The rules of thumb, in the open
How the planner counts
These are the rules of thumb the planner uses, printed from the same numbers it calculates with. They are this site's planning assumptions for an average crowd, not facts from any authority and not a caterer's quote. Adjust for your guests: big eaters, teenagers, a long afternoon or a hot day all need more.
People
- A child under 12 counts as 0.5 of an adult for food. Children count fully for drinks, tableware and seats.
Food
| Full meal: starters | 4 bite-size pieces a person |
|---|---|
| Full meal: main dish | 6 oz cooked weight an adult |
| Full meal: sides | 3 sides, 4 oz of each an adult |
| Full meal: rolls and dessert | 1.5 rolls and 1.25 dessert servings a person |
| Heavy snacks instead of a meal | 12 pieces a person for the first 2 hours, 4 each hour after, 1 dessert |
| Light snacks | 6 pieces a person for the first 2 hours, 2 each hour after |
| Dessert and coffee only | 2 dessert servings a person, 1 cup of coffee or tea an adult |
| Potluck | one dish feeds about 8 people |
Drinks and ice
| Drinks | 2 a person in the first hour, 1 each hour after |
|---|---|
| With alcohol | about 50% of an adult's drinks; children's drinks are never counted as alcoholic |
| Water | 8 oz a person an hour, doubled above 90 °F |
| Ice | 1 lb a person, doubled above 90 °F, counted in 10 lb bags |
Budget split
Food 50%, drinks and ice 25%, tableware and decorations 10%, and 15% kept back for the unexpected. It is a starting point; the planner does not know prices where you shop.
Facts with a source
- Perishable food should not sit out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90 °F; hold hot food at 140 °F or hotter and cold food at 40 °F or colder (USDA FSIS).
- The nine major food allergens are milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame (FDA).
- A US standard drink is 12 oz of 5% beer, 5 oz of 12% wine or 1.5 oz of 40% spirits, so a 750 ml bottle of wine pours about 5 (NIAAA).
Links are on Sources. The planner uses fixed rules, not AI.