Barbecue catering calls for a little math before the brisket arrives. Order too little and people start politely eyeing the last few slices. Order too much and you’re finding room in the fridge for a second party’s worth of leftovers. The good news: you don’t need to predict exactly what every guest will eat. You just need a solid starting point.
For a meal with sides, plan on about ½ pound of cooked meat per adult. That’s roughly 8 ounces total across all the meats you’re serving, not 8 ounces of each meat. From there, adjust for your crowd, your menu and the kind of event you’re hosting.
Start With the Meat
For a typical lunch or dinner buffet, 6 to 8 ounces of cooked meat per adult is a useful range. Aim toward the lower end for a shorter office lunch with plenty of sides. Aim toward the higher end for a long party where guests may come back for seconds.
Serving brisket, sausage and pulled pork? Divide the total amount among those choices, then give a little more room to the meat you expect to be most popular. If brisket is the reason everyone accepted the invitation, an equal split may leave you with plenty of sausage and a very brisket focused conversation.
Ribs need their own calculation. Bones account for some of their weight, so a pound of ribs won’t feed the same number of people as a pound of sliced brisket.
Give Sides Their Due
People come for the smoked meat, but they build a plate. At Sonny Bryan’s, the classic barbecue catering packages include potato salad, coleslaw, BBQ beans and fresh baked rolls, along with sauce, a relish tray, cookies and iced tea. That full spread matters when you’re deciding how much meat to order: a guest with brisket, beans, potato salad and a roll has a meal.
Think about how the meal will be served, too. At a quick work lunch, most guests will make one plate and head back to the day. At a backyard party with food out for hours, people may graze, return for another helping or build a second sandwich once the conversation gets going.
Count the Guests Who Will Actually Eat
Your RSVP number is a starting point, not the whole equation. A guest list with several young children may need less food than the same size group of hungry adults. A party that begins between meals may also eat differently from one where barbecue is dinner.
Before you place the order, ask yourself:
- Is this a full meal or one part of a larger spread?
- Will guests have time to return for seconds?
- Are many of the guests children?
- Are you hoping for leftovers?
That last question is entirely respectable. If tomorrow’s brisket sandwich is part of the plan, say so when you order.
Let the Menu Do Some of the Work
There’s a difference between ordering enough food and ordering everything possible. A few well chosen meats give guests options without turning portion planning into a spreadsheet project. Sonny Bryan’s offers barbecue catering packages with various meat selections, so you can choose a lineup that suits the group.
For an office lunch in Plano, two or three meats may be plenty. For a family celebration in McKinney, you might want more variety, especially if people will be eating over a longer stretch. The same thinking applies to events in Frisco, Richardson, Addison and across Dallas: the right amount depends more on how people will eat than on the size of the guest list alone.
When in Doubt, Ask the People Who Feed Crowds
The ½ pound guideline gets you close but your final order should account for the guest mix, meat choices and the event itself. Sonny Bryan’s catering team can help you turn a headcount into a menu, whether you’re feeding a meeting in Dallas or hosting a party in Plano, McKinney or elsewhere in DFW.
Call us at 214-353-0027 or fill out our online form to get in touch with our catering team. And if you’re in the Dallas area, come visit us at one of Dallas’ oldest and iconic restaurants on Inwood Road, open 24/7/365 for barbecue pickup or barbecue delivery. We cater beyond Dallas – reach out to us for barbecue catering in Richardson, Plano, Fort Worth, Frisco, Addison and beyond!
