These are just random notes and lists I use when serving food to a large (more than 5 people) group.
How much do People Eat:
We served a taco bar for about 120 people at a wedding. The average person ate 15 ounces of food (including meat and sides).
The Quarter Pounder Rule:
Just like with the burger, the average person will eat about 1/4 lb to 1/3 lb of meat (protein) as long as there are plenty of side dishes (like in a taco bar).
If meat is the main course, people will eat between 8 and 12 ounces (like with steak and potatoes).
Shrinkage:
Some meats can lose a lot when you cook them. You need to be especially aware of this for meats that will be served alone (steaks, bbq, etc.) . It isn’t as much of a problem for meats that will be served in sauces and gravys like taco meat. In fact, I when I use 80:20 ground beef for taco meat, the end product actually weighs slightly more than the pre-cooked weight.
The USDA posts and updates a Table of Cooking Yields for Meat and Poultry. Here is an excerpt:
| Meat | Cooking Yield % |
|---|---|
| Sirloin, Ribeye or Flank Steak – Lean | 84 |
| Brisket Flat – Trimmed | 69 |
| Beef Ribs | 68 |
| Beef Chuck Roast | 80 |
| Beef Arm Roast | 71 |
| Beef, ground, high fat (>22%) | 62 |
| Beef, ground, low fat (<12%) | 69 |
| Beef, rib eye roast, bone-in, lip-on, trimmed | 77 |
| Chicken, broiler-fryer, whole, including skin | 75 |
| Chicken, gizzard, all classes | 55 |
| Chicken, liver, all classes | 62 |
| Lamb, retail cuts, roasts, all samples | 74 |
| Lamb, retail cuts, shoulder, shank, breast, flank | 60 |
| Pork loin, fresh, backribs, bone-in, separable lean and fat | 82 |
| Pork sausage, fresh | 80 |
| Pork, cured, bacon | 32 |
| Pork, cured, ham — water added, rump, bone-in | 87 |
| Pork, cured, ham and water product, shank, bone-in | 82 |
| Pork Chops | 85 |
| Pork Loin Roast | 75 |
| Pork Tenderloin | 80 |
| Pork Shoulder (butt) | 74 |
| Pork Spareribs | 76 |
| Turkey, whole, enhanced, meat and skin | 71 |
- Fatty, Skin-on, and Bone-in meats will lose the most.
- There are a lot of meat “products” with a lot of liquid added. Read the label. This liquid will probably be lost in the cooking process.
- Skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs can lose as much as 40%.
- Bone-in pork butts will lose 40% – 45%.
- Cooking meats to well-done will cause more moisture loss than cooking them medium or medium-rare.
CHIPS:
For Chips, 1 serving size = about 7 chips. The last taco bar we served, the average plate used 1.5 oz (or about 11 chips).
Beverages:
Guests typically drink two drinks in the first hour and 1 per hour thereafter. The number of beverages your guests will drink can be calculated by multiplying the number of guests times 1 plus the number of hours your party lasts. For example, 100 guests will drink 500 drinks in 4 hours. Smaller children are more active and will drink more.
For Adam’s Wedding, we calculated the following:
225 guests for 6 hours will drink 1575 drinks (225 * 7).
We broke down the following percentages (This was weighted heavier toward beer since it was an outside wedding. For a more formal affair, cut the beer in half and double the hard liquor):
| Item | Serving Size | Percentage of Mix |
|---|---|---|
| Beer | can | 43% |
| Wine | 4 oz | 10% |
| Hard Liquor | 1.5oz | 27% |
| Soda | can | 14% |
| Water | bottle | 6% |
We also planned to serve tea and lemonade in large coolers.
Alcohol:
Buy equal amounts of Rum, Whiskey, and Vodka.
Be careful with Tequila because it makes her clothes fall off.
Setups (for alcoholic drinks):
For every liter of hard liquor you serve, you need 3 liters of setups.
We used the following:
| Mixer | Liters for every Liter of Hard Alcohol | Rounded |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet and Sour Mix | 0.11 | 10% |
| Roses’s Sweetened Lime Juice | 0.06 | 5% |
| Grenadine | 0.11 | 10% |
| Cranberry Juice | 0.42 | 50% |
| Pineapple Juice | 0.42 | 50% |
| Orange Juice | 0.42 | 50% |
| Zing Zang | 0.21 | 20% |
| Club Soda | 0.22 | 20% |
| Coke | 0.28 | 30% |
| Diet Coke | 0.28 | 30% |
| Sprite | 0.28 | 30% |
| Tonic | 0.14 | 15% |
Soda (In addition to the soda for mixers):
- Club Soda
- Coke
- Diet Coke
- Sprite
- Tonic
Coffee:
- Don’t forget sugars and creamers.
Water:
Depending on the availability of tap water, you may want to bring some bottled water.
Catering Equipment Checklist:
| Item | |
|---|---|
| 5 day cooler | |
| 5 gallon Canning Pot – For moving water to and from Sous Vide | |
| Apron | |
| Butane Burner | |
| Bus bin | |
| Cutting board | |
| Dish soap | |
| Dish Towels | |
| Extension cord | |
| Food saver | |
| Food saver bags | |
| Fry pan | |
| Gallon pitcher | |
| Gas for burner | |
| Gott cooler x2 | |
| IR Thermometer | |
| Knives | |
| Large SV tub | |
| Lexan SV containers | |
| Paper towels | |
| Pepper | |
| Poultry scissors | |
| Power strip | |
| Rubber / Silicone gloves | |
| Salt | |
| Scotch Brite pad | |
| Silicone trivets | |
| Stock pot | |
| Stock pot lid | |
| SV racks | |
| SV sticks | |
| SV weights | |
| Trash Bag Stand | |
| Trash Bags | |
| Foil Steamer Tray Lids | |
| Fire Extinguisher |
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