Adjust for your crowd
Enter how many of your guests are kids; each counts as half an adult.
Plates chart: 10 to 200 people
tap a row for its own list ↓| Guests | Plates | Packs of 50 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 people | 22 | 1 |
| 20 people | 44 | 1 |
| 25 people | 55 | 2 |
| 30 people | 66 | 2 |
| 40 people | 88 | 2 |
| 50 people | 110 | 3 |
| 75 people | 165 | 4 |
| 100 people | 220 | 5 |
| 150 people | 330 | 7 |
| 200 people | 440 | 9 |
How many people do 50 plates serve?
plates
Feeds about 16 people.
Everything else for 20 people
How we got this number
- 120 guests × 2 = 40 plates
- 2× 1.10 cushion = 44 plates
- 3÷ 50 per pack = 0.9 → 1 pack of 50
we round up to whole packs of 50.
Sources for this rule: Chinet bridal brunch guide; Chinet cocktail party guide; PureWow; www.mychinet.com.
How to set up a buffet table: the most-watched videos
Videos from YouTube, picked by us from the most-watched on the topic; view counts as of October 2026. We don't make these videos and aren't paid for them. Pressing play loads YouTube.
Plates questions
How many plates per person?
Plan on 2 plates per person.
How many plates for 100 people?
Buy 220 plates: 5 packs of 50. That's 2 per guest, plus a 10% cushion.
How many people do 50 plates serve?
Feeds about 16 people.
Should kids count as a full person?
Count each kid as half an adult. Add them in the Kids box and the shopping list updates.