How the planner counts
Every line uses the same rules as the food pages: guests times the portion, adjusted for kids, appetite and serving style, plus the cushion, then divided by the cooked yield and rounded up to the way the store sells it. The list is grouped by store aisle so you can shop it top to bottom. See the full method and sources.
Party menus to start from
One food at a time
Planner questions
How does the party food calculator handle two main dishes?
When the menu has two or more mains, each one gets an equal share of a full portion, plus 10% because most guests take some of each. Sides, desserts and drinks aren't split.
How are kids counted?
Each kid counts as half an adult for food, and as none for beer and wine.
What does party length change?
Drinks scale with the length of the party; the per-guest drink rules are set for a 4-hour party. Food doesn't change with length.
What's the cushion?
A little extra on every line so a hungry crowd doesn't run you out. It starts at 10% and goes from 0 to 25%.