Expert: Teri Davis Newman - 10/22/2009

Question
I have seen several responses where you provide a 4 oz per person serving size to calculate necessary amounts for a party.  How many side dishes is this based on?  Also does it vary on the dish?  Obviously 4 oz of potato salad is very different than 4 oz of tossed salad.  Thanks!

Answer
Please explain to me how 4 oz of potato salad weighs more than 4 oz of tossed salad.

If you had read the previous answer you refer to, you would have seen that 4 oz of side dishes is the rule UP TO THREE sides. If you have 4, you lower the serving amount size per item.
Your average person will eat about 12-14 oz of food at a sitting and the rest is waste.  A big eater might eat 20 ounces in a sitting but most people can eat that much. The average stomach size is equivalent to a pair of fists.  This is why salad is filling--the weight is the same but the VOLUME IS MUCH GREATER. However, it is mostly water so it is digested quickly and doesn't keep one satiated for more than 3-4 hours.
I love buffets because I can taste rather than EAT. I went to a buffet at a Sunday brunch that had 100 different food items and I went through and took tiny portions of everything that appealed to me--the first bite or two is always the tastiest!  I took about 2 bites worth of everything and it was great--plus I wasn't so stuffed I couldn't walk!!
Here's the rule of catering portions again:
7 ounces of cooked meat entree
4 ounces of each side dish up to 3
3 ounces of salad greens
1- 4 ounce dessert serving
6-8 appetizer bites per person
16 oz of non-alcoholic beverage
2 oz of chips per person
1 oz of dip per person
Multiply the ounces times the number of guests and then divide by 16 to give you pounds of food and the beverage by 128 to give you the number of gallons of beverage you will need.