.
- Enter how long it lasts and the season. In summer people drink more water, beer and soft drinks, and you need more ice; in winter, more wine.
- Check the assumptions and change any per-person values that don’t fit your kitchen. The ones you change are highlighted in yellow.
- Print the list to place your orders or hand it to the kitchen and the bar.
The starting assumptions
They’re rules of thumb, cautious and easy to adjust, not measured data or recommendations from any official body. They’re there so you don’t start from zero and don’t run short:
- Canapés: 6 per adult in the first hour of a drinks reception and 3 for each extra hour; 10 in the first hour if the canapés are the meal, and 4 for each extra hour.
- Portions: 2 per adult at a sit-down meal (starter and main) and 2.5 at a buffet, because guests serve themselves.
- Bread: 1.5 rolls per adult at meals and buffets, and half a roll at a canapé reception.
- Drinks: 2 drinks per adult in the first hour and 1.5 for each extra hour, split between beer, wine and soft drinks. At meals and in winter, wine counts for more; in summer, beer.
- Toast: one glass of fizz per adult (6 glasses per bottle), except at a drinks reception before a meal.
- Water: between 0.15 and 0.25 litres per person per hour depending on the season, with extra at meals.
- Ice: half a kilo per person in summer and 0.3 kg in winter, plus a little more for each hour.
- Cake or dessert: one portion per guest, children included.
- Children: half an adult’s food, no alcohol.
- Safety margin: 10% extra on everything.
Adjust it to your kitchen
The best rule is your own. After each event, note how many guests there were, how long it lasted and what was left over or ran out: canapés, bottles, ice. After three or four events you’ll know whether your guests eat and drink more or less than these assumptions, and you can change the per-person values with your own figures.
Some things change the quantities a lot:
- The size of the canapés. A one-bite canapé doesn’t fill people up like a mini burger or a cone of fish and chips.
- The time of day. An 8 pm reception that replaces dinner needs more than a midday one before guests sit down to eat.
- The type of crowd. A wedding, a christening and a work dinner don’t drink the same. Ask your client what their guests are like.
- The free bar. If there are drinks afterwards, work them out separately: this calculator covers the meal.
From the numbers to the menu
With the quantities sorted, it’s time for the menu and the terms. We explain how to put them together in group menus, catering menus and Christmas menus, and how to print the menu for the tables in wedding menu cards. Don’t forget to ask about allergies when you get the final guest numbers: with the allergen matrix you have it in writing. And to price each dish on the menu, use the recipe cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How many canapés should I allow per person?
The calculator starts from 6 canapés per adult in the first hour of a drinks reception, and 10 if the canapés are the meal, plus a few more for each extra hour. They’re rules of thumb to get you started: if your canapés are large or there are hot food stations, go lower; if they’re small bites, go higher.
How much drink should I allow per guest?
We start from 2 drinks per adult in the first hour and 1.5 for each extra hour, split between beer, wine and soft drinks depending on the season and the type of event, plus water on top. It’s a cautious starting point; your experience with your guests counts for more, so change the per-person values.
How much ice do I need?
It depends mostly on the weather and on what’s served with ice. The calculator starts from half a kilo per person in summer and a little less in winter, and adds more for long events. That’s ice for drinks: if you also chill bottles in buckets or tubs, work that ice out separately.
How do I count children?
By default, a child eats half as much as an adult, drinks no alcohol, has soft drinks and water, and counts in full for the cake. You can change the percentage and the soft drinks per child in the per-person values.
Why add a safety margin?
Because running short at an event costs more than leftovers: there’s always someone who goes back for more, guests who turn up at the last minute or glasses that get broken. The calculator adds 10% to everything; raise or lower it depending on how accurate your forecasts usually are.