How Many Wings for a Party?

For a party of 100 guests, plan on somewhere between 30 and 128 pounds of wings, depending on the event. A wedding shower needs about 30 pounds, a wedding runs closer to 59 pounds, and a Super Bowl party, the highest of any event we calculate for, calls for about 128 pounds; graduation parties, 4th of July cookouts, and Labor Day parties each land around 98 pounds. The gap reflects how long the party runs and how much of the meal wings are carrying.

Wings are ordered by weight rather than by piece, figured at 10 servings per pound. When wings are the main dish, plan for 10 servings per person; when they are one of several dishes on a buffet, that drops to 6 servings per person, since guests fill up on other food too. A 15 percent buffer is already built into every total, so you do not need to pad the numbers yourself. Whatever the event, keep a warming tray going so the last batch out of the fryer holds up as well as the first.