SHOP MY TABLE ESSENTIALS:
Recently I have been getting questions on how much food should you get for your grazing table, whether it be for parties, baby showers, or even cocktail hour of your wedding reception. After digging around for some information (and the info is all over the place with different measurements) this is what I would recommend.
How Much Food Should I Plan for my Grazing Table?
These numbers do NOT equate to a wedding reception dinner, or a full dinner party – I only estimated for heavy appetizers, or hors d’oeuvres.
Most of the information I came across seemed to agree that people would eat 3-5 appetizers PER HOUR at an event.
Crackers/bread/baguette – 3 crackers/slices per guest per hour.
Fruits/Veggies – 2-3oz per person
Meat – 4 oz per person
Cheeses – 3 oz per person
Chocolate – 2 oz per person
Dips/hummus – 2 oz per person
Condiments – 1-2 jars per condiment depending on size of party {people tend to eat the mustard and honey the most}
Filler Foods – {nuts/pretzels/dried apricots/olives- etc. etc. etc.} 3/4 cp per person
Keep in mind you want to have enough flowers, serving platters, and layering platters to be able to take up space so you don’t have any holes in your table!
If there are any other questions that come up please feel free to leave them in the comments or email me!
For more information on making your own Grazing Table you can check out:
How to Create a Grazing Table Your Guests Will Never Forget (Includes Great Tips for any table)
The Ultimate Grazing Table Grocery List (I break down everything that I use and put it in a PDF format!)
How to Host the Perfect Bruschetta Board and Rosé Soiree (a great alternative to a traditional grazing table)
SHOP MY TABLE ESSENTIALS:
Thank you for this post! It looks wonderful!
How long did you leave the food out? Did you find anything need to be cared for differently? Refrigerated etc?
Thank you!
Kimberly,
So usually early in the morning I will set up the non-perishables – the baskets, platters, vases (without flowers), etc. etc. that way I can get a lay of the table. Then I give myself 2-3 hrs before the party to take my time to add the flowers and food. I haven’t had any issues BUT I have them in my home which is temperature controlled. I add the meats and cheeses last. To make life easier I will cut the cheeses ahead of time (early morning or night before) just so i can throw them out when it’s time to set up 🙂 I hope this helps!
It does help, thank you!
We are planning on doing this for a gallery show so food may be out for 4 hours or so.
Again thank you!
oh that’s wonderful! that will be perfect for a gallery show!!
I know this can vary greatly, but how much do you estimate the grazing table you have above costing per person? It looks incredible! Thanks for your help!
Erin,
Hi! I honestly have no idea, I dont know where you are located and how things are priced there, or what kind of grazing table you are making (charcuterie style, breakfast style, etc. etc. etc.) I suppose you would have to list out your items and go to the store to check prices to see estimates. you can cut costs here and there, its just a matter of where you want to cut costs at?
I would make a list and estimate for 10 people and get prices, then I would break the price down per person and go from there – that way at least youll have a basic chart! Wish I could help more with this for you!
i have made these many times just for our group-about 14-20 people. I use mare costly meats and cheese, so a large platter can run from $30-50 .
i can pull off that price for a charcuterie board but its always more costly for a grazing table – if you can do it thats amazing!
This cant be the right calculations or it would be thousands of dollars for a larger party..
If I have 100 people for a 3 hour party, times 4oz of meat per person that alone is 1200 ounces of meat!?
Please clarify.
Heather, first thank you for stopping by the blog, however i am not a caterer. these portions are what i found by doing research as a GUIDE. there are a lot of different things at play here – is this a cocktail party or are you only having this food at the party? is it afternoon or dinner time? do you REALLY expect all the people to eat the full potions each hour. are you also including more filling portions like breads, and crackers? there are a lot of ways to dice this and this post was a jumping off point for anyone trying to figure things out.
My guess is that you are doing a cocktail party….so if i were you i would scale back on meat portions, and add more nuts, breads, veggies etc etc. you could also add in dips like hummus to take up space and it is more filling and a protein. 🙂 whatever you decide to do i hope you enjoy your party!!
Hello, I am doing an outside wedding in April in California for approximately 100 people as a mixer hour during pictures. I am seriously crazy, as I am the bride and we are doing it ourselves. i am cutting the portions you put in half. How early can I put the meat and cheese out prior to the ceremony? we will be keeping it covered until after the ceremony but I do not want it looking old.
Suzanne,
I would put those items out last minute…these tables take a little time to set up so I hope people are helping you set up so you can prepare for your big day? As for your other questions i’m not sure how to answer this? will the table be outside? will it be hot? and it should be fine throughout the night – i wouldn’t be eating off of it the next day though…
Hello Shannon.
Your creations seems amazing. Can you suggest something to cover the food so flies and bugs wont be on the food?
Grazing tables are so large and I cant find a decent food covering for the table.
Thanks,
Nell
Nelly, thanks so much! well the idea is you set it up immediately before the event…it cant really just sit out….
Hi Shannon!
I’m setting up my own grazing business in the uk. Was wondering what you use to put ON the table sa whenever people start to pick food the holes or spacer dont look sa bare?
Hola Shannon!
I have been requested to work on a Wellness retreat for about 30 guest appx.
Is going to be for 3 days, including BF, Lunch and Dinner.
My question is how would you place a graze table for BK, Lunch and Dinner. Do you break the graze tables after each meal?
I could do the traditional way of platting but that is more work and less exiting for me.
Any pointers.
Thank you.
I would def break/ it down to keep it fresh. Check out this article I wrote in terms of how much food to get: https://shannonshipman.com/how-much-food-grazing-table
have fun!
Are these amounts all per hour per guest? Or when you say, for example, 3-4oz of meat per guest, is that for the whole event?
Thanks for clarifying!
This says 4 oz of meat per person. If I have 4 kinds of meat, does that mean 4 oz of each kind? Please email me your response thank you!
Emily