Breakfast Buffet Quantities Calculator
Hosting a breakfast or brunch buffet? Get the eggs, bacon, sausage, pastries, fruit, coffee and juice to buy for your guests.
How it works
per guest: 2 eggs · 2 bacon strips · 2 sausage links · 1.5 pastries · 4 oz fruit · 2 cups coffee · 6 oz juice — all × appetite
Buffets need a little more than a plated meal because guests serve themselves and come back for seconds — plan for hearty averages, not minimums. Eggs, bacon and coffee are the items people most often run short on. Coffee is a big one: assume two 6-oz cups per person, which is roughly a pound of ground coffee for every 24 guests.
Worked example
30 guests at average appetite: about 60 eggs (5 dozen), 60 strips of bacon (nearly 4 lb), 60 sausage links, 45 pastries, 7.5 lb of fruit, 7.5 lb of potatoes, 60 cups of coffee (about 1.25 lb ground) and 180 oz of juice — roughly 1.4 gallons.
Frequently asked questions
How much coffee for a group?
Plan two 6-oz cups per person for a morning event. That is about a pound of ground coffee per 24 guests, brewing roughly 48 cups. Provide decaf and hot water for tea as well.
Why does a buffet need more food than a sit-down meal?
People take generous helpings and return for seconds when they serve themselves, and popular items empty first. Slightly over-catering — especially eggs, bacon and coffee — keeps the buffet from looking picked-over.
How many eggs per person?
Two eggs each is the buffet standard for scrambled eggs. Bump it up for a hearty crowd or if eggs are the centerpiece, and remember a dozen eggs is about a pound and a half of scrambled once cooked.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.