Party Food Guides

Guides vs. calculators: when to read each

Our calculators answer the quick question of how much to buy for a given number of guests. The guides below tackle the parts a single number cannot: how to balance a menu so the table has variety, how to stretch a tight budget, how to keep food safe across a long event, and how to plan around picky eaters or dietary needs.

Read a guide when you are still shaping the plan, deciding which dishes go together or how much to spend before you commit. Once the menu is set, switch to the tools: run a food calculator for each dish and a drink calculator for the beverages, and you will have a shopping list with no leftovers and no last-minute runs to the store.