Graduation party food: how much for an open house

Step 1: how many to plan for

Iowa State Extension’s advice: plan for about 60% of the guests invited to an open house. People drop in for an hour, eat a little and move on to the next party. An invitation list of 100 means planning food for about 60 — and if your family’s parties always draw a crowd, plan for more. For a sit-down party with RSVPs, plan for everyone who said yes.

Step 2: the main dish

Sandwiches are the open-house standard because they hold and serve themselves. Iowa State plans 3 to 4 oz of meat per sandwich, 1½ to 2 oz per slider and 4 to 6 oz burgers. Pulled pork is the most popular choice, and the one where the raw weight surprises people: a bone-in pork shoulder gives only about half its weight as cooked meat (USDA Food Buying Guide). For 50 sandwich eaters that is about 26 lb of raw shoulder — see how much pulled pork for 50 people. Deli sandwiches instead are worked through in how many sandwiches for 50 people, and sliders in how many sliders for 50 people.

For a backyard open house with a grill going, how much food for 20 people at a BBQ shows the cookout version; for a no-cook option, a long sub from a deli — see how many people does a 6 ft sub feed. A grazing table works too: charcuterie board for 50 people.

Step 3: sides and snacks

• Iowa State’s figures for 50 guests: potato salad 12½ to 15 lb, coleslaw 13 to 17 lb, baked beans 2½ gallons (20 to 25 lb).
• Sides in general: 4 to 6 oz per person, two or three sides.
• Fruit and vegetable trays fill a lot of plate for a drop-in crowd.
• Chips: about 1 oz per person (Clay County quantity table).

Amounts for your own count are in the side dish calculator; how much potato salad for 50 people and how much baked beans for 50 people show the math.

Step 4: cake and dessert

Iowa State lists a half sheet cake at 24 to 50 servings (its guide gives the pan as 13 × 18 in; this site uses Wilton’s 12 × 18 in half-sheet pan) and a full sheet (18 × 26 in) at 48 to 100, depending on whether you cut 2 × 3 in or 2 × 2 in pieces. By Wilton’s chart, a one-layer 12 × 18 in half sheet gives about 36 party-size slices. Cupcakes are easy for a drop-in crowd: plan one to one and a half each. See how many people does a half sheet cake feed and how many cupcakes for 50 people.

Step 5: drinks and ice

Iowa State’s guide lists 6 oz of punch per person — 3 to 4 gallons for 50 — and, for a hot afternoon, up to two bottles of water and two cans of soda per person per hour. Most open houses land well below that ceiling, because guests stay an hour or so. Plan the punch with how much punch for 50 people and the ice with the ice calculator: Reddy Ice suggests 1 to 2 lb per guest.

Step 6: keeping it safe all afternoon

An open house runs longer than the 2-hour limit for perishable food at room temperature. Iowa State suggests chilled serving trays or ice platters for cold foods; keep hot food at 140 °F or above in slow cookers or roasters. Put food out in rounds — the first hour, the middle, the last hour — and replace pans rather than topping them up. The party food safety guide has the details.

A shopping list for 60 guests (100 invited)