Menu opinions

gamecockwed

We are having a catered southern buffet. The ceremony is at 11 at our church followed at noon by lunch at the church assembly room (which comfortably fits 200 people). We have a guest list of 135. Here is the menu:

• BBQ with 3 different sauces
• Roasted chicken
• Hash and rice
• A Shrimp and Grits station with all of the fixings
• Green beans
• Cole slaw
• Roasted potatoes
• Garden Salad
• Fruit and cheese
• Stuffed mushrooms
• Tea (sweet and unsweet), water, lemonade (one of our signature drinks we are calling yellow rose lemonade -its my middle name) and Sonic Ocean water(my fav drink-there is a recipe online that we gave to our caterer and we are calling it Patriotic Punch)
• And of course cake

I feel like I am missing something but cant quite put my finger on it. Any advice???

Knottie94657783

That all sounds really good!

All the catering packages that I have seen come with 2-3 salads. Does the cole slaw count as a salad? or are you missing a potato salad or pasta salad?

And maybe just after dinner coffee, since some people are just coffee drinkers even in the south. 

photokitty

Are feeling that way bc there is no bread item?

gamecockwed

No this one doesnt even come with the salad. We added that on. They also proviode rolls (sorry forgot to include that) so that is covered. I was thinking that maybe there isnt enough for vegetarians??

southernbelle0915

Its a little starch heavy with the hash/rice, grits, potatoes, and rolls. Would you be open to swapping out potatoes or rice for grilled veggies or something?

Definitely not a switch you have to make and you are fine as is...just a thought.

gamecockwed

The switching out of the potatoes is a good idea. The rice goes with hash (dont have one without the other lol)

[Deleted User]

Do you have a lot of vegetarians in your crowd?  I count 6 veggie dishes, though I don't know if there's any surprise bacon in the stuffed mushrooms or roasted potatoes.

I'd be able to make a meal out of that, but it's heavy on the carb side, I'd be missing something hearty.  Vegetarian chili, for instance.  Is there a vegetarian BBQ option you're offering?  If you're not feeding too many vegetarians then I wouldn't worry about it too much, especially since it's lunch.

gamecockwed

Not that I know of maybe 1 or 2. The stuffed mushrooms are stuffed with sausage and the southern green beans are always cooked with ham so that leaves the salad, fruit, potatoes and coleslaw

[Deleted User]

Ah.  If there are only 1 or 2 then I wouldn't worry about it.  The one thing I would appreciate is signs marking the vegetarian dishes.  There's nothing dignified about taking a bite of something and having to spit it out into a napkin because of some type of surprise meat.

julieanne912

I think you are missing macaroni and cheese.  That should be served with any BBQ meal in my opinion.  That could also help to add a vegetarian option that isn't just a salad.    

Also, I feel like roasted potatoes are never good in a buffet.... tend to get soggy and lose the crispy outside that makes roasted potatoes so good.  

gamecockwed

hmm mac and cheese. Didnt think about that. Ive never had roasted potatoes on a buffet. that a good point. We still have about 6 months to hash it out. 

labro

I'm thinking definitely add in coffee for a beverage if you can. Your church may already have large canisters in the hall already so it'd be easy to add in.

Definitely consider adding mac n cheese as a side dish. IMO - not a bbq meal without it!

I've never actually had an issue with soggy roasted potatoes in a buffet setting - maybe if they sat out for hours and hours or were never cooked right to begin with? Anyway, if you want to swap it out do it - maybe do a seasonal vegetable medley or something.