Critique Potential Reception Menu

badbnagdway

Our wedding is about five months away. The biggest unsettled aspect is the caterer. We originally set a budget of $25 per guest for food. One option I've considered a lot is to use a fast casual food place. The restaurant I have in mind specializes in noodles and serves them a myriad of different ways. Their Italian style dishes I've found to be especially conducive to a large crowd as I had this place cater a luncheon earlier this year. It's a franchise and the owner is local and super nice. This option would be $12 per person (plus tax and gratuity for delivery) for choice of two entrees, choice of two sides, and also enough cookies or rice crispy treats for everyone (we are doing cake and cupcakes so the last part is just a bonus). We would really also need to separately obtain some solid apps for cocktail hour so that no one gets hangry. I'm a vegetarian and it's hard for me to fully visualize what meat eaters will enjoy. I went to a wedding last year where the only option was pasta and salad and my fiance ended up being hungry afterward so I want to make sure we are feeding our guests well. Give me some feedback on these two menu ideas: 

Cocktail hour:  Crudites, fruit and cheese display, and grit bar (grits served in small plastic bowls and you can pick your toppings, including things like shredded cheese, chives, and bacon). 

Dinner (buffet):  Greek salad, pesto pasta dish, tomato sauce based pasta dish that is slightly spicy, parmesan crusted chicken, pork, and garlic bread. 

Desert:  Mini cupcakes and rice crispy treats. 

Alternatively:  

Cocktail hour:  same as above. 

Dinner (buffet):  Greek salad, cole slaw, beans, pesto pasta dish, tomato sauce based pasta dish, parmesan crusted chicken, pork, fried chicken and garlic bread. 

Desert:  same as above. 

The fried chicken would come from a local place known for its fried chicken. It wouldn't be cooked on site, and I'm not sure about how fried chicken would do with sitting like that. We also obviously will need to determine if any of our guests need a gluten safe option or are vegan (I think the pesto pasta is vegan but would need to check). My thought for that would be to put something on the response card about that. 

Also, we are not terribly formal people but do want our reception to be nice and slightly classy. So any commentary on that would be appreciated. 

Edited title to make it more descriptive. 

nicole4793

Your food sounds so yummy! I think you can't go wrong with either menu, but I personally like the first one better. You have me craving Parmesan crusted chicken now.

JoanE2012

I like the first menu better.  I think the fried chicken just doesn't fit in with everything else.  I might even sub out the greek salad for something that fits the Italian theme a bit better, perhaps even just a nice big garden salad.  But overall, sounds yummy!

lyndausvi

I like the first one better.

southernbelle0915

I think either sound good. Depends on the feel you want for your wedding. The first menu seems more formal and traditional. The second one seems more casual and a little offbeat. 

What feel are you going for? 

climbingsingle

I like the first option better. 

badbnagdway

southernbelle0915 said:

I think either sound good. Depends on the feel you want for your wedding. The first menu seems more formal and traditional. The second one seems more casual and a little offbeat. 

What feel are you going for? 

I don't mind a little off beat but I want a funner version of classy if that makes sense. I could kill my co-worker who suggested to my FI that we serve fried chicken at the wedding. Of course FI thought that was brilliant. I can probably get him into the first menu option. I don't mind the fried chicken per se, we are in the south, but I can't imagine the logistics of the fried chicken it seems like a food you need to serve right out of the fryer and that's not going to happen. 

esstee33

I like the first option better, too. I'd just make sure you have plenty of the non-pasta options, because lots of people don't eat pasta, or try to avoid doing so. 

Also definitely double check on the pesto / vegan thing -- most pesto I know of contains parmesan cheese, so definitely wouldn't be vegan. 

badbnagdway

esstee33 said:

I like the first option better, too. I'd just make sure you have plenty of the non-pasta options, because lots of people don't eat pasta, or try to avoid doing so. 

Also definitely double check on the pesto / vegan thing -- most pesto I know of contains parmesan cheese, so definitely wouldn't be vegan. 

That is true. The place I'm considering does have vegan noodle dishes as well as gluten free noodle dishes. My thought was to do just one tray of gluten free noodles with tofu. I think we'll have to take stock of people's dietary preferences once we have RSVPs back. I have cousins who are gluten free, and one who is vegan and gluten free (even as as a vegetarian it's hard to wrap my mind around what she actually eats). I'm not totally sure we are inviting my extended family yet because they are a block of about 30 people. 

For folks who just don't like pasta, I'm thinking they could go paleo on the meat and salad. 

It's pretty hard to imagine pleasing everybody successfully but we'll try our best. 

JennyColada

First option sounds tasty and adequately filling.

atlastmrsg

I like the first one, but would like a veggie option--like a grilled veggie medley.  I don't really eat pasta, but would eat some pork/chicken, veggies, and salad and be quite content.

Everyone loves rice krispie treats.  My husband would love that.

Jen4948

I like your first option. Yum!

esstee33

badbnagdway said:

esstee33 said:

I like the first option better, too. I'd just make sure you have plenty of the non-pasta options, because lots of people don't eat pasta, or try to avoid doing so. 

Also definitely double check on the pesto / vegan thing -- most pesto I know of contains parmesan cheese, so definitely wouldn't be vegan. 

That is true. The place I'm considering does have vegan noodle dishes as well as gluten free noodle dishes. My thought was to do just one tray of gluten free noodles with tofu. I think we'll have to take stock of people's dietary preferences once we have RSVPs back. I have cousins who are gluten free, and one who is vegan and gluten free (even as as a vegetarian it's hard to wrap my mind around what she actually eats). I'm not totally sure we are inviting my extended family yet because they are a block of about 30 people. 

For folks who just don't like pasta, I'm thinking they could go paleo on the meat and salad. 

It's pretty hard to imagine pleasing everybody successfully but we'll try our best. 

Yeah, you're not going to be able to please everyone, but the closer you can get, the less stress it'll be for you in the end. I like the grilled veggies option like @atlastmrsg suggested a lot more than two pasta sides. 

badbnagdway

esstee33 said:

badbnagdway said:

esstee33 said:

I like the first option better, too. I'd just make sure you have plenty of the non-pasta options, because lots of people don't eat pasta, or try to avoid doing so. 

Also definitely double check on the pesto / vegan thing -- most pesto I know of contains parmesan cheese, so definitely wouldn't be vegan. 

That is true. The place I'm considering does have vegan noodle dishes as well as gluten free noodle dishes. My thought was to do just one tray of gluten free noodles with tofu. I think we'll have to take stock of people's dietary preferences once we have RSVPs back. I have cousins who are gluten free, and one who is vegan and gluten free (even as as a vegetarian it's hard to wrap my mind around what she actually eats). I'm not totally sure we are inviting my extended family yet because they are a block of about 30 people. 

For folks who just don't like pasta, I'm thinking they could go paleo on the meat and salad. 

It's pretty hard to imagine pleasing everybody successfully but we'll try our best. 

Yeah, you're not going to be able to please everyone, but the closer you can get, the less stress it'll be for you in the end. I like the grilled veggies option like @atlastmrsg suggested a lot more than two pasta sides. 

The pastas aren't exactly sides because they would normally be served together with meat. Rather than doing that I would have the caterer keep the meat separate from the pasta so that people can mix and match or have just pasta or just meat. Grilled veggies are not strictly speaking available. That doesn't mean I can't obtain them it just means I would likely have to obtain them elsewhere, like my local Whole Foods. 

atlastmrsg

Then don't do grilled.  Sauteed veggies.  Sauteed green bean bundles even--then you have them packaged all neatly and stacked in chafing dish.