Quick answer: how much food per person?
As a general rule of thumb, plan for:
- 6–8 canapé pieces per person for cocktail events (2 hours)
- 10–12 canapé pieces per person for full evening events (3+ hours)
- 3–4 sandwich points or 1–2 wraps per person for lunch
- 100–150g of grazing food per person as a standalone meal
- 1 full main + 2 sides per person for sit-down catering
Those numbers come from a decade of catering hundreds of Melbourne events — from baby showers to funerals to corporate Christmas parties.
Why getting the quantity right matters
Under-order and hungry guests leave unhappy. Over-order and you've blown the budget (and created food waste). Professional caterers obsess over per-person ratios because they directly drive guest satisfaction and your return on spend.
Quantity by event type
Canapé / cocktail events
| Event length | Canapés per guest |
|---|---|
| 1 hour (pre-dinner) | 4–5 |
| 2 hours (cocktail hour) | 6–8 |
| 3 hours (evening event) | 10–12 |
| 4+ hours (reception, as main meal) | 12–15 |
Mix savoury (70%) and sweet (30%). Browse our canapés collection for inspiration.
Lunch catering
Plan for 3–4 ribbon sandwich points per person, or 1–2 wraps, or 1 hearty individual lunch pack, plus 1 piece of fruit and 1 sweet item. See our full lunch catering menu.
Grazing platters
As a standalone meal: 100–150g per person. As an accompaniment: 60–80g per person. One of our Ultimate Grazing Platters serves 8–10 guests as a standalone snack, or 12–15 alongside other catering.
Breakfast catering
- 1 pastry + 1 fruit skewer + coffee/tea per person (light breakfast)
- 1 hot item + 1 pastry + fruit + coffee (full breakfast)
See our breakfast catering options.
Roast / hot mains
- 150–200g of protein per person
- 2 sides, approx. 80g each
- 1 bread roll or starch per person
Factors that change the numbers
- Time of day — lunch guests eat more than morning-tea guests.
- Duration — longer events need more food.
- Demographics — sporting clubs and male-heavy crowds eat more than afternoon-tea demographics.
- Weather — hot days = less protein, more fruit.
- Alcohol — events with alcohol typically need 20% more food.
Always add a 10% buffer
Unannounced guests happen. Late RSVPs happen. A 10% buffer protects you — and leftovers rarely go to waste at a celebration.
Three common mistakes
- Under-ordering sweets. Guests always eat more dessert than hosts predict.
- Over-ordering hot food. Hot items cool quickly; stick to 1 hot item per 4 cold.
- Forgetting dietary guests. Always order at least 10% vegetarian and 5% gluten-free, even if no one declares a requirement.
Let a professional do the maths
At R&S Sandwiches, every quote we send includes our recommended per-person ratios based on your event type, duration and guest profile. You don't guess — we do the numbers for you.
FAQs
Q1. Is it better to over-order or under-order?
Slightly over-order (~10%). Running out of food is the fastest way to ruin an event.
Q2. Do you offer per-head pricing?
Yes. Every one of our catering packages is priced per head with clear minimums.
Q3. What if I want plenty of leftovers?
Tell us — we'll scale to 1.5× standard ratios.
Book with confidence
Stop second-guessing quantities. Let R&S Sandwiches build you a perfectly portioned menu.
📞 Call 0435 592 736 · 🛒 Browse our catering menu
R&S Sandwiches — a family-run Melbourne catering company based in Narre Warren, serving homes, workplaces and venues across Greater Melbourne since 2016.
