Order too little and the last guests in line find empty trays. Order too much and you pay for food that gets thrown away. If you are working out how much food per person for a buffet, the table below gives you a starting point for every dish, in grams and ounces, plus totals for 100 guests.
Use it to plan your menu, check a caterer’s quote, or cook for a party yourself.
How much food per person for a buffet: quick table
These amounts are for a main-meal buffet (lunch or dinner) for adults, with cooked weights. A guest eats about 450 to 700 g (1 to 1.5 lb) of food in total.
| Food | Per guest | For 100 guests |
|---|---|---|
| Main dishes (meat, fish, paneer or tofu), all options together | 170–225 g (6–8 oz) | 17–23 kg |
| Rice, pasta, noodles or potatoes | 120–150 g (4–5 oz) | 12–15 kg |
| Vegetable side, per dish (offer two) | 100–120 g (3.5–4 oz) | 10–12 kg per dish |
| Curries, dal, sauces or gravy | 100–150 ml (½ cup) | 10–15 litres |
| Salad | 60–80 g (2–3 oz) | 6–8 kg |
| Bread, rolls or naan | 1–2 pieces | 150 pieces |
| Dessert | 1–2 pieces or 100–120 g | 150 pieces |
| Fruit | 80–100 g (3 oz) | 8–10 kg |
| Starters before the meal | 4–6 pieces | 500 pieces |
| Soft drinks and juice | 2–3 glasses | 250 glasses |
| Water | 0.5–1 litre | 50–100 litres |
| Tea or coffee | 1 cup | 100 cups |
The more main dishes you offer, the less of each one you need. With one main, plan 170–225 g of it per guest. With three, plan about a third of that for each, because guests take a little of everything.
A worked example: dinner buffet for 100 guests
Say you have 100 adults at an evening party, with two mains, rice, two vegetable sides, one curry, a salad, bread and one dessert. Using the top of each range (1.5 pieces of bread and dessert), plus 5% extra:
- Main 1 (chicken): half of 225 g, so 113 g × 105 = about 12 kg
- Main 2 (paneer or fish): 113 g × 105 = about 12 kg
- Rice: 150 g × 105 = about 16 kg cooked, or about 5.5 kg uncooked
- Two vegetable sides: about 12.5 kg each
- Curry or dal: about 16 litres
- Salad: about 8.5 kg
- Bread: 160 pieces
- Dessert: 160 pieces
Ask your caterer to show their own quantities next to this list. If their numbers are much lower, ask how they worked them out.
When to order more
- Evening events and long events. People eat more at dinner, and more again if the party runs five hours or longer.
- Guests who haven’t eaten. At weddings and religious ceremonies, guests often arrive hungry after a long wait.
- Young or active guests. Teenagers, students and sports teams eat noticeably more.
- Few choices. With only one or two dishes, each portion is bigger.
- Popular dishes. Biryani, grilled meats and desserts go first. Plan 10 to 20% extra of these.
When to order less
- Lunch or daytime events. Plan about 20% less than for dinner.
- Plenty of starters. If guests have had 8 or more starters each, cut the mains by about a quarter.
- Many dishes. A spread of 10 or more dishes means smaller servings of each.
- Children. Count a child under 10 as half an adult.
- Older guests. Plan slightly smaller portions.
Buffet vs plated: why buffets need more food
At a plated meal, the kitchen controls every portion. At a buffet, guests serve themselves, so early guests often take more. Plan 10 to 15% more food for a buffet than for the same plated menu. A staffed buffet, where servers dish up each plate, keeps portions even and cuts waste.
How much extra to order
Add 5 to 10% to your final guest count, not more. Extra guests who weren’t on the list are the usual reason food runs out, so confirm numbers with everyone a week before. If you can, agree with your caterer how leftovers will be packed for you or given to a local food bank.
Questions to ask your caterer about quantities
- How many grams of each dish do you plan per guest?
- Is the quote based on the guest count or on a fixed weight of food?
- How many times will you refill each dish?
- How do you handle extra guests on the day?
- What happens to leftovers?
We cover more of these in our guide to questions to ask a caterer, coming soon.
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