Planning a party for a large number of people can be stressful, and figuring out the menu is often one of the main sources of stress. Even when you use a caterer, you'll still have to make important decisions about the food and serving choices, and your guests will likely judge your party based largely on how much they enjoy the food. Take a look at some simple tips that can help you serve your guests with style.
1. Don't Rely on Hot Dishes
If you have a selection of appetizers, sides, main dishes, and desserts, keeping multiple dishes hot enough can be a real struggle. The more hot dishes you're serving, the more difficult it is to have everything at the right temperature all at the same time. And then you have to worry that the dishes that you're keeping warm might dry out. You don't want the guests who go back for seconds or who tend to arrive fashionably late being treated to unappetizing dried out servings.
Keep it simple by minimizing the amount of hot dishes that you serve at one time. There are plenty of salads, sides, appetizers, desserts, and even soups and meat dishes that are meant to be served cold or at room temperature, and it's much easier to keep these palatable over the course of your party. Choose just one or a few dishes that need to be served warm.
2. Create a Signature Cocktail
Stocking an entire open bar can be messy, expensive, and complicated. You don't want to seem cheap, but you do want to keep the hassle and expense to a minimum. Sidestep the issue by working with your caterers to come up with a signature drink for your party.
A signature drink is fun for your guests and allows you to show off your creative side. If you're going to use paid servers, a single signature drink will be easier for them to handle, allowing them to provide better service to your guests. You'll save on some of the expense and trouble of having a whole open bar, and your guests won't feel cheated.
3. Know How Much Food You Need
Nothing makes a party host look more disorganized than having to run out mid-event for more food or drinks. Knowing how much you need is an essential factor when it comes to party planning. Knowing how many guests you've invited isn't enough – you also need to consider what type of event you're having and what time of day it's taking place. People tend to eat more at a dinner event than at a lunch event, for example.
If you have any uncertainty about how many people are coming or whether or not a guest might bring an unexpected plus one, err on the side of having more food than you need. You don't want to go too far overboard, but it's better to have leftovers than to run out of food mid-event. You can always freeze the leftovers for later use or send them home with guests.
A good catering company, such as Marians Island Wide Catering, will be able to take the information you have about your guests and the type of event you're planning and help you come up with the perfect menu and serving plan. That will free you up to take care of the rest of the details of your event.
Share4 January 2018
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