How much pizza?

[fgjhb]

Party for 4 year olds. 15 children and I'm not sure how many adults - could potentially be 30 if both sets of parents for each child come. Plus a few of my (adult) family.
We've got crudités & dips, plus crisps and a few snack things but the main food is going to be pizza.
We're doing food for everyone - grown ups included. I don't think we have enough, my husband does.
3 vegan / gluten free pizzas and 10 normal ones.
I think I should buy more pizzas - AIBU?

Is it a children's party where the parents stay or are the adults actually your friends and invited? If the first, don't feed the adults and average one third of a pizza per child. If the latter, one third per child and half per adult.
We did this and had loads of pizza left over coz the kids didn't eat much.

I'd allow at least half a pizza per adult, plus sides, as you've told the adults you're catering for them. You could prep a couple of bowls of salads, potato salad, maybe even a pasta salad the day before.

It's not clear what size they are but could you get extra and then if they're not needed they'll stay in the fridge and you can use them at home or freeze them.

I wouldn't worry about them all being hot as just do them as and when and put them out. Party food often stays out a while anyway and you can sometimes get more done than you think by arranging them cleverly in the oven.

Don't buy any more pizzas, @fgjhb but you could put out a couple of plates of sandwiches (cheese, ham, jam). Cheaper to make and no need to cook.

Can you get to a Costco? They usually have big catering size ones if you’ve a big oven!

I’m sorry @fgjhb but this has disaster written all over it. In my experience excited 4 year olds will not sit and wait for their pizza. You will get about 20 mins where they will all sit for food and then that’s it. They will be off.

At all the ones we have been to they turn off the bouncy castle (or whatever the entertainment is) to get them to focus on the food and as soon as they’ve eaten a bit they want to carry on.

Pre-prepared cold buffet is easiest or for hot something like hotdogs. Friend did hotdogs (different types) as they had 40 to feed.

We are rural so no delivery options possible though. Sandwiches are king here.

I think this is a very bad idea. How are you going to manage the kids waiting for pizza? Just make some sandwiches, cucumber sticks, Pom bears and haribo.

Also a very dangerous choking risk

I would do some fries or wedges and/or some other picky bits.

Honestly I'd get at least 20 in total but then DH's family have ridiculous appetites.

Do you have a local pizzeria that will deliver trays of pizzas? I found they're cheaper or equivalent to supermarket pizza if you're buying more than 10

Thank you very much to everyone that has replied. I really appreciate all the feedback.

One pizza per 2/3 kids

So for 15 kids get 10 pizzas

You can never have too much pizza. That concept just doesn't exist. 😁😀

You can if you can’t afford it.
Unless you have a professional kitchen you can’t cook more than two pizzas at a time. Pizza is a nice concept for a casual event where everyone is grazing over a long period of time and happy to wait. Not for a kids party.
Every time I’ve catered for little children they’ve barely eaten anything. I’d go with sandwiches, buffet type food you can hand out at the start. I never expected my kids to get a proper meal at a party.

I honestly think so cold pizza as part of a buffet that everyone can dip into.

You don't want to waste being part of your child's party as you're faffing with pizzas.

You can't do pizzas if you can only fit 3 in at a time! Do hotdogs, so much easier. 3 big trays of nachos, dips and hotdogs.

i always overbought fresh ones and then popped in freezer if not cooked. i would have put 3 in. as they came out next 3 in. cold pizza is the best. enjoy party

Just thought I’d update everyone on how it went. The party was on Saturday. I sent my husband to get 2 more back up pizzas, so in total there were 12 regular pizzas, 2 vegan and 1 gluten free.

20 children attended, most of them age 3 or 4 but a few older ones too. I’d estimate there were about 25 to 30 adults.

I cooked most of the pizzas (but not the 2 back up ones) in the hour leading up to the party starting and served cold slices. We also had crudités, dips, spring rolls, cut up fruit, cupcakes, sweeties and a big selection of crisps.

Hardly any of the vegan pizza was eaten (fair enough, there were only 2 dairy allergy children and after tasting it, it wasn’t the nicest) and I’d estimate that there was at least 2 normal pizzas left at the end.

So it turns out I was very unreasonable in wanting to buy more pizza! 8 normal shop size pizzas would have been plenty.

The thing I should have bought more of were melon slices - can’t believe how popular they were!

You served 55 people 8 normal sized pizzas?

8x8 = 64 so 1 slice each with a remained of 9 slices. Plus there was lots of other food.

Most 3-4 year old will not eat more than 1 slice and most parent at most probably just picked.

I wouldn't say that just because you had pizza left that it means you bought enough. People may well have eaten less pizza than they wanted to to avoid you running out.

I wouldn't touch a pizza that had been cooked an hour previously. I detest cold pizza. I suspect many of your guests ate the other things instead for this reason. I do appreciate some people like cold pizza but I think most prefer it freshly cooked.

OP had 4 virtually untouched pizzas + 2 extras because she didn't buy enough food lol.

Only on mumsnet.

Well done, op. Parents never do more than nibble for politeness.

Pmsl at people still trying to tell you you should have bought more 😂