How to Plan Food for 100–500 Guests in Peshawar

One of the most stressful parts of organizing a wedding or major corporate event in Peshawar is getting the food quantity right. Order too little, and you face a major embarrassment. Order too much, and you waste hard-earned money and good food.

At Wahab Catering Services, we have calculated food for thousands of events. Here is our expert guide on how to accurately plan food for crowds ranging from 100 to 500 guests.

1. The 10-15% Safety Margin

In Pashtun culture, uninvited "plus-ones" or extended family members showing up is extremely common. The golden rule of catering in Peshawar is to always order 10% to 15% more food than your official guest count.

• 100 Guests: Plan for 115.
• 300 Guests: Plan for 340.
• 500 Guests: Plan for 550.

2. Planning by the Daig vs. Buffet

How you serve the food heavily dictates how much you need:

Traditional Daig Service (Taraami / Floor Seating)

When serving food in large platters shared by 4-6 people, portion control is easier to manage. A standard 12kg Daig of Biryani or Pulao will reliably serve 35-40 people.

Calculation for 300 Guests (using Daigs):

• Add 10% buffer = 330 people.
• 330 / 40 portions = roughly 8.5 Daigs. You should order 9 Daigs to be safe.

Buffet Service

Buffets are tricky. People tend to take more food than they can eat, and they want to sample every single dish. If you are doing a buffet, you must order more total food volume than a Daig service. You need enough of *each* dish so that if a guest only eats one item, they won't empty the chafing dish.

3. Balancing the Menu

If you offer too many heavy meat dishes, guests will eat smaller portions of each, leading to a lot of leftovers in various pots. A balanced menu is more economical and satisfying:

• One Primary Carb: Kabuli Pulao or Biryani.
• One Heavy Meat Curry: Mutton Karahi or Beef Korma.
• One Lighter Side: Chicken Tikka, Seekh Kebab, or a vegetable/lentil dish.
• One Sweet: Zarda or Kheer.

4. Don't Forget the Naan!

Bread is often underestimated. For curries like Korma or Karahi, a general rule of thumb is to order 1.5 to 2 Naans per guest. For 300 guests, ordering 500-600 Naans is a safe bet.