An essential part of any lengthy event is food. In addition, the food which is provided can set the tone for the entire event. Food can also be one of the largest parts of the budget for an event; unlike the venue or entertainment, or even decorations, its cost is solely based on the number of people you have attending.
Today I’m going to take a little bit of a different approach to covering the options: rather than covering cost levels, I will cover the food options based on the atmosphere you are trying to create.
Formal
If you are having a formal or semi-formal event, the main decision is whether you want your attendees to stand or sit. This really depends on the nature of your event. If there is a presentation involved, sitting is the way to go. If, on the other hand, the purpose of your event is to encourage mixing and mingling, standing up is really the best choice. For standing, mixed hors d’oeuvres and snack foods will give the best option. For sitting, you have the option to choose between full-service and buffet-style. Full service is usually best for large gatherings, as less time is taken up with people serving themselves and waiting in line. As a benefit, presentations can be ongoing while food is being served.
Semi-Formal
The formality of this event will be upheld by the venue and invitation style. This type of event can be much more inexpensive, since the food is flexible. In this arrangement, usually people are free to sit or stand, and can go back and forth to a buffet-type table where food is available. The main difference between this and a more formal buffet is that usually this will consist of small sandwiches and hors d’oeuvres. Potlucks can also be included in this.
Casual
This falls into the category of your summer picnics and social gatherings. Usually, food will consist of grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, but you can also hire barbecue companies to bring out full smoking pits for various meats. Usually these events will be outdoors, and will be primarily social in nature.
How to Choose
The first thing to do is consider your venue. Many venues have in-house catering staff, and either don’t allow outside vendors, or charge a fee to bring in any outside catering. If this is the case, your options are much more limited. However, while important in setting the tone for your event, most guests will not remember the food unless it was bad (which can be avoided by choosing a quality vendor–see the related post).
If your venue allows outside catering, you have a lot of alternatives. Most restaurants have catering available, and even some mid-budget food shops (Subway, Rubios) have larger-quantity food pickup or party platters available.
Consider your demographic. The larger the group, the more mainstream you want to be with your food selections, but you can include regional alternatives in most menus.
What it all means
Food is a tough choice for most events. Food deals with taste, and as such people will remember whether they liked it or not regardless of the quality. It is not something which will single-handedly make an event great, but bad food choices can definitely ruin an event.
The best thing you can do is try to think in terms of what your guests will be most likely to enjoy. If you have already selected other vendors, they can help in this. Most vendors will be happy to tell you about unique and successful things they have seen at other events they have been involved with.
What experiences with food have you had that made or broke your events?