Party Food Calculator — Portions Per Guest

For a sit-down meal, plan 450-550g total per adult across all courses. For a buffet, plan 200-250g of savoury food plus 100g sweet items (300-350g total). For finger food, about 250-300g (8-12 pieces). Children eat roughly 60% of adult portions.

Children aged 5-12 eat about 60% of an adult portion. Under 5s eat about 40%. This calculator uses the 60% rule for simplicity. For very young children at a party, reduce further.

Self-serve buffets often need about 10-15% more food than the base portions because guests take more when serving themselves. The buffet per-head total here is 350g — lower than the 550g sit-down figure, because guests graze rather than eat full plated courses. This buffer is NOT added automatically: if you are self-serving, set the "Food Buffer" advanced option to 10-15%.

A good buffet should have 5-7 different dishes for variety. Include at least 2 main protein options, 2-3 salads or sides, bread, and 1-2 desserts. Having variety prevents any single dish running out.