Catering calculator: how much food per guest?
A free catering calculator for parties, weddings and work events. Pick a guest count, a service style and the dishes on your menu to see grams and litres, per guest and for the whole event, then turn the result into a shopping list. Planning figures come from published national nutrition recommendations and professional catering guidance.
| Item | Per guest | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Side salad | 110 g | 6.9 kg |
| Main protein | 160 g | 10 kg |
| Potato / rice / pasta sideShown here as boiled potato; rice and pasta land in the same 140-180 g range. | 165 g | 10.3 kg |
| Bread + spread | 38 g | 2.4 kg |
| DessertShown here as berries, a representative row; ice cream and mousse are in the same 100-150 g range. | 125 g | 7.8 kg |
| Coffee | 170 ml | 10.6 l |
Sanity check
Published banquet studies find 350 to 750 g served per guest at a full buffet. Use this as a rough check, not as the basis for your order.
Are you a caterer?
Put a calculator like this on your own website, priced with your menu. Your customers pick dishes and a guest count, see the price straight away, and send you the request.
See how CaterWay works for caterersHow these figures are made
Every figure is per-guest amount × number of guests, multiplied by the plated or buffet preparation buffer. The buffer covers serving loss and leaves room for seconds; it is not an estimate of what guests will eat. Always adjust to your own menu.
Keep in mind
Your own menu, the nature of the event, and your guests all vary, so adjust to your own experience.
Questions about catering amounts
How much food per person should I plan for catering?
It depends on the menu and the service style. Pick your dishes above and the calculator gives a planning figure for each one. As a rough check, published banquet studies find 350 to 750 g of food served per guest at a full buffet.
Does a buffet need more food than a plated meal?
Yes. A buffet needs a bigger preparation buffer, because guests serve themselves and food is left on the platters. This calculator adds 25% for a buffet and 18% for plated service, based on figures from Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).
Can I use the result as a shopping list?
Yes. Press "Make a shopping list" to get a checklist you can tick off, copy or print. The amounts are ready-to-serve weights, so buy a little more of foods that lose weight when cooked.
Is there a catering calculator for caterers?
Yes. CaterWay gives caterers their own calculator for their website, priced with their own menu. Customers build their order and see the price themselves, and the caterer gets the request with every detail. The free plan costs nothing.
Sources
Planning figures are drawn from these published sources: