Potluck Calculator

Never end up with six pasta salads again

The hardest part of hosting a potluck isn't the cooking, it's the coordination. Invite everyone to "bring something" and you'll get a table of desserts and no main course, or enough chips for a stadium and nothing to drink. This Potluck Calculator does the balancing for you: it looks at how many mouths you're feeding and how many hands are helping, then splits the menu into mains, sides, desserts and drinks so every category is actually covered.

How the servings math works

We plan each category by servings per guest, not just one dish per person. Mains are counted at 1.25 servings a head, sides at 2 (people always take a little of each), desserts at 1.5, and drinks at 2 per guest. Your contributors are spread across the menu too, roughly 30% on mains, 35% on sides, 20% on desserts and 15% on drinks, so a big group naturally gets more variety. Each result card shows how many dishes to assign and how many servings each of those dishes should stretch to. These are planning estimates, not exact catering figures, so lean generous for hearty eaters.

How to use it

1. Enter the total number of guests attending.
2. Enter how many people are actually bringing food or drinks.
3. Read each category card: the big number is dishes to assign, the note is servings per dish.
4. Divvy up the assignments in your group chat and adjust for any known big appetites.

FAQ

What if only a few people are cooking?

Each category always shows at least one dish, and the servings-per-dish number rises so those cooks know to make larger batches.

Should the host count as a contributor?

Yes, include yourself in "people bringing food" if you're making a dish.

Does it cover kids?

Count children as guests. For a mostly-kid crowd you can safely drop the guest number a little, since they eat smaller portions.

How many drinks per person?

We plan two servings per guest. Add more for hot weather, long events, or if you're serving alcohol alongside non-alcoholic options.