How Much Food Do You Need Per Person? A Practical Catering Guide for Montreal Events

One of the hardest questions when organizing an event is surprisingly simple:

How much food should I order per person?

Order too little and the buffet can look empty before every guest has eaten. Order far too much and you may end the evening with trays of unnecessary leftovers.

Whether you are organizing a birthday party in Montreal, an office lunch in Laval, a family gathering on the West Island, a baby shower in Brossard or a corporate event in Downtown Montreal, estimating food quantities is one of the most important parts of catering planning.

This guide explains how to estimate catering portions, what changes those estimates and how to plan a practical menu for approximately 10, 20, 30, 50 or more guests.

At Pierina – Plats Maison, our approach is built around homemade food, generous portions and menus adapted to the occasion, guest count and event format.

How Much Food Should You Plan Per Person?

There is no universal number because a cocktail reception, office lunch and sit-down family dinner have very different requirements.

As a general planning framework, a full meal may include:

These figures are planning estimates rather than fixed rules. The appropriate quantity depends on the menu, serving format, time of day, age mix, length of the event and number of dishes being offered.

Catering for 10 People

For a small dinner or gathering of approximately 10 guests, simplicity usually works best.

Instead of ordering many different dishes in small quantities, consider building the meal around:

one substantial main dish + one complementary side + vegetables or salad + an optional dessert.

A small gathering could therefore feature homemade lasagna or chicken as the centrepiece, accompanied by vegetables and a fresh salad.

For groups this size, a focused menu generally makes portion planning easier and reduces unnecessary leftovers.

Catering for 20 People

Once the guest count reaches approximately 20, variety becomes more useful.

A practical menu could include:

• two main options;
• one or two sides;
• a substantial salad;
• bread or another accompaniment;
• dessert.

Providing two mains can also help accommodate different preferences without turning the buffet into an unnecessarily complicated menu.

For a birthday, anniversary, retirement party, baby shower, baptism, graduation or family celebration, this format gives guests some choice while remaining manageable for the host.

Catering for 30 People

At around 30 guests, food planning becomes more operational.

The question is no longer simply how many kilograms of food you need. You should also consider:

How will people move through the buffet?

Will every dish be served at the same time?

Does the food need to stay warm?

Are guests eating seated or standing?

Are there children?

Are vegetarian choices required?

Does the venue have enough refrigerator or reheating capacity?

A well-designed catering menu considers both food quantity and the practical logistics of serving it.

Catering for 50 People or More

For approximately 50 guests, small estimation errors become much more significant.

Adding just 50 extra grams per guest creates another 2.5 kilograms of food.

For larger events, it becomes particularly important to establish:

• confirmed guest count;
• adult/child mix;
• event duration;
• lunch versus dinner;
• buffet versus individual portions;
• number of appetizers;
• number of main dishes;
• vegetarian requirements;
• allergy information;
• dessert requirements;
• delivery or pickup timing;
• available refrigeration and reheating facilities.

For corporate events, office celebrations, conferences, training sessions, holiday parties and larger private events, these details should ideally be established before the final catering order is confirmed.

Lunch Catering vs Dinner Catering

Not every meal requires the same portions.

Office Lunch

A corporate lunch often needs food that is satisfying but convenient to serve and eat.

Bowls, salads, pasta, chicken dishes, sandwiches, soups and individually portioned meals can work particularly well for office settings.

Dinner

Dinner is usually the main meal of an event and may justify a more substantial combination of protein, starch, vegetables and salad.

Cocktail Reception

Cocktail events work differently.

Instead of one large plate, guests eat several smaller items over time. The number of bites required depends heavily on whether the reception replaces dinner or takes place before a separate meal.

Brunch

Brunch can combine breakfast and lunch foods and often benefits from smaller portions across a greater variety of dishes.

Buffet or Individual Portions?

This decision can significantly change how much food you need.

Buffet Catering

Buffets allow guests to choose what and how much they want.

They work especially well for:

• family gatherings;
• birthday parties;
• anniversaries;
• office celebrations;
• holiday gatherings;
• community events;
• informal weddings;
• graduation parties.

The advantage is flexibility. The challenge is predicting which dishes will be most popular.

Individual Meals

Individual meals provide much more precise portion control.

They can be useful for:

• corporate meetings;
• training sessions;
• conferences;
• working lunches;
• executive meetings;
• productions and crews;
• situations where people eat at different times.

Individual portions also simplify distribution when the organizer knows the exact guest count.

What Makes Guests Eat More or Less?

Guest count alone does not determine food quantity.

Time of Day

A midday office lunch may require less food than a long evening celebration.

Event Duration

A two-hour gathering and a six-hour event should not necessarily use the same assumptions.

Number of Courses

Appetizers, soup, salad, main course and dessert distribute consumption across several courses.

Guest Profile

An event with many children can require different portions from an adult corporate dinner.

Alcohol

Events serving alcohol often benefit from sufficient substantial food throughout the event rather than relying only on light appetizers.

Number of Menu Choices

Offering many dishes can increase the total quantity required because guests often sample several options.

How Much Food for a Montreal Office Lunch?

For office catering, practicality matters almost as much as taste.

Food should ideally be:

• easy to distribute;
• easy to serve;
• appropriate for the available space;
• easy to identify;
• manageable during meetings;
• suitable for the number of participants.

For a small meeting, individually portioned meals or bowls may be practical.

For larger team lunches, trays and family-style dishes can simplify service.

For executive meetings or client events, presentation may become more important.

Pierina can build custom catering proposals based on the event date, headcount, location and requirements.

Don’t Forget Dietary Requirements

One of the most common catering-planning mistakes is asking about dietary needs too late.

Before confirming your menu, ask guests about relevant:

• allergies;
• vegetarian preferences;
• other dietary restrictions.

Do not assume that simply removing an ingredient makes a dish safe for someone with a food allergy.

Always communicate allergy information directly to the caterer before ordering.

Catering for Birthdays and Private Parties in Montreal

For birthday catering, the menu should match the style of celebration.

A casual family birthday may work beautifully with homemade pasta, chicken, meat dishes, salads and vegetables served family-style.

A cocktail birthday may require appetizers and smaller portions.

A children’s birthday may need a simpler menu.

A milestone birthday may justify a more elaborate presentation.

The same principle applies to anniversaries, engagements, retirement parties and other private celebrations: the menu should follow the event, rather than forcing every event into the same catering package.

Baby Shower and Bridal Shower Catering

Baby showers and bridal showers often happen during late morning or afternoon.

That makes lighter combinations especially practical:

• salads;
• sandwiches;
• bowls;
• pasta;
• vegetable dishes;
• small appetizers;
• desserts;
• brunch-inspired dishes.

Presentation can also play a larger role because food often becomes part of the visual experience of the celebration.

Graduation Catering in Montreal

Graduation season often brings together extended families and groups of different ages.

Buffet-style food is particularly practical because guests can serve themselves and choose the dishes they prefer.

Homemade trays, pasta, meat or chicken dishes, salads and sides can create an informal meal without requiring the host to cook throughout the celebration.

Retirement Party Catering

A retirement celebration can range from a small office lunch to a large evening event involving colleagues, friends and family.

For an office retirement lunch, individual meals or easy-to-share trays may be sufficient.

For a larger retirement party, a complete buffet with several mains, salads, sides and dessert can provide greater variety.

Funeral and Memorial Gathering Catering

Food can also play an important practical role after a funeral, memorial or celebration of life.

Families often need something that is easy to organize and serve without creating additional work during a difficult day.

Simple homemade dishes, sandwiches, salads, soups, pasta and shareable trays can help provide guests with a comforting meal while keeping logistics manageable.

Holiday Catering in Greater Montreal

Seasonal events create their own catering requirements.

Throughout the year, Montreal-area households and businesses organize gatherings around:

Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, Canada Day, summer gatherings, Thanksgiving, Halloween events, Christmas parties, Réveillon and New Year’s celebrations.

Corporate calendars also include employee appreciation lunches, year-end parties, product launches, client events and team celebrations.

Ordering earlier is especially important around popular holiday dates because kitchen capacity and delivery schedules are finite.

Montreal Catering: Delivery Distance Matters

Pierina prepares food from its kitchen in Laval and serves eligible locations throughout Greater Montreal.

Depending on the event and delivery availability, requests may come from areas including:

Montreal, Laval, Downtown Montreal, Old Montreal, Plateau-Mont-Royal, Mile End, Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, Villeray, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Saint-Laurent, Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Westmount, Verdun, LaSalle, Lachine, Anjou and Montreal-North.

The wider service area can also include communities such as:

Longueuil, Brossard, Saint-Lambert, Boucherville, Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Terrebonne, Mascouche, Repentigny, Blainville, Sainte-Thérèse, Boisbriand, Saint-Eustache, Deux-Montagnes, Pointe-Claire, Dorval, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Kirkland, Châteauguay, Candiac, Vaudreuil-Dorion and other communities within approximately 50 km of the Laval kitchen, subject to delivery eligibility.

For an event, providing the postal code when requesting a quote makes it easier to confirm delivery feasibility.

How Far in Advance Should You Order Catering?

There is no single ideal lead time for every event.

A small office lunch may be easier to accommodate than catering for a large Saturday celebration.

The safest approach is to contact your caterer as soon as you know:

1. event date;
2. approximate guest count;
3. location;
4. event type;
5. preferred serving style;
6. dietary requirements;
7. approximate budget.

Larger events and popular holiday dates generally benefit from earlier planning.

How to Avoid Over-Ordering Food

More food is not automatically better catering.

Excessive ordering increases cost and food waste.

Instead:

Confirm your guest count. Avoid planning from the invitation list if you already have RSVPs.

Build a balanced menu. More dishes do not necessarily create a better event.

Consider the event schedule. Guests who have already eaten appetizers may need less food during the main course.

Tell the caterer about children. Ten children should not automatically be calculated as ten adult portions.

Be realistic about dessert. If there is a large birthday or wedding cake, additional desserts may require smaller quantities.

How to Avoid Running Out of Food

The opposite problem is equally important.

Do not calculate portions using only the smallest possible serving size.

Instead, consider:

• how long the event lasts;
• whether food is the central activity;
• whether alcohol is served;
• whether guests have eaten beforehand;
• whether the event occurs during a normal meal period;
• whether guests can return for seconds.

A good catering estimate should provide reasonable flexibility without turning the event into a mountain of leftovers.

Catering Planning Checklist

Before requesting a catering quote, prepare the following information:

Event date and time

Complete delivery address and postal code

Expected guest count

Number of children, if relevant

Type of event

Lunch, dinner, brunch or cocktail

Buffet, trays or individual meals

Dietary requirements and known allergies

Preferred dishes or cuisine

Budget range

Pickup or delivery

Required serving time

Providing this information from the beginning can make the catering proposal much more accurate.

Homemade Catering from Laval to Greater Montreal

At Pierina – Plats Maison, catering begins with the same principle behind our weekly meals: food should feel like someone genuinely cooked it for the people around the table.

Our Laval kitchen prepares homemade food for private celebrations, family gatherings, corporate lunches, office events and special occasions throughout Montreal and Greater Montreal.

Rather than starting with a one-size-fits-all package, catering can be planned around the number of guests, occasion, food preferences and practical requirements of the event.

Planning an Event in Montreal or Laval?

If you are organizing an office lunch, birthday, anniversary, retirement party, baby shower, bridal shower, graduation, family gathering, memorial, holiday party, corporate event or private celebration, start with four pieces of information:

your date, your location, your guest count and the type of meal you want to serve.

From there, Pierina can help determine a practical menu and quantity for your event.

Request a catering quote from Pierina – Plats Maison and tell us what you’re planning.

Good food should make hosting easier—not give the host another job.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much catering food should I order per person?

The quantity depends on the event format and menu. A complete meal generally requires more food than a cocktail reception, while a buffet may require different planning from individually portioned meals.

How much food do I need for 20 guests?

For approximately 20 guests, consider two mains, one or two sides and a salad, then adjust quantities according to portion size, event duration and whether appetizers and dessert are served.

How much food do I need for 50 people?

For 50 guests, calculate each component separately and confirm the number of adults, children, vegetarians and other dietary requirements. Larger events benefit from a detailed catering plan rather than one general food estimate.

Does Pierina offer catering in Montreal and Laval?

Pierina – Plats Maison prepares homemade catering from its Laval kitchen for eligible locations across Montreal, Laval and surrounding Greater Montreal communities.

Can I order catering for an office lunch?

Yes. Corporate lunches, meetings, training sessions, employee events and other business occasions can be planned according to guest count and service requirements.

Can catering menus be customized?

Menu planning can take the occasion, guest count, budget and dietary preferences into account. Contact Pierina with your event details to discuss the available options.

Does Pierina deliver catering outside Montreal?

Delivery can extend to eligible communities across Greater Montreal within approximately 50 km of the Laval kitchen. Availability should be confirmed using the complete event address and postal code.