Group meal planner
Estimate servings, packages and cost using your own caterer’s portion information.
Plan from the package’s published yield
Multiply guests by servings per guest, add your chosen allowance, and divide by the published servings per package. The calculator rounds the package count up because a partial package is not assumed to be purchasable.
The package yield describes what the caterer publishes, not how much every guest will eat. Decide whether you are planning a snack, a main meal or several courses. Drinks, dietary alternatives, delivery, utensils and service charges need their own budget.
A practical example
For 20 guests, one serving each and a 10% allowance, the target is 22 servings. Packages that serve six require four packages, providing 24 published servings. At $45 each, the food cost is $180, or $9 per guest.