Proper Preparation?

Let us assume you have a dining room that seats three hundred guests. This will be a Friday night in an area that likes their fish platters. Along with the filets that will be hand breaded, you have four sides to choose any two items to go with the plate. We cannot forget that there are those who do not like fish and will choose other items off the menu. The question here is how much of the side items does one make and how much fresh fish do you purchase? The answer may surprise you. Wait for it. You are wrong no matter what you do. You will either purchase too much or too little of everything. Why? Because the customers that night want that fancy new grilled ham and cheese sandwich you came up with or they just want a cheeseburger. On the other hand, you maybe only allowed for 75% of the customers to order the fish platter and 90% want it. Either way, you are wrong. Proper preparation starts with your best guess and work from there.