Alright, so you wanna know how much grub you gotta get for 11 folks for that movie thing, huh? Well, listen up, it ain’t rocket science, but ya gotta think a bit. It’s like feedin’ a bunch of hungry farmhands, only these fellas are makin’ a picture show.
First off, how many times a day these movie people gonna eat? Three squares a day? Or just lunch and maybe some snacks? Gotta figure that out. And what kinda food they want? Fancy stuff or just good ol’ home cookin’ type meals? That’ll change things a whole bunch, you see. If they want steak and lobster, well, that’s gonna cost a pretty penny. But if they’re happy with burgers and fries, that’s a different story.
I heard tell there’s different ways to feed ’em. You can get that caterin’ folks, they bring the food all ready to go. Or you can do it yourself, but that’s a lot of work for 11 people. Caterin’ might be easier, but it’ll cost ya more. They got all sorts of fancy names for their food, too, like “Standard,” “Deluxe,” and “Premium.” Sounds like car washes to me!
Now, some smart folks got these things called “calculators” for food costs. They put in how many folks and what kinda food and it spits out a number. I ain’t never used one of them newfangled things, but I reckon they might help. But even without one, you can figure it out.
- Think about breakfast. Eggs, bacon, toast, maybe some pancakes. That ain’t too pricey.
- Lunch could be sandwiches, chips, maybe some fruit. Again, not breakin’ the bank.
- Dinner’s where it can get expensive. Meat, potatoes, veggies, that kinda stuff adds up.
And then there’s the snacks. Movie folks always want snacks, I hear. Coffee, water, maybe some cookies or chips. Gotta factor that in too. They call it “craft services” I think. Sounds fancy for a bag of chips and some soda if you ask me.
I saw somethin’ about a pound of food per grown-up. Kids eat less, ‘cept for them teenage boys, they eat like horses! So, 11 folks, mostly grown-ups I guess, that’s about 11 pounds of food per meal. Multiply that by however many meals you’re servin’ and you got a start.
Another thing they talk about is this 50/30/20 rule. Sounds complicated, but it ain’t. Basically, it says spend half your money on the important stuff, like food and a roof over your head, 30% on things you want, and 20% on savin’. But for this movie grub, you just gotta figure out how much you can spend on food. Don’t go blowin’ the whole movie budget on fancy eats, ya hear?
So, let’s say you figure on spendin’ maybe $10 per person per meal for somethin’ simple. That’s $110 a meal. Three meals a day, that’s $330. Plus snacks, maybe another $50. So, you’re lookin’ at around $380 a day, give or take. But listen, that’s just a guess. It all depends on what they wanna eat and how fancy you wanna get. If you are doing a real cheap set up for craft service they say that is about 10 dollars per person, but for 11 people maybe is not too much.
My advice? Keep it simple. Good, hearty food that fills ’em up. Nobody needs fancy fixin’s when they’re workin’ hard. And don’t be afraid to shop around. Different stores have different prices. And maybe you can find some good deals on bulk food. That’s what I always did when I had a house full of hungry mouths to feed.
At the end of the day, it’s about feedin’ folks, not impressin’ ’em. Get some good food, make sure there’s enough, and don’t spend more than you gotta. That’s the way I see it.
Tags: [Film Catering, Meal Planning, Budgeting, Film Production, Food Costs]
