Posted by Carl on July 11, 1998 at 01:55:31 :
In Reply to: determining number of servings posted by susan on July 10, 1998 at 11:25:38 :
: I need to know how to determine number of servings.I will be catering casual parties with deli trays ,veggie trays,relish trays etc. How do I approximate how much to suggest for X number of people? Is there a general rule of thumb? Thanks.
well, you determine number of servings by finding out how many guests there will be... (sorry, couldnt resist)
that is a tough question that comes from experience.... the rule of thumb is answered after some important questions are clarified.
is it a lunch, a light reception, time of day, type of guests...
how much variety will be their.... etc.... ppl consume on the average a total of 25 oz's of food....
the way i figured it out was to guess on the first party i did for 100.... i purposely
brought way too much food, then subtracted my leftovers, giving me the consumption....
you can use that (plus about 20%) to plan your future events....
but you will find that if you add a couple more items that are popular, it will reduce
consumption on the other items, but if you add a couple of not so popular items, then
you will not affect the consumption of the other items....
some caterers will tell you to figure on 10 or 12 portions per person... but it too is just
a rule of thumb.......
Good luck to you... hope this helps
Carl