Food quantities for a conference

[crosspelican]

I have to order food for a day long academic workshop on Saturday for 25 people. All academics, mostly men (not all, thank goodness!) - is this enough food, or too little? It's the lunch that I'm mostly worried about. How many triangles + portion of salad will people eat?

Thank you!

Morning snack = 25 mixed pastries from Tesco + tea/coffee + orange juice
£25

Lunch from M&S:

Classic Sandwich Selection (30 Pieces) x 2
Vegan Sandwich & Wrap Platter (20 Pieces)

Deli-Style Coleslaw (Serves 6-8)
Baby Charlotte Potato Salad (Serves 6-8)
Super Nutty Wholefood Salad (Serves 6-8)
Tomato & Mozzarella Salad (Serves 6-8)

Mini Chocolate Cups (27 Pieces)
Mini Fresh Fruit Kebabs (16 Pieces)

Total: £102

The sandwiches are triangles - so 30 pieces = 30 triangles, i.e. I imagine most will eat 3-ish + salad.

The little chocolate cups are more of a sweet "bite" rather than a slice of cake. And then the fruit kebabs as an alternative.

Afternoon break = Some tubs of bites from Tesco/M&S + tea/coffee
£8?

On finish: Prosecco from Aldi (£7 a bottle x 5) - £35
2 platters of canapes from M&S - £30

Then an hour later off for the conference dinner at a local chain Italian restaurant

Totals:
£25 for morning snack
£102 for lunch
£8 for afternoon bites
£35 for prosecco
£30 for canapes

£200

I imagine most will want 4 sandwiches, I.e. a proper round. I would get more sandwiches plus some crisps.

Also more than 25 pastries for the morning, someone will want more than one

I would add in some crisps and a green salad to lunch and double up your other salads. Add a second dessert.

great - thank you. I knew as I hit post that if I had to ask, I was probably ordering too little!!

Great call re. crisps - I wouldn't have thought of that.

Also re. pastries - I'll have £25 to spend in Tesco around the corner from the conference venue, so I'll get as much as I can with that.

Thank you!

Oooh - double up the salads too, you think?

If you are advertising it as a ‘morning snack’ rather than ‘breakfast’ then I expect most people will have had a small something before arriving and I wouldn’t cater for people to have more than one pastry. In fact, I’d probably get a packet of biscuits in case somebody didn’t really fancy a whole pastry between their breakfast and lunch.

Yes to crisps too.

Apart from that OP I think you’re catering well and it’s plenty of food? The average person will be having for the day: breakfast before arriving, a pastry, three sandwich triangles + salad + crisps, a small cake, a few cake/biscuit bites, canapés and a sit-down restaurant meal. Sounds fine to me!

If you haven't ordered the M&S food yet, I'd probably reduce the cake bites, fruit and one or two of the salad platters and get another tray of sandwiches, plus you're already adding crisps aren't you?

We do a lot of male dominated training courses in my office and a lot of them don't really touch the sweet stuff or salads. Sandwiches and crisps far more popular.

I'd also look at Morrisons if you're struggling with a budget - similar stuff to M&S, quality not noticeably different but far cheaper.

Well the thing with the salads is that people will have a spoonful of each and if you imagine it laid out 4 pots of salad between 25 won’t be a lot.

How about some mini cheese and onion / sasauge rolls

I’d also allow 4 sandwhich triangles each at lunchtime, double up the salads and double up the pastries. Morrison’s buffets are cheaper than M&S if you are in a budget.

We do in house training so have to provide the food
where are people eating , will they be sitting down or wandering around? , what plates and cutlery do you have?
I wouldnt bother with the saalds tbh , crisps , sausages rolls , pork pies maybe
We have done ploughmans before thats gone down well

You don’t need to spend £25 on morning snack. Tesco’s do a box of 5 mini pastries for 1.20, I’d buy 7 of those, a big bag of apples, satsumas and bananas then you could also have an option of a piece of fruit that could be rolled over to lunch. With the savings pad the lunch out a bit.

Are you near a Lidl? Their pastries are awesome and very reasonably priced. I agree with getting some fruit in too though.