National & Regional Caterer Of The Year
How Much Food Do You Need for 25, 50, 75, 100 Guests?
Whether you’re organising an office party, a birthday celebration or a corporate buffet, working out how much food to order is one of the trickiest parts of planning. Order too little and your guests go home hungry; order too much and you’re left with food nobody eats. This guide breaks down roughly how much you’ll need at each stage of a buffet-style event, for gatherings of 25, 50, 75 and 100 guests.
As a general rule of thumb for a buffet or platter-style spread, plan for around 3-4 sandwich quarters or finger food items per person, plus a side of salad or fruit. Our Sandwich Platters serve 10 people each, so for 25 guests you’d need around 2-3 platters, scaling up to 5 platters for 50 guests, 7-8 for 75 guests, and 10 platters for 100 guests.
If you’re offering a wider spread rather than sandwiches alone, sharing platters are an easy way to build variety without over-ordering. A Mezze Platter serves 6-8, while a Ploughman’s Platter or Fish Platter each serve 6, so for a group of 25 you might choose 3-4 platters across different styles, doubling roughly in line with guest numbers as the event grows to 50, 75 or 100.
Don’t forget the extras. A Fruit Platter serves 10, so budget one platter per 10 guests if you want fresh fruit on offer, and a Homemade Cake Platter (serving 10 slices) works well as a sweet finish, again scaling at roughly one platter per 10 guests.
For hot food options, such as our curry, chilli or lasagne trays, portion sizes are more predictable since each tray is designed to serve a set number of people. As a rough guide, allow one standard hot food tray for every 8-10 guests, increasing slightly if hot food is the main event rather than one option among several.
Drinks are easy to underestimate. For a few hours of mingling, plan for at least 2 drinks per person, more if it’s a longer event or the weather’s warm. A 1.5ltr bottle of water typically covers 6-8 people, so for 25 guests you’d want around 3-4 bottles, scaling up to 12-15 bottles for 100 guests, alongside soft drinks and juice depending on your group.
These figures are a helpful starting point, but every event is different; a group of hungry teenagers eats differently to a corporate lunch crowd. If you’re not sure what you need, it’s always worth talking it through with your caterer rather than guessing. Get in touch with our team and we’ll help you put together the right quantities for your guest list, whatever the size of your event.
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