How Much Food & Drink Per Guest
The hardest part of catering a party is not the cooking, it is guessing the amounts. Order too little and the buffet is bare by 8pm; order too much and half of it goes in the bin. This guide gives you real per-guest numbers for food and drink, so you can shop the buffet in one go and scale it to any headcount.
All the figures below assume a buffet or grazing-style party rather than a sit-down meal. Serving over a mealtime? Nudge quantities up. Afternoon nibbles only? You can trim them back.
Food per guest
Per adult guest at a party buffet, plan for roughly:
- 6 to 8 savoury bites (sausage rolls, mini quiche, cocktail sausages, samosas).
- 4 sandwich quarters, which is one round of sandwiches each.
- 2 to 3 sweet treats (a slice of cake, a couple of mini bakes or a brownie bite).
- 1 to 2 servings of sides such as crisps, dips or salad.
Children eat roughly half these amounts, so count two kids as one adult when you tot it up. If the party spans lunch or dinner, add a couple of extra savoury items per head.
Drinks per guest
People drink more than you expect at a party, mostly because glasses get put down and lost. A reliable rule is 2 to 3 drinks per guest for the first hour, then about 1 per hour after that. For a 3 hour party that is roughly 4 to 5 drinks each.
- Soft drinks and water: allow 1 litre per guest across the event, more in warm weather.
- Wine: one bottle pours about 6 glasses, so a bottle serves 2 to 3 people over an evening.
- Prosecco for a toast: one bottle fills roughly 6 flutes.
- Tea and coffee: for an afternoon do, expect around half your guests to want a hot drink.
Always over-cater slightly on water and soft drinks, as they are the cheapest thing to have left over and the first thing to run dry.
Scale it to your headcount
Once you have the per-head numbers, multiplying up is quick. For a 20 adult party you are looking at around 140 savoury bites, 5 large sandwich platters, 50 sweet treats and roughly 90 drinks across the afternoon. Buying snack platters, banqueting roll and disposable glasses in bulk keeps the cost down and saves a second shopping trip.
A tip from years of catering advice: prep to your guest list, not to the size of your table. An empty-looking spread is easily fixed with a bag of crisps; a mountain of leftovers is money you did not need to spend.
Frequently asked questions
How much food do I need for a party of 30?
For 30 adults at a buffet, plan for around 210 savoury bites, 7 to 8 sandwich platters, 75 to 90 sweet treats and 120 or so drinks over three hours. Halve the food count for every child on the list.
How many drinks should I buy per person?
Budget 2 to 3 drinks for the first hour and 1 per hour after that. For most parties that works out at 4 to 5 drinks per guest, plus a litre of water and soft drinks each.
Is it better to over-cater or under-cater?
Over-cater slightly on cheap items like crisps, water and soft drinks, and cater tightly on the pricier hot food. That way you never run out of the basics without paying for a pile of wasted mains.
Shop the party buffet in bulk: bulk catering supplies, platters & snack trays and glasses & drinkware. Feeding a crowd? Start at catering supplies.