How Much Food per Guest for a Christmas Party in Singapore (10, 20 or 30 Guests)
"How much should I order?" is the question that keeps Christmas hosts up at night. Too little and the last guests get scraps. Too much and you're eating leftovers until New Year.
There's no magic formula, but there is a simple way to think about it. Below is our general planning approach, plus the dishes our Christmas bundles include for 10, 20 and 30 guests, so you can see how a spread is sized for each headcount.
Start with the kind of party
Before counting dishes, decide what sort of party it is. This matters more than anything else.
- A meal party (lunch or dinner at the usual mealtime): guests arrive hungry. Plan a proper main and a carb (rice or noodles), something warm, and dessert.
- A mingling party (afternoon or after dinner): guests graze. Lean on bite-sized food (rolls, cups, wraps) and go lighter on mains.
- A long party (an afternoon that runs into evening, or a New Year's Eve countdown): people eat twice. Plan a meal early and keep something to bring out later.
Then count your guests honestly. Older kids and teenagers often eat like adults, so count them in. Little ones can usually share.
How much of each dish per guest
Two of our most popular party dishes come with our own serving guidance:
- Popiah: 1–2 rolls per person (Popiah Set). Plan nearer 2 if popiah is the star, and nearer 1 if there are plenty of other dishes. Our popiah guide has more on how many popiah per person to plan for.
- Kueh Pie Tee: 2–3 pieces per person (Kueh Pie Tee Set).
For everything else, a useful rule of thumb is variety over volume. The more different dishes on the table, the less of each one people take. That's why a bigger party needs more kinds of food, not just bigger trays of the same thing.
What a Christmas spread looks like for 10, 20 and 30 guests
Our two Christmas bundles are built on that idea: each size up adds more dishes to the table.
The Kampung Christmas: local favourites with something warm on the side.
| Guests | What's included | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | DIY popiah (15 rolls), mee siam with prawns, torched teriyaki chicken, roasted almond pilaf, hearty mushroom soup, muah chee | $250.30 |
| 20 | Everything above, with 30 popiah rolls, plus Kueh Pie Tee | $473.70 |
| 30 | Everything above (30 popiah rolls), plus salmon in mushroom kombu sauce, tomato basil soup and Teochew orh nee | $705.00 |
Salmon & Popiah Feast: grilled salmon in mushroom kombu sauce on warm roasted almond pilaf, as the main.
| Guests | What's included | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Salmon in mushroom kombu sauce, roasted almond pilaf, DIY popiah (15 rolls), Kueh Pie Tee, Teochew orh nee | $262.90 |
| 20 | Everything above, with 30 popiah rolls, plus hearty mushroom soup and smoked 'Peking' duck wraps | $576.60 |
| 30 | Everything above (30 popiah rolls), plus laksa, torched teriyaki chicken and muah chee | $787.10 |
These two seasonal bundles are not halal. They are produced in our MUIS halal-certified kitchen.
Notice how the popiah works. At 10 guests, 15 rolls means one and a half each, right in the middle of our 1–2 rolls guide. At 30 guests the roll count stays at 30 (one each), because by then there are four or five extra dishes on the table to fill the gap. That's "variety over volume" in practice.
Both bundles cost 3% less than buying the same dishes separately. If you'd like more popiah, either bundle can be upgraded to Golden Popiah: 15 rolls for $55 more, or all 30 rolls (at 20 or 30 guests) for $110 more.
Somewhere in between? 15, 25 or 40 guests
Headcounts rarely land on a round number. A few practical options:
- Size down and add a set. For 15 guests, a 10-pax bundle plus an extra Popiah Set or Kueh Pie Tee Set adds bites without paying for a whole extra tier.
- Size up for a meal party. If it's dinnertime and your crowd eats well, the next size up gives you more dishes to go round.
- Combine bundles. For 40 or more, two bundles (one of each, for variety) usually beats one huge order of the same food.
Still unsure? Our Party Planner works out how much food to order, with quantities for any headcount. You can also compare both bundles on our Christmas party sets page.
Don't forget the extras
Food is only part of the list. Check you have:
- Drinks and ice. Not included with food orders.
- Cutlery, plates and serviettes. Cutlery isn't included in our bundles; add disposable cutlery at checkout (sold in 10-person sets).
- Serving spoons. Hot dishes arrive ready to serve in black plastic containers, so put one spoon in each.
- Table space. A 30-guest spread has up to ten dishes. Clear more room than you think you'll need.
- Containers for leftovers, so guests can take some home.
Order early, especially near Christmas
Both Christmas bundles need 48 hours' notice and are available from 1 December to 1 January, for delivery or self-collection. For Christmas Eve, order by 22 December; for Christmas Day, by 23 December; for 31 December, by 29 December. For New Year's Day, order by Wednesday 30 December: 3pm for delivery, 5pm for self-collection.
Delivery normally needs a $50 minimum food order. On 24–25 December and 31 December–1 January the minimum is $100. The delivery fee doesn't count toward it, and every bundle size is above it. Self-collection from our Bedok kitchen has no minimum.
FAQ: how much food for a Christmas party
How much food per person should I order for a Christmas party?
It depends on the party. For a meal at the usual mealtime, plan a main, a carb, something warm and dessert. For a mingling party, lean on bite-sized food. As a guide, we suggest 1–2 popiah rolls and 2–3 Kueh Pie Tee pieces per person.
How much food do I need for 20 people?
Our 20-guest Christmas bundles include seven dishes each, including 30 popiah rolls. The Kampung Christmas for 20 is $473.70 and the Salmon & Popiah Feast for 20 is $576.60.
How much food do I need for 30 people?
At 30 guests, both Christmas bundles include ten dishes, so there's more variety on the table. The Kampung Christmas for 30 is $705.00 and the Salmon & Popiah Feast for 30 is $787.10.
What if my headcount is between sizes?
Choose the size below and add an extra set, choose the size above for a hungry crowd, or use our Party Planner to work out quantities.
How far ahead should I order?
The Christmas bundles need 48 hours' notice. Order by 22 December for Christmas Eve and by 23 December for Christmas Day.
