For a tailgate, plan about half a pound of meat per person, 2 to 3 drinks per person for a 4-hour tailgate plus water, about 2 ounces of chips, half a cup of each side, and 1 to 2 pounds of ice per person, then round everything up by 10 to 15 percent. Lots are cold and people graze for hours, so a tailgate eats more than a dinner party. These are common rules of thumb; adjust for your crew.
Per-person amounts
| Food | Per person | For 12 people |
|---|---|---|
| Burgers | 1½ patties (⅓ lb each), about ½ lb raw beef | 18 patties, 6 lb |
| Hot dogs or brats | 2 | 24 |
| Pulled pork | About ⅓ lb cooked (about ⅔ lb raw bone-in shoulder) | 4 lb cooked, 8 lb raw |
| Wings | About 8 if they're the main, 4 with other food | 96, or 48 |
| Chili | 1½ cups as the main, 1 cup with other food | 18 cups, or 12 |
| Dips | About ½ cup total across all dips | 6 cups |
| Chips | About 2 oz | 1½ lb |
| Sides (beans, slaw, potato salad) | ½ cup of each | 6 cups of each |
| Buns | 1 per burger or dog, plus a few extra | 45 for burgers + brats |
| Dessert bars or cookies | 1 to 2 | 18 to 24 |
| Drinks | 2 to 3 for a 4-hour tailgate, plus water | 30 cans + a case of water |
| Ice | 1 to 2 lb, more on hot days | 12 to 24 lb |
| Plates and napkins | 2 plates, 3 to 4 napkins | 24 plates, 48 napkins |
The buffer rule
- Round up 10 to 15 percent. Someone always brings a friend, and nobody remembers who said they'd bring the buns.
- Kids eat about half of an adult portion. Count two kids as one adult.
- Early kickoff, add breakfast. An 11 a.m. game means people skipped breakfast to get to the lot. See our make-ahead breakfast burritos.
- Night game, plan two rounds. A long afternoon in the lot means a snack round and a dinner round.
Cook for a crowd without running short
- Pick one main that holds. Chili, pulled pork or a pot of brats stays hot and serves itself, so the grill isn't the bottleneck. Our big-batch chili and pulled pork sliders are built for it.
- Grill in rounds. Fresh off the grill beats a pile going cold. Keep the raw meat in its own cooler until each round.
- Two dips beat five. Two good dips in bigger batches go further than five small ones. Try Buffalo chicken dip.
- Hot food stays at 140°F or above, cold at 40°F or below, and anything left out for 2 hours (1 hour over 90°F) gets tossed. See how to keep food hot and how to pack a cooler.
How much meat per person for a tailgate?
About half a pound of raw meat per person is a safe plan: 1½ burgers, 2 brats or dogs, or about ⅓ pound of cooked pulled pork. Go a little higher for a long tailgate or a hungry crew.
How many drinks per person for a tailgate?
Plan on 2 to 3 drinks per person for a typical 4-hour tailgate, plus plenty of water. Many lots ban glass, so pack cans. Check your stadium in our stadium rules table.
How much ice do you need for a tailgate?
About 1 to 2 pounds per person, more on a hot day, plus a separate bag for cups. Block ice in the food cooler lasts longer than cubes. Drinks for 12 need a big cooler: the Taiga 55 is rated for 60 cans, and a wheeled Cordova 50 Outpost saves the haul from the car.
How many wings per person?
About 8 if wings are the main event, about 4 if there's other food. Our grilled Buffalo wings scale from there.
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