How do caterers know how much food to make?

I recently attended a corporate meeting which consisted of 300 people.

How do they know how much food to make for those 300 people? What is involved?How do caterers know how much food to make?
It's sort of complicated. If it was a plated meal it's easier to figure out. Say the meat is grilled chicken breast. Everyone gets one. I'd make 350 anyway, you never know when a server might drop a tray or something weird happens. And say the side was rice pilaf. We'd use a 4 oz. scoop, so make a little more than for 300 to account for spillage or overfilling the scoop. Anyway, if it was buffet, that's where it gets a bit trickier because you don't know how much people will take, so you make even more. And then the kitchen/waitstaff gets to have dinner too with whatever wasn't taken.



I did not give anyone thumbs down.
It's called portion control. It makes no difference whether you serve 6 people or 600. We had a catering business for years.

What is involved is a lot of hard work and enthusiasm for what you do. We worked very long hours but it is very rewarding once everything is set up. To be successful you have to be good and take pride in what you do.How do caterers know how much food to make?
Lots of trial and error. Over the years there are formulas that are pretty much followed between what types of food and drinks are being served, to what age groups are being served. And most the times they are figured pretty well.