Catering for a group is a maths problem, and getting it wrong in either direction is expensive.

Cups Are the One People Underestimate

Not because people drink a great deal, but because they put a cup down, forget which was theirs, and take another.

Two to three cups per person over an evening is a realistic figure for a standing party, and it can be higher.

Anything that lets people identify their own cup reduces it substantially: a marker for writing names, coloured lids, or charms.

Working Figures

• Cups: two to three per person for an evening
• Plates: one and a half per person where there are courses
• Cutlery: one and a half sets per person
• Napkins: three per person, which sounds excessive and is not
• Ice: considerably more than you think, around a pound per person
• Non-alcoholic options: at least a third of what is available

Guides that do the quantity arithmetic by headcount, of the kind at vitever.net, are more useful than a general rule because the ratios differ by type of event.

Standing or Seated Changes Everything

A seated meal has predictable consumption: one plate, one set of cutlery, a glass refilled.

A standing party generates far more waste per person, because everything is put down and abandoned. Plan for the format rather than the headcount alone.

Non-Alcoholic Options

Worth planning properly rather than as an afterthought.

People are driving, pregnant, on medication, in recovery, or simply not drinking. Having appealing options rather than tap water is basic hospitality.

Water available and visible throughout matters, and food alongside drink slows absorption and keeps an evening pleasant.

Serving Responsibly

Where alcohol is served, a few practical things help.

Measured serves rather than free pouring, so people can track what they have had. Food available throughout. A plan for anyone driving, and the number of a taxi firm.

Never top up a glass that has not been emptied, since it makes it impossible for anyone to know what they have drunk.

Buy Where Returns Are Possible

The practical trick for anything shelf-stable. Overbuying costs nothing if unopened stock can go back.

Prep Days Ahead

Anything that can be done in advance should be, since the day itself always runs short.

Somewhere for Waste

Bins in visible places, emptied during rather than after. It is the difference between a tidy party and a two-hour clear-up.

Count Twice

Once for the headcount, once for the format.