Catering Tips - Calculating Food per Person
Having a structured menu is a good way to operate your catering business but you'll still need to modify your operations if a client request custom food orders or customization of your existing menu. Professional Catering Equipment- When that happens you'll need to not only adjust your costs per person based on the modification but also on the fluctuating costs of food prices. Here are some tips to help you sit down and calculate how much food you'll need and how much it will cost per person.
Per person food calculations are integral to understanding how much food you need, the amount of calculated waste, the amount of dishes and settings, prep time, staff and more. Catering Equipment- Don't provide enough in any area and guests will sit hungry with poor service and standing room only. On the flipside, serve too much food and you'll get stuck eating the cost and a lot of leftovers.
Step 1 - Discuss the menu in detail with the client. This will help you determine which dishes are more popular with a particular crowd of people. In the case of a buffet, people will often head for the more popular dishes and take a few ounces more in quantity. Those popular dishes will need to be inflated and extra portions accounted for. Knowing what people prefer will help with that.
Step 2 - You and the client will need to decide which type of catering style is going to be the most appropriate for their guests, the setting and the nature of the event. Most clients won't know if they should go with service staff or a buffet. Make sure you note that a buffet requires larger portions of food as people double up or return for another plate. This will increase the cost of the catering, increases the amount of food per person and increases the likelihood that there will be more food waste.
Step 3 - Make sure you discuss the agenda for the event and the schedule for the evening. It's important to know how the evening will progress, and not just in when food is served. Starting a Catering Business- Having drinks ready during awards, having the cake prepped when it's time to be cut, knowing if appetizers are served, etc all plays into how much food people will eat when the mealtime actually comes.
Step 4 - Make sure you're clear with the client what they should expect in terms of portion sizes. Catering Equipment- Most restaurants bloat the portions for dinners, and a catered event typically uses smaller and more traditional portions. Helping them understand portion size will make it easier to decide on a final maximum number of guests for the event.
Step 5 - It's not uncommon to speak with a client who wants to put out more food simply to offer a range and variety of food to guests. For large offerings, you can reduce the amount of food per person. Use smaller chafing dishes, smaller service trays, etc. This means you can prep less food in advance to save on the risk of food waste.
Professional catering equipment isn't enough; you need to have a full range of catering supplies and more if you're interested in starting a catering business. Contact us today and check out our blog to learn tips and trips to help your catering business succeed. Visit CateringEquipment.com for more info.
