How Much Food Do I Need? — Crowd Food Planner
Enter your headcount, event style, and a leftovers buffer. The planner gives broad per-category estimates (mains, sides, drinks, dessert) — each a planning estimate you can adjust. For a single main, use a specialized calculator for item-level detail. No estimate here is a guarantee.
What this calculator determines
It estimates total food across mains, sides, drinks, and dessert for a crowd from per-category per-person planning ranges, adjusted for event style and a leftovers buffer.
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Examples
25 people, casual, 10% leftovers
25 people, casual, no other mains, 10% buffer
Calculation
- Mains: 25 × 0.5 lb × 1.10 = 13.75 lb
- Sides: 25 × 1 cup × 1.10 = 27.5 cups
- Drinks: 25 × 2 cups × 1.10 = 55 cups
- Dessert: 25 × 1 × 1.10 = 27.5 servings
13.75 lb mains, 27.5 cups sides, 55 cups drinks, 27.5 desserts
Assumptions & Conventions
- Per-category planning estimates
- Each category total is a planning estimate from catering and extension-service ranges, not a guarantee; adjust the per-person numbers to your event.
- Buffet and other-mains adjustments
- Buffet style multiplies portions by 1.1, and selecting other mains reduces the main portion to 60% of the default.
- No package rounding
- Category totals are calculated weights and counts to one decimal, not rounded to whole packages or purchase quantities.
- Use specialized tools for item detail
- This planner gives broad category totals; for a single main, use the matching specialized calculator for item-level shopping quantities.