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Buffet vs Plated Calculator

Same guests, both service styles: food with waste, servers by ratio, equipment. Which is cheaper and by how much.

Set-up to breakdown.

$/h

Buffet

$
%

Buffets need 10 to 20% more food than plates.

1 server per 40 guests is standard.

$

Plated

$
%

Portioned plates waste little.

1 per 20 for plated, 1 per 16 for a formal service.

How this is calculated

Food = per head × guests × (1 + waste). Servers = guests ÷ ratio, rounded up. Labour = servers × hours × wage.

Difference = plated total − buffet total. Positive means buffet is cheaper.

Prices are before GST/HST. Add tax on top of the price shown, never inside your margin. Estimates, not advice.

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Verdict

Buffet is cheaper

$507 difference for 120 guests

Buffet saves$507
Buffet total
$5,474
Buffet per head
$45.62
Buffet servers (3)
$432
Plated total
$5,981
Plated per head
$49.84
Plated servers (6)
$864
Conservative yearly leak$5,068

What picking the dearer style by habit costs across a year of events, halved because some clients will insist.

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