Expert: Kay Cole - 9/3/2010

Question
QUESTION: My daughter is getting married and she is having a hot sit down supper catered however we are providing the "midnight" lunch to about 250 people.  What quantity of cold cuts and cheese do I need?  Thank you for any guidance you can provide.

ANSWER: Hi ~

What all will you be serving? Also, how do you plan to present - such as sliced deli meats for making sandwiches as opposed to pre-made sandwiches?

K

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Sliced deli meats and cheese, buns, pickles, raw vegetable trays, fruit trays and various slices for dessert. It will be set out as buffet for guests to help themselves.

Answer
Hi again...if 250 is the total expected guest list...I would definitely cut down that number for the late night event in your planning...you may already have considered that by late night... a lot of your guests will be gone by this time, %26 many people do not seem to eat much late (I am not one of those) I would plan for half of the anticipated early number.  Do an Internet search on "amounts of food for a midnight lunch" and you will see that this is the norm of what to expect - and, you might find some helpful hints from other past experiences.

I would figure 4-6 ounces of meat total per person - the more variety of meat, the more quantity you need to provide as you never know what the crowd will hit the hardest. I would estimate between 2 to 3 ounces per person on cheese...more if you are offering several types of cheeses.

I hope these thoughts help!
My best,
K