Do children or partners at company events count as full pax?

For events like annual dinners where staff bring family, it's common practice to count children as half a pax for food planning purposes, since portion sizes and consumption are typically lower, though this varies by event and should be confirmed with your caterer.

🔢 Headcount Guide

How Many Pax Should You Order for Corporate Catering?

Q: How many pax should I order compared to confirmed RSVPs?

As a general rule, order for confirmed RSVPs plus a 10% buffer for internal events, and 15-20% for open-invite or client-facing events where uninvited attendees and plus-ones are more likely.

Q: Is it better to over-order or under-order catering?

Over-ordering slightly is almost always the safer choice. Running out of food at a corporate event is visible and embarrassing to every remaining guest, while a modest amount of leftovers is a minor, private cost.

Q: What's the minimum pax for a corporate catering order?

Most caterers set a minimum order around 20-30 pax for buffet-style catering, since setup and delivery costs need to be spread across enough guests to remain economical. Lunch box orders sometimes allow smaller minimums.

✍️ Everyday Catering Team•📅 August 2026•⏱ 5 min read

You have 87 RSVPs for Thursday's town hall. Do you order for 87? Almost never — confirmed RSVPs and actual attendance are two different numbers, and the gap between them is exactly where "we ran out of food" stories come from.

The Buffer Rule

Event Type	Recommended Buffer Above Confirmed Pax
Internal team meeting or training	+10%
Company-wide town hall or all-hands	+10–15%
Client-facing event or open invite	+15–20%
Annual dinner (staff + plus-ones)	+15% (count children as ~0.5 pax)

Example: 87 confirmed RSVPs for an internal town hall → order for roughly 96 pax (87 × 1.10, rounded up).

Why Confirmed RSVPs Always Undercount Actual Attendance

No-shows are rarer than expected: people who said "maybe" often turn up anyway, especially for free food
Uninvited plus-ones happen: colleagues bring a teammate who wasn't on the original list
Last-minute confirmations: some attendees only confirm the morning of, after RSVP deadlines have closed
Walk-ins at open events: seminars and client events especially tend to draw a few unregistered attendees

Why Over-Ordering Is the Safer Mistake

Running out of food at a corporate event is visible to every remaining guest and hard to recover from mid-event. A small amount of leftover food, by contrast, is a minor, private cost — some caterers can also pack extras for staff to take home rather than waste them. When in doubt, round up.

What About Very Small Events?

Most caterers set a minimum order — typically 20–30 pax for buffet-style catering — since setup and delivery costs need to be spread across enough guests to stay economical. If your headcount is genuinely small, lunch box formats usually allow lower minimums than a full buffet setup.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many pax should I order compared to confirmed RSVPs?

Order for confirmed RSVPs plus a 10% buffer for internal events, and 15-20% for open-invite or client-facing events.

Is it better to over-order or under-order catering?

Over-ordering slightly is almost always safer — running out of food is visible and embarrassing, while leftovers are a minor, private cost.

Do children or partners count as full pax?

For events like annual dinners, children are commonly counted as half a pax for food planning, though this should be confirmed with your caterer.

What's the minimum pax for a corporate catering order?

Most caterers set a minimum around 20-30 pax for buffet-style catering. Lunch box orders sometimes allow smaller minimums.

📚 Further Reading

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