When you are planning a party and the number of expected guests reaches 50 people, that is when the party turns into a real catering event. If you have never provided food for such a large party before, you likely will need a little help to ensure that you have everything you need to run the catering smoothly so that guests are satisfied.
One of the most nerve-wracking parts of planning a large party or get-together is making sure that you provide enough food and drink for everyone attending without bringing so many extras that there are large quantities of waste. With some careful planning and charts like the ones below, you can ensure that you provide just the right amount of food and drink.
Most food and drink menu items are measured in ounces, quarts or gallons, while others are typically measured and consumed in pieces or drinks. For example, since 8 ounces of liquor is significantly more alcohol than 8 ounces of beer, and people usually alter their drinking quantities accordingly, drinking fewer ounces of liquor than of beer, alcoholic beverages are measured in drinks rather than ounces. Similarly for hors d’oeuvres and bread – caterers rarely measure these in ounces, so the amounts are given in pieces instead. Caterers can ensure they have enough fruit, meat and sides like vegetables by measuring their ingredient quantities before preparation; for example, make sure you have at least 5 ounces of meat per person before cooking the meat, at which point the weight will begin to change.
How much food you need at a party will depend on a variety of factors. For example, if you are catering a party for football players, you will probably have to provide more food than if you were catering a party for the Red Hat Society. However, for just about any party the following chart lists quantities that are usually sufficient for a two-hour duration:
| Hors D'oeuvres |
100 pieces |
200 pieces |
300 pieces |
625 pieces |
| Main Courses |
250 oz |
300 oz |
350 oz |
n/a |
| Sides |
500 oz |
500 oz |
875 oz |
n/a |
| Fresh Fruit |
225 oz |
225 oz |
225 oz |
225 oz |
| Rolls, Bread or Pastries |
100 pieces |
75 pieces |
75 pieces |
n/a |
| Dessert |
n/a |
75 pieces |
75 pieces |
n/a |
As with food, the amount and type of beverages you need depend on who will be attending the event or party. If you are catering a New Year’s Eve party, for example, you may need extra champagne and alcohol. If, however, you are catering a party for children, you will not need any alcohol and you may want to compensate by providing other special beverage options like chocolate milk or juice boxes. Use the following chart to aid in determining how much drink you need for a two-hour party or duration, but be sure to incorporate other factors into your decision:
| Water, Lemonade, Soda and/or Tea |
1600 oz |
1600 oz |
1600 oz |
1600 oz |
| Coffee |
400 oz |
308 oz |
308 oz |
n/a |
| Alcoholic Drinks |
75 drinks |
75 drinks |
100 drinks |
150 drinks |
| Ice |
38 lbs |
38 lbs |
38 lbs |
75 lbs |
These charts represent typical food and drink quantities needed to cater a party that lasts two hours. Typically, a party that lasts longer will need proportionally more drink and hors d’oeuvres, while the entrée and dessert quantities would remain about the same.
In general, the more food you can prepare ahead of time, the easier the service at the event. However, there are many reasons to prepare certain menu items onsite. Some dishes, such as steak or most fried foods, do not hold and transport well, since they will likely become overcooked in a warmer or grow soggy in a container. In other cases, you may want to prepare on-site to engage attendees and diners, or to save on labor costs. Here are some ideas for preparing menu items on-site:
- Sushi rolling, pizza tossing, flambé, teppanyaki cooking and other exhibition cooking can provide extra entertainment at an event. This will delight guests, keeping them engaged in the food and the creation of their meals. It also ensures that the food is served fresh and hot, and can help save on food costs since dishes can be made to order, reducing waste. Invest in the following to help pull off some exhibition cooking:
- . Use outdoor grills, tailgate grills or outdoor charbroilers to grill on-site at your event. For hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwurst, fish and steaks, you can start grilling about 30 minutes before the event. For slow smoking of ribs, chicken, wings and other barbecue, get started very early in the day or even the night before.
- Save on labor by offering dessert stations where event attendees can create their own desserts. The classic make-your-own dessert station is a chocolate fountain displayed alongside dippers. Dippers can include fresh fruit, cake or brownie pieces, pretzels and more (see What to Serve with a Chocolate Fountain). Other successful do-it-yourself dessert stations include ice cream stations, where diners can add their favorite toppings, or cake and cupcake decorating stations where guests can add their own sprinkles, fresh fruit, chocolate chips and frostings to their personal cakes.
Typically, for catering a party for 50 people, you will need to bring 12 or more full-size food pans filled with food. To keep the food in these pans cool, you will need to bring between eight and 12
top-loaded food carriers, or about four
front-loaded food carriers. Each carrier should be used for either hot food or cold food, but never for both. Additionally, you may want to bring
warmer and chiller packs to help keep your food cold or hot for a longer period of time, especially if the venue is at a far distance from the kitchen where you will be preparing the food.
For transporting your beverages, you will probably need a
5 gallon beverage carrier for each beverage type that you will be serving. If you are going to serve only one cold, non-alcoholic drink, you will need a
10 gallon beverage carrier to transport it all and provide enough beverage for everyone.
You will typically need only one buffet for serving 50 people. The buffet can be set up on a 6- to 8-ft
banquet table, which should be covered with
table skirting. For full-service catering, bring
beverage tubs or
beverage dispensers,
chafing dishes and reusable catering dinnerware. For drop-off catering, bring
aluminum food containers, disposable table linens,
disposable party tableware and
paper beverage dispensers, since you will not be able to return to pick up your buffet ware.
When catering outside for a picnic or outdoor party, you will need to bring a few special items to ensure that all health and fire codes are met and that none of your equipment or supplies will become damaged. Here are some extra items you can bring for outdoor catering:
- An event tent will allow you to shelter the buffet, dining area and kitchen at an outdoor event. This is especially important if you will be creating a temporary outdoor kitchen or if no shelter is available at the event location.
- An ice caddy lets you to keep ice cold for long periods of time, even in the hot sun.
- If there is no outdoor hand sink available at the event location, a portable hand sink must be used to meet most health codes.
- Easily portable, a tailgate grill can be driven straight to the grilling site at an outdoor party, picnic or reception.
- For outdoor areas with open-flame restrictions, electric chafing stoves should be use in place of gas chafing fuel.
- If you will be using a chocolate fountain on a windy day, a chocolate fountain wind guard must be used to ensure that the chocolate will not blow sideways and spill outside of the fountain bowl.
These guidelines will help you cater a party for 50 people without running out of food and drink or encountering unexpected obstacles. By following these tips, you may have some food and beverage left over, but in a pinch you will be able to accommodate extra guests or diners that are hungrier or eat more than expected.
Visit our Catering Specialty Store for everything on your catering equipment and catering supplies checklist.
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