Once I had a potluck dinner party and no one brought anything. I was puzzled, in that I had specified the type of event in my invitation, both written and verbal. Guests said they didn’t know what to bring, and they knew from previous events that I would have enough food for an army anyway.

Guess what? That was the first time I had decided to stay on budget, not go overboard with last minute changes of mind and menu, and made just what the recommended per person serving amounts were. I made a very large pan of Lawry’s famous Sour Cream Tortilla Casserole as a side to barbecued steak and chicken.  I was horrified (mortified) when one guest asked if I had another pan made in the oven, since she didn’t get any!  (Everyone apparently assured her that I had more.)

Needless to say, that party was a hard lesson in the importance of maintaining portion control on the buffet, and in not trusting guests to bring a dish when asked. From that moment on, I always had enough food for an army readily available, and always had more food on hand as backup. Never again was I going to be put in the uncomfortable position of telling a guest that I didn’t have any more of what I was serving (even though she was supposed to bring something!)

Based on that experience, I created a personal guideline and put it in my family cookbook for how much food a typical guest might consume during a buffet (if I’m covering the entire bill and food preparation):

Appetizers/First Courses (per person)
4 oz tossed green salad w/ 2 oz dressing
6 oz. soup or chowder
2 oz. dip
8 pieces of finger food (about a 3-bite size)
4 oz chips/crackers
4 oz. cheese

Entrée/Main Course & Accompaniments (per person)
8 oz. meat/featured entrée
6 oz side dish (rice, pasta, potatoes)
2 hot dogs or bratwurst/buns
½ pound cooked shrimp

Desserts & Beverages (per person)
2 helpings of dessert
12 oz. beverage (per hour)
2 oz. alcohol (per hour)
2 bottles of water

I have used these portions many times, and feel quite comfortable with them as a rule of thumb. There are leftovers sometimes, but not so much that you could feed an army again.

P.S. You might be asking about my previous potluck surprise “why didn’t you find out what everyone was bringing?” Well, we had had so many parties in the past that I just said “bring whatever you feel like, it’s potluck.”

Pot luck, indeed.

Happy cookbooking,

Matilda

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If you enjoyed this article, you might check out:
• Holiday Parties on the Cheap
• Serving Leftovers to Guests
• Double Dipping: Prevention is Worth a Thousand Germs

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