How much food per person do you estimate for a buffet?
The amount of food needed per person for catering depends on the time of day, the duration of the event, and the type of gathering; for a buffet, it is determined by how the food is distributed among the platters rather than by fixed portions per guest.
In short: De Catering Compagnon determines the quantity based on your group size and your event schedule. We provide on-site catering in Amsterdam, Landsmeer, and Zaandam. Buffets start at 30 people; barbecues start at 40.
It’s the question that comes up with every request: How much do I need? No one wants to run short, and no one wants to throw half of it away. The answer depends on more than just the number of guests, even for catering for 30 or more people in Amsterdam.
How Much Food Per Person: Timing Is the Most Important Factor
Lunch in the middle of the day is different from a buffet at 7:00 p.m. At lunch, people eat more quickly and then go back to what they were doing. In the evening, people stay seated, chat afterward, and go back for seconds.
A get-together is a different story. Nobody eats a full meal there; instead, people keep snacking all evening. That means eating less at any given time but more over the course of the evening.
Therefore, please include the time and expected duration in your request. That provides a better indication of the volume than the number of guests alone.
Why We Use Portion Sizes Instead of Servings
At a buffet, everyone serves themselves. So there’s no set portion per person: some people take two servings of the same dish, while others try a little bit of everything.
That’s why we divide the food among the serving dishes instead of counting out individual portions. We place several serving dishes for each dish around the table, so that no single dish is emptied within twenty minutes while the rest remain untouched.
For larger groups, that distribution becomes more important than the total quantity. To learn how that works for a large venue, check out our section on catering for 100 people in Amsterdam.
How much food per person for a mixed group?
The type of group makes a difference. A team that sits down to eat after a physically active day eats more than a group that has been sitting around all afternoon. A group with many young people eats differently than a room with a wide age range.
Dietary preferences also affect the breakdown. The number of guests who definitely eat vegetarian meals represents the lower limit for the vegetarian portion, not the final number, because some members of the group will go along with it.
Please specify the quantity for each item in your request. You can read about how we organize hot and cold dishes in the section on the hot and cold buffet on-site.
What You Share and What We Do
The number of guests, the time, the duration, and dietary preferences, including the number of guests with each preference. We use this information to determine the quantities and decide how to divide the food among the platters.
Is the number still subject to change? Let us know as soon as you find out. Since we buy our ingredients daily and prepare the meals ourselves, we can make adjustments right up until the last minute.
We provide buffet service for groups of 30 or more, barbecue service for groups of 40 or more, cold lunch service for groups of 15 or more, and hot lunch service for groups of 20 or more.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much food should I plan for per person?
That depends on the time, duration, and type of group. Please include those three details in your request, and we’ll determine the quantities.
Do you serve fixed portions per guest?
No. At a buffet, everyone serves themselves, so we divide each dish among several serving dishes instead of counting out individual portions.
Does a group eat more in the evening than at lunch?
Yes. At lunch, people eat more quickly and then get back to what they were doing. In the evening, people stay seated and often go back for seconds.
How many vegetarian meals should I order?
The number of people who definitely eat a vegetarian diet is the lower limit. We set the figure higher than that because some members of the group go along with it.
Until when can I change the quantity?
Please let us know about any changes as soon as you find out about them. Since we buy our ingredients daily and prepare the food ourselves, we can make adjustments even at the last minute.
Not sure how much you’ll need for your event in Amsterdam or the surrounding area? Contact us, and we’ll discuss the options and provide you with a customized quote.
