Whats a good rule of thumb for dinner party?

Question

I have a dinner party buffet style with 25 guest what i want to know is how much food do i serve per guest is there a good rule of thumb eg: 1 dish for every 5 people i dont know i need help please

Answer 1

"Rules of thumb" are great...unfortunately, they don't always work. What if you are serving both poultry and steak as entrees and 24 people want poultry? Are you going to make 25 servings of both?

I suggest you plan a menu and ask people to RSVP with their choice of entree. Then, make a few extra of both for double servings and those who change their minds.

You can always make extra of the side dishes, such as 2 servings for every 3 people, etc.

Just have a good variety, and if you run out of one thing, people will eat the other.

Answer 2

Portion Size Per Person

Hors D'oeuvres

6 bites when preceeding a meal.
4 - 6 bites per hour when hors d'oeuvres are the meal.
The longer your party and the larger your guest list, the greater the number of selections you should offer.

The Main Meal

Poultry, meat or fish - 6 ounces when you have one main dish, 8 ounces when you offer two or more main courses.
Rice, grains - 1.5 ounces as a side dish, 2 ounces in a main dish such as risotto.
Potatoes - 5 ounces
Vegetables - 4 ounces
Beans - 2 ounces as a side dish
Pasta - 2 ounces for a side dish, 3 ounces for a first course, 4 ounces for a main dish
Green Salad - 1 ounce undressed weight

Desserts

1 slice cake, tart or pastry
4 ounces creamy dessert such as pudding or mousse
5 ounces ice cream
When serving two of the above, reduce each by a little less than half.

Don't repeat a main ingredient. For example, don't serve a shrimp appetizer and shrimp main dish.
Consider the colors of the food that will be served together and make sure there is variety.
Offer both hot and cold foods on a buffet.
Mix textures such as a crisp potato galette served with a soft vegetable puree as side dishes.

Cold cuts: generally 2 to 3 ounces of deli meat per serving (25 servings of deli meat would be 3 to 5 pounds of meat). This is based on what is called a "sandwich slice" rather than shaved. Sandwich slices will go further than shaved as people often overload on shaved.

Cheese: allow 1 to 1.5 ounces of cheese slices per serving. (25 servings would be 1.5 to 2.5 pounds of cheese). Sliced cheese is more economical than cubes as people will generally only take one slice of cheese, but several cubes of cheese.

Vegetables: Plan on 4 to 6 pieces of raw vegetables per person in a relish tray. (How much dip to have is anyone's guess!)

Salad: One gallon of potato or pasta salad or chicken or tuna salad will feed approximately 25 people. Don't bother counting the kids in this because most of them won't eat this type of food.

Fruit: Plan on allowing 1/2 cup per serving of fruit per person. Generally, 1 pint of strawberries, blueberries or raspberries equals about 2 cups; 1 pound of green grapes equals 2 cups.

hope this helps. good luck.

Answer 3

Most people won't "pig out" at a dinner party buffet, simply out of courtesy to the other guests! However, there are some dishes that can go further than others. Plan on 1 to 1/2 cups of a casserole per person, 1 cup of salad greens, 4 -6 oz of meat or poultry, 3 -6 appetizers, 1 cup of chips and 1/2 cup dip, and 2 dessert options. Here are some buffets I've had in the past:

1. Baked ham with a brown sugar glaze for carving, Cheesy scalloped potato casserole, Green bean casserole with portabella mushrooms, roasted sweet potatoes with candied walnuts, pumpkin cheesecake and brownie bites.
2. Lasagne with meat sauce; Linguini al Pesto; green salad, french bread with herbs, garlic, and cheese; antipasta platter with sopressata, provolone, pepperoncini, and olives; lemon bars and oatmeal cookies dipped in chocolate for dessert.
3. Grilled marinated chicken breasts (marinate in lime and tequilla); grilled red and green bell peppers with onions; flour tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo, shredded cheeses, sour cream; spanish rice and black beans; flan for dessert.
4. Beef tenderloin stuffed with mushrooms, gorgonzola and mushrooms with a cabernet reduction; fresh green beans with lemon zest; baked potato casserole; pumpkin creme brulee for dessert.

Answer 4

1/2 pound of food per person

Answer 5

i'm telling you from experience... don't make your main dish spicy because not everyone can handle it! make a variety of salads or small dishes that people can choose from if theres something they cant eat.

Answer 6

4oz of each dish per person

Answer 7

Good food, good wine, clean bathroom, enough seating.

Answer 8

Have enough table space and chairs for everyone. And there should be food.

Answer 9

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