Entertaining Ideas
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has anyone ever hosted a party for 100+ people?
we're planning to host my mom's 60th birthday/college graduation party this july.
in the interest of keeping it budget friendly, i'm considering doing the cooking ourselves vs. having it catered. is this an insane idea?
we're thinking of simple summer picnic food but hoping to glam it up. pre-made burger patties and fun brats on the grill with grilled onions/peppers and sauteed mushrooms for hot toppings, etc.
if we rent some chafing dishes, we should be able to keep things hot.
thoughts of feasibility of this or menu ideas would be appreciated. thank you!
Re: has anyone ever hosted a party for 100+ people?
My housewarming party had 82 people so I would say it's possible. Lot's of salads, make sure to replinish them if they are mayo based so it stays refrigerated. You could do the onions/peppers/mushrooms ahead of time. hubby will have to keep the grill going continuously, but at least you'll have fresh food constantly coming out.
Have you thought of getting pulled pork or brisket from a local bbq place instead.
Grilling for 100 would be tough. You'd need an industrial grill and more than one person manning it. I'd at least look into the catering before completely tossing the idea. Try a BBQ joint, mexican, or even Olive Garden.
Grilling for 100 people - if you expect those people to eat at even remotely the same time - will be impossible without industrial equipment and more than one person manning the grill.
And honestly - cooking yourself isn't always budget friendly. In a lot of ways, it could end up costing you more.
I'd seriously look into having this catered before I'd run out and buy a bunch of food. Cooking for 100 people is a lot of work and preparation........you're going to need more than a couple of chaffing dishes.
Do you have any idea how many burgers/brats/peppers you're looking at? And what about sides?
Hosted, no. Cooked for in a professional/educational capacity, yes. As pps have all said, the grill is not the way to go on that. Something like a housewarming is different, because it's not a meal (I'm imagining a drop-in scenario). When you have to cook en masse, you need ample storage, ample time, a well laid out game plan, and enough help to do all of it. I seriously doubt that a non-commercial kitchen is capable of handling that type of load.
I would really make it easy on yourself and have it catered. It will free you up to enjoy your mom and it will save you a major headache.
Hi! I haven't personally done so... but worked in catering (includes picnics) for over 10 years in NYC. Here are my thoughts... I agree with the pp re: the grill - you will probably need more than one person to do that.
In my home- I've cooked for 50-60 pp and had food left over - what I did was a lot of "make-ahead" appetizers, salads, etc. (I have a great Scandanavian Cucumber Salad and German Potato Salad with no dairy that would work really well - if you like those recipes will post them for you).
DH grilled London Broils which we sliced thin and served with rolls. For dessert we had fruit salad, coffee, ice cream cake and Individual ice cream things for the kids. Lots of food and drink left over!
You can do this type of party - but it is a lot of work and I would still hire a bartender and at least one waiter/helper person. Maybe even have parts of it catered - or have popcorn cart, ice cream truck visit etc.
Also... be sure to have enought bathrooms (2-3) on site, guest towels, trash cans for paper plates, parking etc. at your location. If it is at your house - can rent those things too...If you serve alcohol - I would also have some transportation options as well with so many guests you can't ensure that everyone will behave responsibly - maybe have taxi numbers ready or whatever.
Good Luck and Have Fun - whatever options you choose.
My mom and I have done graduation parties for 100-150 people. It is possible, although ours are "open house" style so not everyone is eating at the same time, but with the types of things that we would cook people could easily eat at the same time. Plus, nothing had to be cooked as we went along....here is what we have done...
All of these things were either in chafing dishes or crock-pots/roasters
Meatballs & Mushroom Gravy
Mostaccioli
Kielbasa & Sauerkraut (were polish, gotta have it!)
Chicken Wings (order from a local grocery store or carryout)
Homemade Baked Beans
BBQ Pulled Pork
All of these items were cold. We either filled the bottom of a chafing dish with ice and placed these on top, or took a shallow rubbermaid tub, filled it with ice, and placed the bowls on top.
Potato Salad
Tossed Salad
Fruit Salad
Italian Pasta Salad
Veggie Tray
Relish Tray
These are additional, not cold/hot...
Dinner Rolls (We usually do these even for the pulled pork, people take a smaller portion with a bunch of other things instead of taking too much with a big hamburger bun)
trail mix
a few different kinds of chips
tortilla chips (& usually a small crock-pot filled with nacho cheese)
Brownies/Cookies
Cake
To make it easier my mom started buying pre-packaged utensils (you know the fork/napkin/salt/pepper) not the most stylish but definitely really handy and super easy. We would prep almost all food the day before. The only thing we would "cook" the day of is the noodles for the mostaccioli so they don't get mushy. We warmed everything in the tin pans in the oven before putting it in the chafing dishes so that they didn't have to start from the cold refrigerator temperature.
My mom has also done one party where she just ordered the food from a restaurant she liked. They put everything in the disposable chafing pans, we picked it all up and then dropped everything into the heating chafing pans when we got it back to the house. It was a really quick party & we didn't have to "pay" for a caterer per-say.
Good Luck!
I'm with the pp who said it's not going to be cheaper to do it yourself. You're going to have to buy supplies and there's a ton of time involved. You and everyone else you get to help won't be able to enjoy a minute.
I did a full dinner for 50 people (hot meat, hot veggies, warm desserts) that I cooked myself last year. I hired two helpers and it was still pretty crazy. There was a ton of work on the front end. I spent $600 on food.
Since money's an issue, why not change the party? Maybe invite 100 people over for cake & ice cream. Or maybe just have dinner for 30 and get that catered from an Italian restaurant, etc. Use the same advice you heard for wedding receptions: if you can't afford a full sit-down, skip it and do something else so you don't end up with a chintzy version of what you were hoping for.
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every year my parents host a bbq/open yard (not "open house") and around 100 people end up coming. my mom and brother do the grilling, but she does tons of prepwork ahead of time, skewered chicken and steaks, dogs and sausages. she does it in 2 shifts though because the party goes from noon to midnight. she cooks and brings out half of the food at around 3 then again at around 7. people cannot usually come for the entire party but this way the food is fresher and there is plenty.
most of the sides are potluck though she could do them herself if she wanted to, she opts for potluck because she usally has my brother, his FI and their 6 kids staying with her that weekend and people in our friends/family groups dont go to parties empty handed regardless.
our superbowl party this year was around 90 people but potluck sides / snacks also,. we did dogs and sausages, chili, nacho cheese and pulled pork sandwiches, pinwheels, spinach dip, artichoke dip and rice crispie footballs. we have some decent size crockpots and warmers and we throw parties a lot so we have a good system for the food.
I think it's totally do-able. My parents host a christmas party every year (open houst style)- w. at least 100 people.
It is possible to do the grilling yourself, but sometimes it ends up costing more. And then you dont have as much time to really enjoy the party since you are busy cooking. I would suggest looking into a local BBQ place for just the meat & sauce. This typically can save you a ton.
I'd also make sure you have a ton of different salads and different munchies.It looks like a ton, but honestly people will a little bit of everything and this prevents (to some extent) people for coming back for 2nds of meat! We typically have:
Potato Salad
Cucumber & Onion Salad
Pasta Salad w. veggies
Veggie Tray
Broccoli Slaw
Corn & Black Bean Salad
Fruit Salad
Baked Beans
2-3 types of chips and 2 different dips
Also a bunch of desserts: brownie bites, cupcakes, strawberry shortcakes, a cookie tray
I hosted an anniversary party for my parents @ my house and had 120 people. I literally cooked for 2 days with the help of 2 other people. I made it a luau and even catered roasted pig meat but made everything else.
The only thing we grilled were chicken kabobs & I put 2 cousins on grill duty with a case of beer. They didn't seem to mind so much then
It definitely can be done. Make use of crockpots & catering dishes with the sterno burners. We had artichoke dip, chips & salsa, a watermelon fruit basket, individual cheesecakes, chocolate covered strawberries, brownies, rice & beans, the chicken kabobs, the pig meat& some kind of hawaiian salad. That's all I can remember as this was a couple of years ago.
Make as much as you can ahead of time & enlist help! The key is to not make WAYY too much food. Good luck!!
What about making the side-dishes/salad type items yourself, but catering the main course? Pork is a realtively inexpensive (and delcious!) option. Get some pulled pork catered, all you'll need to complete a sandwich are buns. You can make potato salad, pasta salad, etc. yourself ahead of time. Watermelon is also great option for a side dish or dessert, and only requires cutting...no other prep invovled. In chaffing dishes you can have sides like corn, baked beans...all very budget-friendly. For dessert get several store-bought sheet cakes and you'll be set! Oh and for drinks- keg beer and liters of pop/juice like lemonade for drinks.
Good luck!
You'll definitely need to have someone on the grill non-stop. I hosted a going away party for my Army bound son and had about 90 people. It was lovely. I set up banquet tables with chafing dishes. Made 2 huge trays of Spanish Rice, 2 huge trays of pasta salad one w/seafood and one with chicken. (Kept on ice) large trays of ribs & chicken that were seasoned and cooked the night before so the next day we just had to pass them on the grill for the grilled flavor and add the BBQ sauce. We made Argentinian Skirt Steak, mashed potatoes, tossed mixed greens. The ribs, steak and chicken were cooked and then put in chafing dishes to keep warm. The burgers and hot dogs were mostly for the kids but we made batches at a time and also threw them in the chafing dishes. We placed buckets on each table with ice and beers and sodas for the kids. Had bubbles, crayons, coloring books, set up a volley ball net, a slip & slide. It was really a great party. We also had everyone dress in camouflage since my boy was Army bound. 90 people in camouflage was REALLY cool. If you prep as much as you can the days before, you will be fine!
We have a summer party (back yard bbq) every year, and tend to end up with 75 - 100 people (it goes from 3 pm to all hours - 3 or 4 am, usually). We keep the meat simple with burgers, dogs and brats. (This year I am considering having pulled pork, ox roast, or some other meat like that in a chafing dish, just to round things out with something that doesn't have to be grilled and can be prepared in advance). I also cut and marinate veggies for grilling and those are a huge hit among the vegetarians and carnivores alike. I serve a ton of different appetizers/munchies (chips with a variety of salsas and guacamole, pita and hummus, huge veggie platter, cheese and crackers, Mozz/tomato/basil kabobs, etc.) various salads and sides (pasta, potato, taco, and green salads, etc.), and I usually do a fruit salad and one or two desserts (fruit pizza, Rice Krispie treats, etc.) and stuff for s'mores. Most in our crowd refuse to go to a party empty-handed, so people bring a ton of desserts (or apps/sides).
My husband does the grilling starting around 4:30 or so. It helps that people tend to come in waves - some early, some around dinner time, and then there's the late crowd. So yes, my DH ends up doing a LOT of grilling (on three grills), but it always seems to work out. People keep coming back every year, anyway!
For drinks, we fill coolers with pop, water, beer and juice for the kids. We get those little envelopes of drink powder that you add to a bottle of water and shake, so that's a non-pop soft drink option as well. We also have a few bottles of wine on hand. I like to have something between a soft bar and a full bar, so we have a Margaritaville machine (and there's always someone willing to play with that), and I usually make a rum punch, sangria, or other adult beverage in a large quantity. I like keeping the beverages low maintenance, but still with plenty of variety. Also, depending on the number of guests, we have gotten pony kegs before from a local brewery -- much easier than trying to fit zillions of bottles of beer in coolers.
It's not cheap any time you are hosting that nubmer of people and intending to feed and beverage them. But, it can be done, and while we work our tails off in the days preceeding and the day of the party, we think it's worth it. Our guests have a great time, and we do too.
Good luck - have fun!
Jillzyc - sounds like my kinda party!!! I do a lot of what you said. Sangria, wine coolers, mud slides.
It is a LOT of work, and it's NEVER cheap, but like you said, my guests also always bring something. Last BBQ we ended up with about 20 cases of beer! ENough to host another BBQ!
if guests know ahead of time that it's a picnic style party, i would just assume that people would casually come and go throughout the party, so i don't think grilling food yourself would be a problem.
we did a housewarming picnic for about 100 guests and grilled throughout the day as needed (sams club or costco will be your best friend!). we had plenty of food, most DIY, though a few catered items and stayed well within our budget. fyi if you are not looking for anything fancy, you can buy the aluminum chafing dishes and burners at the wholesale places i mentioned previously; they are not that expensive.
meatballs in sauce are also a good option. guests can make sandwiches and the meatballs can be done ahead and just reheated in a crock pot for the party. i agree that cold salads (antipasta, etc) are good sides. dessert can be as simple as chilled fruit and cake to celebrate.
my advice would be not to go crazy with tons of options - have about 3 main dish options and 3 sides. cook the things yourself that are simple or can be done ahead of time and reheated. if you have the budget, i say pick one or two special items to be catered (say if your mom has a favorite food or restaurant) and add that to your menu. good luck!
One word - Pot luck.
I have a large family and they get together for everything! So a handfull of people bring their specialty dish ranging from deserts to entree's.
My husband is having a milestone birthday next year, and we're going to hold a party for him at the Veterans club next door. It'll be an "open party" so as well as our family and friends, the other members are invited.
It won't exactly be on a budget, because we're thinking of having it catered by our favourite restaurant, but everything else will be very inexpensive.
At first we thought of having everyone in the family bring a dish and going potluck, but we had a really good time at that particular restaurant, and wanted them to cater.
As for entertainment, we were going to hire a local deejay who has hosted a lot of parties at the club, but then I bought an iPod, and Hubby suggested we just use our own music, and get a docking station. Not a bad idea, since we love the same kind of music, and it's all there anyway. When my Grandpa turned 90 last year, my Aunt Nancy put all his favourite music on her iPod and used a docking station, It worked brilliantly.
We'll have about 40 or 50 friends/family, and there may be 30 more people if a ton of members decide to show up, so about 80 people. Food will be about $300. The restaurant is a Serbian restaurant and offers a "grill platter" which is finger-food-sized versions of the larger portions on their menu, so tiny schnitzels, tiny sausages, tiny seasoned steak bites.... and we're going to order a couple of big Sopska Salads (salad with homemade cheese similar to feta, and special dressing) . It won't be a major meal like our wedding was, more like a late afternoon snack. About 20 large grill platters, and one or two big bowls of Sopska salad, should suffice. The portions may be small, but they are soooo filling. Hubby and I ordered a small Grill Platter last time we were there, and we still had stuff to take home.
We'll order a nice big cake too, and have ice cream. There's a really nice local bakery that does good work, and we are regular customers.
The A N A F already has chairs, tables, and a bar (cash bar, so we don't need a licence to sell it ourselves), and since we are members, and not closing it up for a private party, we can use it for free.
This is going to be fun for me to plan since I am currently studying to become a wedding co-ordinator and party planner. I could probably get bonus marks for this one.
I am going to design the invitations myself, and print them myself, and I'll make a lot of the decorations too, and I'll get some plates and napkins at the local party store.
The biggest expense we'll encounter will be the food, but if you make it a potluck, you will be able to eliminate that cost.
PS.
When my father got married, it was a backyard wedding, and completely potluck. Even my step-mom got in on the cooking, and it was absolutely awesome!!! I think your idea is a good one, and catering is not the only way to go when having a party.