Cheat Sheet

[Robs Smokin Rub]

Winter is coming and maybe one of the master cater guys can put together a cheat sheet for the new guys on the block.
1 Pan of this = ?? People kind of thing. So many pounds of this = ?? peeps.
Then make it a sticky at the top. Then people don't have to ask over and over. Look at the sheet and get your totals.
Just a thought....

 

[HBMTN]

I've thought about this a lot over the years and in my opinion there are just too many variables to get it right. Things like the type group you are feeding, how many sides or meats there are at the event, region a particular item is served, etc. Over all a regular 2.5" hotel pan will have about 50 4oz servings and will feed 50 people as a starting point. From there your individual results will vary. For instance the above hotel pan of beans we find will feed 60-75 guests while the same pan of mac n cheese only feeds 40 guests. Same pan of collards will feed 75 plus guests. Pair collards with mac n cheese as the only two sides you may find a pan of mac will only feed 30 guests.

 

[poorolddan]

This is my thinking also and why I always start with a serving size like 4 ounces. From there I need a lot of info to determine what the client wants. Even the guest list will affect the number of servings in a "pan" unless you have servers enforcing portion control.