Tips for Planning Portion Sizes

Tips for Planning Portion Sizes When You as the Party Host Must be Your Own Caterer and Chef


Whether hosting a small cocktail party for eight or an elaborate feast for 50, the host or hostess who cannot afford the luxury of hiring a professional caterer is immediately faced with three key questions: What should I serve? How much do I need to prepare? And how do I figure portion sizes? There are methods to calculate portion sizes, but before picking up that recipe book and planning a menu, there are several considerations that one must address.

Whether hosting a small cocktail party for eight or an elaborate feast for 50, the host or hostess who cannot afford the luxury of hiring a professional caterer is immediately faced with three key questions: What should I serve? How much do I need to prepare? And how do I figure portion sizes?

If you try to calculate food portions based on what you might receive at a restaurant, in particular when we live in an era of 'super size' meals, you may be inclined to purchase and prepare more food than you need. This contributes to a waste of time management, food and financial resources. If you purchase and prepare too little food, obviously you're going to run out, leaving you and your guests with a terrible experience.

"One thing that immediately comes to mind is an episode on the hit television program, 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show,' where Mary throws a small dinner party and her boss Lou Grant, played by Ed Asner, takes two portions and is forced to put one back because Mary will run out of food," said Greg Jenkins, partner of Bravo Productions, an award-winning, full-service event planning and production company specializing in staging corporate functions nationwide. "Mary is obviously embarrassed by the incident. And while this makes for great comedy, I still cringe when I think this scenario actually happens in real life."

Many food recipes will provide you with servings, however, prior to planning your menu and determining how much food you will need to purchase and prepare, there are several considerations that you should address says Jenkins.

First, always create an informal profile of your guests. For example, are there a bunch of young, hearty eaters attending your functions, or a lady's social club? Younger adults, teenagers and men tend to eat more than seniors and women. "And if you have hearty eaters, you may have to allocate an additional 1.5 times the amount in portions for each guest," said Jenkins. The demographic profile should also take into consideration the type of meal preferences of your guests. Is it more of a beef eating or crudite crowd? "If given a choice between fresh jumbo shrimp or a vegetable platter as appetizers, you can imagine the shrimp will go fast," said Jenkins. The key is to know your audience. Secondly, the time of day will play a factor in determining portion sizes. Guests are inclined to be hungry around traditional meal times such as noon and 5:00 p.m. So if you're hosting a dinner at 6:00 p.m., you can imagine most of your guests will arrive with hearty appetites. Thirdly, the type of occasion will have an impact on the amount of food you will need to provide. Guests tend to eat more at weddings where there is a relaxed atmosphere with heavier drinking than at social luncheons where lemonade and iced tea is served. In addition, at functions where guests are continuously involved in physical activity, food consumption will be much higher and constant. Fourthly, the duration of time your function will take place is a component in determining how much food you will need to make available. The all-day picnic buffet where food platters are set on a table for self-service by your guests entices people to eat more in comparison to the 2-hour hors d'oeuvres only cocktail party, where appetizers might be tray-passed. Guests' eyes are typically bigger than their stomachs at buffet-style meals. In that, it's quite common for guests to take larger portions than they can actually consume. And lastly, be honest in evaluating your culinary capabilities and skills. More specifically, if you prepare a dish or two that you are not proficient in making -- even some might find less than tasty -- your guests will be inclined to eat more of one particular item, which again may result in you running out of food quickly.

The following tips are guidelines to help you determine food portion sizes and make your occasion as carefree as possible:

Hors d'oeuvres Only Cocktail Party -- 12 Pieces per person for the first hour (8 hot; 4 cold) and 6 pieces per person every hour past the first hour.

(Example: 30 guests x 12 pieces = 360 hors d'oeuvres for the first hour needed.)

Hors d'oeuvres Before Dinner -- 6 to 8 hors d'oeuvres per person for 1-hour to 1.5 hours of service. When shrimp is served, plan on 4 pieces per person for the first hour.

(Example: 30 guests x 6 pieces = 180 hors d'oeuvres for 1-hour.)

Salads and Side Dishes -- 5 ounces per person if serving multiple salads and/or side dishes. If only a tossed salad or one side dish, calculate half a pound (.50) per person.

(Example: 30 guests x .30 (multiple side dishes) = 9 pounds needed.)
(Example: 30 guests x .50 (single salad/side dish) = 15 pounds needed.)

Entrees -- 6 ounces per person if one entree and 4 ounces per person if two entrees, including salmon, beef and poultry.

(Example: 30 guests x .50 (one entree) = 15 pounds needed.)
(Example: 30 guests x .25 (two entrees) = 7.5 pounds needed.)

Desserts -- The rule of thumb is typically 5 bites each per person. Dessert selections can vary. To simplify this calculation, round cakes usually serve 12 people and pies serve 8.

(Example: 30 guests divided by 12 servings = 2.5 or 3 cakes needed.)
(Example: 30 guests dividied by 8 servings = 3.7 or 4 pies needed.)

Tips By: Bravo Productions. Founded in 1987, Bravo Productions is headquartered in Southern California and has regional offices in Las Vegas, Washington state and Colorado.