How Many People Does a Bushel of Oysters Feed?

When you are planning an oyster roast, its important to order the right number of bushels as you don’t want to run out too soon, nor do you want to have too many left over, although one for the next day is always nice.  This can be tough to do, but, if you have an accurate count of how many people you are expecting, you can get it close. 

We generally say that one bushel will feed between four and six people depending on what other food you are serving.  For example, if you are having 40 people to your roast and are also serving chili and hot dogs, I would order six or seven bushels of oysters.  If you are having 40 people to your roast and are serving nothing besides oysters, I would order 10 bushels.

One of my favorite things to hear people say, and I hear it a lot, is “I can eat a bushel all by myself”.  I have yet to see this happen, and I have issued the challenge way more than once or twice.  There is a man, though, John Ebersole, who is a good friend of my parents and an ex-linebacker for the New York Jets.  He loves oysters more than anything in the world and I believe he could maybe do it.  More on that later.