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It’s usually better to over-do it than to under-do it when it comes to the food, but you also don’t want to be left with tons of leftovers. Here are a few rules of thumb…
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Etc.
If you need even more specifics for a large group, here’s a helpful, comprehensive chart.
Water
Half a liter per person
Cocktails
3 per guest
Grains
1 to 2 ounces per person
Charcuterie
2 ounces of meat + 2 ounces of cheese per person
Salad
2 cups per person
Vegetables
1 cup per person
Potatoes
1 cup per person
Fish
6 ounces per person
Meat
6 ounces per person
Bite-Sized Appetizers
Number of guests x 4
Bite-Sized Desserts
Number of guests x 3
Ice Cream
One pound per person…you’ll probably have leftovers, but that’s a safe bet.
Beer
3 packs of beer for 6 people
4 packs of beer for 12 people
8 packs of beer for 24 people
Wine
No matter how many guests you plan to have over, a good rule of thumb is to have one bottle per person.
If your courses are pretty neutral you can split evenly between red and white, but if you’re serving a light fish, skew towards more white wines and if you’re going with red meat, you can opt for more reds. Depending on the season, it’s always fun to throw in a few chilled roses in the spring and summer.
Number of Guests × Number of Estimated Glasses Per Guest ÷ 4 = Number of Bottles Needed
