[Sca-cooks] Fair feast budget

[a5foil]

Of course it depends on your menu, but I think you've pretty much got it --
$6 a head is tight, $7 a head is reasonable. That should be enough to cover
your estimated half-price kids and comps easily. At $7 a head I almost
always come in under budget, unless the price of something spikes
significantly between planning and buying. But that is food only, not
disposables -- I generally ask for an additional $1 a head for stuff like
that, though I don't usually spend all of it.

Planning an economical menu is definitely important, but the real trick is
correct portioning. I've seen way too many cooks figure that people will eat
X amount of something when the average portion actually consumed is half of
that. And then they end up with lots of leftovers. Not everyone eats like a
starving fighter. Also it is sometimes better to buy smaller amounts at the
grocery than way too much at the warehouse or wholesaler. (If you need two
bunches of parsley for garnish, don't buy a case!)

Cynara