Planning a kiddush: quantities, timing and what actually gets eaten
A kiddush is a different problem from a Shabbos meal. People graze standing up, they eat far less than they would sitting down, and the table has to look untouched an hour after it opened. Here is how we plan them.
5 min read · updated 17 August 2026
How much people actually eat standing up
Plan on about half of what the same person would eat sitting at a table. What matters much more than volume is variety and how the table looks — a kiddush with six well-presented things beats one with three big trays.
For a shul kiddush of fifty, we would typically build around four or five salatim with fresh bread, a substantial meat item like deli roll or cigars, one composed salad, a kugel cut small, and something sweet.
The things that always run out first
Anything you can pick up without a plate goes first: cigars, deli roll, anything cut into squares. Dips with fresh bread go quickly too. Composed salads that need a fork and a plate go slowest.
If budget is tight, put it into the handheld items and keep the fork-and-plate dishes modest. It will feel more generous for the same money.
Timing and presentation
Cut kugels and anything sliced before it goes out, not during. A tray that has to be cut in front of people looks picked-over within minutes.
Hold back roughly a fifth of each item and refill part-way through rather than putting everything out at once. It costs nothing and the table looks full at the end rather than raided.
If you tell us the headcount and the room, we will tell you honestly what we would order, including where to spend less.
Rather not work it out?
Our packages are balanced for the number of people they name.