Birthday Party Drink and Food Calculator
A birthday party for 100 guests, using the default four-hour length, comes to 15 bottles of wine, 9 cases of beer, 6 bottles of champagne, and 8 bottles of spirits, about 380 drinks across a full bar. That total already includes a 15 percent buffer over straight consumption math. Beer leads at 47.8 percent of what gets poured, spirits follow at 26.1 percent, wine at 19.1 percent, and champagne is the smallest share at 7 percent. Scaling runs from about 109 drinks at 25 guests to 706 at 200, taking the beer count from 3 cases to 16.
Food figures on this page assume the dish is the main course. At 100 guests that is 48 pizzas, 108 pounds of wings, 25 dozen tacos, 25 dozen sliders, 24 platters of appetizers, or 33 pounds of pulled pork. Birthday parties vary more by guest list than most events here, so treat both tables as a starting point.
See the whole bar for a birthday party at 100 guests About 380 drinks, wine, beer, spirits and champagne together.
| Drink | 25 guests | 50 guests | 75 guests | 100 guests | 150 guests | 200 guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wine | 5 bottles | 9 bottles | 12 bottles | 15 bottles | 23 bottles | 28 bottles |
| Beer | 3 cases | 5 cases | 7 cases | 9 cases | 13 cases | 16 cases |
| Champagne | 2 bottles | 3 bottles | 5 bottles | 6 bottles | 9 bottles | 11 bottles |
| Spirits | 3 bottles | 4 bottles | 6 bottles | 8 bottles | 11 bottles | 14 bottles |
Every figure is that drink's share of a full bar, with a 15 percent buffer included. Each page also shows what you would need if it were the only alcohol served.
| Food | 25 guests | 50 guests | 75 guests | 100 guests | 150 guests | 200 guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pizza | 14 pizzas | 26 pizzas | 38 pizzas | 48 pizzas | 72 pizzas | 90 pizzas |
| Wings | 31 lbs | 57 lbs | 86 lbs | 108 lbs | 162 lbs | 203 lbs |
| Tacos | 7 dozen | 13 dozen | 20 dozen | 25 dozen | 37 dozen | 46 dozen |
| Sliders | 7 dozen | 13 dozen | 20 dozen | 25 dozen | 37 dozen | 46 dozen |
| Appetizers | 7 platters | 13 platters | 19 platters | 24 platters | 36 platters | 45 platters |
| BBQ/Pulled Pork | 10 lbs | 18 lbs | 27 lbs | 33 lbs | 50 lbs | 62 lbs |
Food figures assume that dish is the main food. Serving several dishes together lowers each one.
Planning notes
- Milestone birthdays such as a 21st, 30th, 40th or 50th tend to run heavier than an ordinary one.
- Birthday parties call for more shots than most other events, so keep shooters in the mix.
Food calculators
Every number here comes from the same model, explained in full on the methodology page.