June 29, 2010 By Jeff Hurt
Here’s the first in a series of four quick tip sheets for meeting and event professionals regarding food and beverage, and meeting room setups. It’s also a great referral sheet for those appointed to handle meeting logistics for their company’s meetings and need some insight.
Morning Beverages
Amount to serve:
- 1 gallon regular coffee per 30 attendees
- 1 gallon decaf coffee per 75 attendees
- 1 gallon hot water (for tea) per 100 attendees
- Provide soft drinks and bottled water for 25% of the group
Tips:
- 1 gallon fills 21 6-oz cups
- 1 gallon fills 16 8-oz cups
- 1 gallon fills 10 12-oz cups
- Some hotels will let you order half-gallons
- Order bottled water and soft drinks on consumption instead. If you do, be sure toconduct an opening and closing inventory.
Beverages For Breaks
Amount to serve:
- 1 gallon regular coffee per 50 attendees
- 1 gallon decaf coffee per 50 attendees
- 1 gallon hot water (for tea) per 100 attendees
- Provide soft drinks and bottled water for 70% of the group
Tips:
- Order bottled water and soft drinks by consumption
Evening Banquet Beverages
Amount to serve:
- 1 gallon regular coffee per 30 attendees
- 1 gallon decaf coffee per 30 attendees
- 1-2.5 alcoholic drinks per person, per hour at an open bar
Tips:
- 25 1-oz drinks in a 750 mL bottle
- 33 1-oz drinks in a 1 L bottle
- 4-5 glasses of wine per 750 mL bottle
- Size of drinks can vary greatly among bartenders
- Ask bartenders to use a pouring-control system to contain costs
- Conduct an opening and closing inventory to confirm proper amount charged.
Staffing
Service ratios:
- 1 bartender per 75-100 attendees
- 1 cocktail server per 50 attendees
Your mileage for beverages may vary based on length of breaks, outside temperature and male-female mix.
