Catering Calculator

Calculate commercial catering quantities by headcount.

Scratchpad (not saved)

guests
lbs

Protein per person (0.33-1lb typical)

lbs
lbs
lbs
%

Extra food buffer percentage

What This Calculator Does

Calculate commercial catering quantities by headcount.

It combines Number of Guests, Protein Per Person, Starch Per Person, Vegetables Per Person to estimate Total Protein, Total Starch, Total Vegetables.

Formula & Method

For each category, total with buffer is Q=Guests\cdot q_{pp}\cdot\left(1+\frac{Buffer}{100}\right) and total food is the sum of all category quantities.

Notation used in the formulas: R = Total Protein; x_{1} = Number of Guests; x_{2} = Protein Per Person; x_{3} = Starch Per Person; x_{4} = Vegetables Per Person; x_{5} = Salad Per Person; x_{6} = Buffer Percentage.

Method summary: inputs are normalized to consistent units, core equations are evaluated, then secondary values are derived and rounded for display.

Use this calculator for quick scenario analysis. Start with baseline values, change one driver at a time, and compare how sensitive the results are to each input shown above.

Inputs Used

  • Number of Guests: Used directly in the calculation.
  • Protein Per Person: Protein per person (0.33-1lb typical)
  • Starch Per Person: Used directly in the calculation.
  • Vegetables Per Person: Used directly in the calculation.
  • Salad Per Person: Used directly in the calculation.
  • Buffer Percentage: Extra food buffer percentage

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