Catering portions estimator
Estimate the total food weight to cater for an event, accounting for the difference between plated service and buffet-style serving.
Result
Total food to cater
How to use this tool
- Enter the number of guests.
- Set a base portion size per guest for one course.
- Choose plated or buffet and adjust the illustrative buffet uplift to your menu if needed.
- Read the aggregate food weight.
Assumptions
- The 300g portion and 25% buffet uplift defaults are editable examples, not sourced servings recommendations or catering standards. The result is one aggregate food weight; it does not split courses, dishes, dietary needs or non-food costs.
Technical details: what the fields mean
- Number of guests
guests - Total number of guests expected.
- Base portion per guest
baseGramsPerPerson - Your selected single-course base weight per guest before the service-style adjustment; the default is an editable example, not a universal serving standard.
- Service style
serviceStyle - Plated uses the base portion. Buffet uses the separate uplift percentage; this is a planning assumption, not a universal catering standard.
- Buffet uplift over base
buffetUpliftPercent - Your chosen percentage above the base portion for buffet service. The 25% prefill is an editable example, not an industry rule.
Methodology
Total food = guests × base portion × (1 + buffet uplift ÷ 100) for buffet service; plated service uses the base portion without an uplift.
Worked example
Illustrative: 100 guests, 300g base, buffet with 25% uplift
Inputs: Number of guests: 100, Base portion per guest: 300 g, Service style: Buffet, Buffet uplift over base: 25%
Result: 100 × 300g × 1.25 = 37.5 kg total example food weight.
Practical guidance
- For a buffet with several dishes, split the total weight across dishes according to expected popularity, rather than dividing evenly.
Common mistakes
- Treating the preset 25% buffet uplift as a rule that applies to every menu; adjust the base portion to the dishes, attendance pattern and other food available.
FAQs
What is included in the total weight?
It is the selected base portion multiplied by guest count and by 1.25 for buffet service. It does not account for course count or item-specific quantities.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-11
A planning scenario only. Actual quantity depends on menu, courses, event length and guests; no sourced catering standard is implied.
This tool provides an indicative estimate, based on the assumptions stated above.
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