Enough food??

[autienotnaughty]

Buffet for 8 adults-

750g ham
12 bread rolls
24 Chinese pastry's
2 large pizza cut in to 12 pieces each
12 garlic dough balls
Bowl of salad with cous cous
5 bowls of nibbles
Bread sticks and humous
Packet of cured meats
Cheese
Olives
Condiments/pickles

Was this enough? I thought it was loads but it went so quickly. I had extra snacks to replenish the bowls but I felt bad there wasn't more food. Everyone said it was great but usually a buffet doesn't empty instantly. We ate at 4pm .
Aibu to think I supplied enough food?

For 2-3 hours that’s plenty. For a do that going on more than 4 hours probably double that as people will be grazing for the entire time and probably get through the equivalent of 2 platefuls rather than one.

For 2-3 hours that’s plenty.

I don't think it is because the numbers are all weird. 12 dough balls between eight adults, for example, or 1/4 of a pizza each. It's not enough so the first few people up will take more than that and leave the rest to go without.

That would be enough for me, but my appetite is reduced at present.

Especially if they've been drinking they would wolf it down. Ah well, lesson learned! Miles more dough balls and rolls and perhaps a few extras like potato salad, coleslaw and sliced jacket potatoes filled with cheese, bacon etc, fruit.

Apologies if you did do coleslaw, I'll go back and check. Very sleepy over the festive season!

I meant overall it would be plenty for a couple of hours. Not everyone will have every single thing offered, for various reasons.

I meant overall it would be plenty for a couple of hours

It might be just enough for some people, but there's no way the amount in the Op can be described as plenty.

Depends on the context- if people came over for a couple of hours in the afternoon and would be eating lunch and dinner elsewhere it’s fine. If you invited them at 4pm to celebrate new year and that was all the food for the whole evening it’s nowhere near enough.

It's not plenty of food for eight adults who may not have eaten lunch/who won't be eating dinner afterwards.

Yes, not everyone will take everything but you should still be providing enough of everything for people to have whatever they like.

@margotrose I agree it's nowhere near enough, I was replying to a poster who said it would be plenty.

If it was for the whole evening it might be best to stagger it a bit? So main buffet out first then more food later.

Forgot there was cheese and crackers too!

Two desserts and chocs

How long were your guests over for?

@idontlikealdi

I had similar at my son's christening. I put it down to dh side being greedy.

After the first plateful there was some ham, four bread rolls, salad, meats, cheeses, breadsticks left.

So all the bowls of nibbles and oven foods had gone .

The party was from 2pm onwards. A couple of people left around 5 the rest stayed all night.

The plan was leave the food out and replenish nibbles. But I ended up cooking pizzas, wedges and chicken strips at 9pm

I also forgot to buy breakfast stuff🤦‍♀️

The party was from 2pm onwards. A couple of people left around 5 the rest stayed all night.

Oh dear I thought you were going to say it was just a few hours. But if most of the guests were staying all night then I definitely think you under catered and i'm not surprised you ended up cooking more.

The party was from 2pm onwards. A couple of people left around 5 the rest stayed all night.

Yeah, sorry OP but that's nowhere near enough food for 10+ hours.

I wouldn't say it's enough. Ideally, you need enough for people to choose what they have, not take stuff because it's all that is there. Then you really need to decide how many of each thing people might eat, then add ⅓ on. Better to have too much than too little.

If there were people staying all night and you put the food out late afternoon then you probably needed double the amount with half put out mid-evening. It would have been enough for a party lasting a few hours,

Definitely not enough. I'm a fat bastard though and usually go back 3 times to a buffet

Oh come on, you can't possibly have thought that would be enough for a ten hour party! Get real!

That’d be enough for a lunch but not an early dinner if people were staying, I’m not surprised you had to cook again later. I don’t know many people who would eat a light-ish buffet at 4pm and NOT be hungry a few hours later, especially if people were drinking.

Personally, no.. not enough

The extra food was definitely needed. It was over tea time and went on to supper. We would have decided between us and gone for Scouse or chicken curry with crusty rolls/naan for supper.

If it was for people’s main tea I’d have done more but I always prefer to overcater than undercater!

According to the update the Op thought it would be enough to last guests 10 hours.