How much to buy
Quantity Calculator
Guest count, service style and menu shape turned into a shopping list in kilos, litres and pieces, with the corrections professionals apply for buffets, long nights and hot weather.
What it does
Catering quantities are not recipe quantities. A kitchen buys per guest and per service style, then corrects for the things that change appetite: how long people stand, how hot it is, whether they serve themselves and how many courses came before. This planner uses the same per head figures a professional kitchen works from, and shows the correction it applied.
How to use it
- Set the guest count and the service style
- Choose the courses your menu actually has
- Adjust for children, heat and a late night
- Copy the list into your shopping or into an email to your chef
Notes
- Quantities are raw purchase weights, not cooked yields
- Fish on the bone and meat on the bone carry a 45 per cent loss, which is already included
- Always buy the centrepiece one size larger: a bigger fish or joint costs less per head and cooks better
Planners
Other planners
What it should cost
Cost Planner
A full cost model for a private dinner: food, kitchen labour, service, rentals and logistics, by market and service style.
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Staff Planner
The brigade for your dinner: cooks, servers, bartenders and the captain.
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Drinks Calculator
Champagne, wine, water, spirits, ice and the glass count for a reception, a dinner or both.
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