Party Food & Drink Planner
How it works
Each estimate starts from a per-guest planning ratio for a few-hour event, then scales with the event's length: food at roughly 0.75 lb per guest, and both non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks at roughly 2 servings per guest, all relative to a 3-hour baseline. A 6-hour party doubles those amounts; a 90-minute one halves them. Ice is estimated at about 1 lb per guest on its own, since it needs to cover keeping food and drinks cold, not just what lands in a cup.
Frequently asked questions
Are these exact amounts I need to buy?
No — they're planning estimates meant to take the guesswork out of a shopping trip, not precise requirements. Guest appetites and drink preferences vary a lot from group to group, so treat these numbers as a solid starting point and adjust for what you know about your own crowd.
Why does a longer event need more food and drink for the same number of guests?
A longer event gives the same guest list more opportunities to eat and drink — a 6-hour party sees roughly twice the eating and drinking of a 3-hour one, even with nobody eating any faster. So food and drink amounts scale up or down with the event's length, proportionally to a 3-hour baseline.
Why is ice estimated separately from the drinks?
Ice isn't just what goes in a glass — keeping both food dishes and a drink cooler or cooler full of bottles cold takes more ice than the servings alone would suggest. So ice is estimated per guest directly, rather than as a fraction of the drink totals.