Taco Bar or Premade option

Abbyjensen · August 2013

It is a mexican food buffet. I am leaning towards premade options because I feel like a taco bar would get messy and clog up the buffet line too much, but I am not sure how many options I should give the guests.

Option 1: Taco bar with corn and flour tortillas, seasoned chicken, lightly seasoned ground beef (not bland but basic), plain rice, refried beans, cheese, lettuce, guacamole, pico de gallo, hot sauce, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Option 2: Small chicken burritos (chicken, rice, beans, cheese, lettuce), small veggie burritos (rice, beans, avocado, lettuce, tomato), cheese quesadillas, ground beef and cheese quesadillas, (cut into halves), On the side: Pico de gallo, hot sauce, guacamole, sour cream, tortilla chips.

Smallish afternoon wedding, several vegetarian guests, casual. This is excluding cocktail hour apps, and possibly a salad.

MayDay513 · August 2013

I voted for the premade tacos for the sake of logistics. I love the idea of a taco bar, but like you mentioned I think there would be a backlog. I would consider doing the burritos with no cheese since some people have dairy problems (but you know your guests better than I do).

WildMagelet · August 2013

Are the tacos the only food option for the evening? If so I vote pre-made. If this is going to be in conjunction with other food (possibly set up at a different table) then I like the customization of the taco bar.

Abbyjensen · August 2013

There are apps for cocktail hour, but this would be it. Cocktail hour will not be mexican food. It's also an afternoon wedding. Ceremony at 11, cocktail hour from 11:30-12, and reception from 12-4.

Abbyjensen · August 2013

huynhette said:

I voted for the premade tacos for the sake of logistics. I love the idea of a taco bar, but like you mentioned I think there would be a backlog. I would consider doing the burritos with no cheese since some people have dairy problems (but you know your guests better than I do).

Thanks for the mention on dairy. I decided to leave the cheese off of the Veggie burrito because I have two vegan guests (who I know love tacos), but I could leave it off the chicken burrito as well.

RebeccaB88 · August 2013

Tacos get soggy awfully quickly after they're made. I think the guests would have fresher tasting food if you did the taco bar.

jessicabessica · August 2013

I am vegetarian and would prefer the premade burritos and quesadillas, in part because I generally like those items better than tacos. I went to an event that served burritos and they were not soggy. They were individually wrapped in foil (or they might have been wrapped and then cut in half) and then kept warm in chaffing dishes. Also, please make sure the rice and beans are actually vegetarian.

JoanE2012 · August 2013

Mexican food, especially tacos, is best when the person eating it picks what they want on it. I HATE refried and black beans, so if you had premade tacos or burittos with that, I'd be really disappointed. Especially when I LOVE all the other ingredients.

Is there a way to set up the bar to maximize flow of guests? Multiple points of entry?

MayDay513 · August 2013

JoanE2012 said:

Mexican food, especially tacos, is best when the person eating it picks what they want on it. I HATE refried and black beans, so if you had premade tacos or burittos with that, I'd be really disappointed. Especially when I LOVE all the other ingredients.

Is there a way to set up the bar to maximize flow of guests? Multiple points of entry?

This is not a bad idea. I mean maybe you do two taco bars, and make them so you can access everything from both sides so you can do two double buffet lines.

Abbyjensen · August 2013

JoanE2012 said:

Mexican food, especially tacos, is best when the person eating it picks what they want on it. I HATE refried and black beans, so if you had premade tacos or burittos with that, I'd be really disappointed. Especially when I LOVE all the other ingredients.

Is there a way to set up the bar to maximize flow of guests? Multiple points of entry?

I know beans are a hate thing for some people, so I considered getting the chicken burritos without beans, but I feel like they would be a little measly. I also chose the quesadillas for that reason- no beans, pretty simple for kids/picky people, with the salsa and extras on the side to jazz them up.

I also tend to shy away from the idea of the "build your own bar" because I've seen them get messy before, especially with tacos because there are so many messy things to add.

But maybe the best option is to add a second buffet line.

ElcaB · August 2013

I'd go premade. As long as you have something simple like quesadillas with a few toppings on the side like you mentioned, you should have enough to please even the picky eaters.

MairePoppy · August 2013

Is it possible to have several servers working the buffet line, so everyone won't have their hands in the food? I think the taco bar would get messy very quickly and look unappetizing to those who aren't first in line. Servers could keep the taco bar looking fresh.

If it's going to be self serve, I'd go with the pre-made burritos. The problem I'm having with this one is that half my family members hate re-fried beans and/or avocados, so their choices would be limited to the quesadillas.

Simply Fated · August 2013

I went to an event that had a taco bar and it absolutely clogged up the buffet line. The poor server was going as fast as he could while people took their time choosing their topics and the amount of their toppings...

However, I'm not sure about the premade choices. I try to stay away from cheese at events, so I'd have to miss out on the good stuff.
Is there a way to have the taco bar at a separate station from the rest of the buffet?

onelovelywedding · August 2013

I guess I sort of look at it like this - Any kind of "bar" whether it be dessert or a main course is there to let people choose what they want (sort of like a buffet) - I would let the guests make their own tacos etc... - Everyone has different like and tastes - that way you please everyone! It may help to have the table open on both sides so it will not cause such a jam as the guests fix their food! I also would keep the dessert bar and main course bar/buffet separate from each other if at all possible!

Abbyjensen · August 2013

Thanks for the thoughts. Does anyone have any suggestions for better premade options? I am planning on having only Mexican food available for the buffet. There will be non-Mexican apps for cocktail hour and I could order extra cold apps and have them available during lunch as well. The reason I only wanted one type of food available is because I wanted to streamline things. Because there are fewer guests, I felt like having too many options would result in a lot of food waste. The Mexican food is also really cost effective. If it makes a difference, it is definitely more American Mexican food... Closer to Chipotle than local hole-in-the-wall. As much as I want to please my guests and give them lots of options, I am used to going to plated weddings with only one or two meal choices. I didn't want to do that.

MobKaz · August 2013

Are you doing this yourself or hiring a catering company? I realize this would impact your budget, but is there any way you could "package" some of the side choices? Avocado, sour cream, and shredded cheese could be placed in self serve cups. Lettuce could be rolled in plastic bags. I realize there is an aesthetic issue where it might look "to-go' ish, but in the long run, as a guest I would prefer streamlined and less "handled" to messy food bar.

Dreamergirl8812 · August 2013

What about fajitas? It seems like they would be much faster than tacos because there are fewer options - pick your meat, and do you want peppers/onions? Then the toppings - cheese, guacamole, salsa - can be further along the buffet line.

ETA: Also, what mobkaz said.

MairePoppy · August 2013

arroz con pollo or carnitas with tortillas on the side would be fairly simple to serve. Guests could pick up either of those and garnish them according to their own tastes. Maybe tamales?

Abbyjensen · August 2013

mobkaz said:

Are you doing this yourself or hiring a catering company? I realize this would impact your budget, but is there any way you could "package" some of the side choices? Avocado, sour cream, and shredded cheese could be placed in self serve cups. Lettuce could be rolled in plastic bags. I realize there is an aesthetic issue where it might look "to-go' ish, but in the long run, as a guest I would prefer streamlined and less "handled" to messy food bar.

It is done by a restaurant. I am not doing it myself but they basically just deliver it. There aren't any servers but there is a "food attendant".

I like the idea of the sides in little cups, but I would have to talk to the caterers about it

With all of this done, I am leaning towards slightly different premade options. Here is what I am thinking: Small chicken burrito with rice and chicken, small veggie burrito with rice, beans, tomato, and avocado, cheese quesadilla, and ground beef/cheese quesadilla. At the end will be the sides: guacamole, salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, and tortilla chips.

I made the chicken burrito more plain and took the avocado out of the veggie burrito. I will also order extra cold apps from the cocktail hour and also have them on a different table during lunch, so if for some reason this doesn't work for someone they won't have an empty plate.

Thank you all SO much for your thoughts and opinions. The poll is leaning towards premade options so that is why I am trying to work with that. I know none of you is attending my wedding but I still greatly appreciate your help.

SP29 · August 2013

I said self serve, as many people are picky about ingredients, which you have a lot of- and is AWESOME- but there are those who don't like beans, can't eat cheese, etc etc.

Also, part of the fun of tacos is making them!! But I realize this could be a logistics nightmare. I would agree with two buffets with both sides open.

JoanE2012 · August 2013

If the burritos are premade, does everyone have to unwrap their burrito, put in their sides and then rewrap? That seems like it could be a pain. I've never eaten a burrito (I'm a taco and fajita girl!), but it seems like once it's unrolled it'll probably be a pain to put back together.

Would you consider something other than mexican food for your reception? It seems like it may work better for a rehearsal dinner. Honestly, I'd probably stick to something a bit more traditional (perhaps Italian) out of sheer logistical purposes and guest preferences. If you were having multiple stations, I think it would work perfectly.

RebeccaB88 · August 2013

What about having the sides/condiments already on the tables? Salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, guacamole, and baskets of chips could go there and people could add that stuff as they needed to. Might make the line a little quicker.

melbelleup · August 2013

I'd watch what you have in the premade.. not everyone likes beans and rice in their tacos.

daveANDkristen · August 2013

RebeccaB88 said:

What about having the sides/condiments already on the tables? Salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, guacamole, and baskets of chips could go there and people could add that stuff as they needed to. Might make the line a little quicker.

@abbyjensen didn't want you to miss this suggestion, I think it is a good one and might be of some help to you. Good luck! My vote is for taco bar BTW.

MyNameIsNot · August 2013

What about doing a family style hybrid? Put the cheese, quac, pico, lettuce, sour cream, etc in dishes on the tables, and then let people just choose their tortilla and meat at the buffett (corn/flour, chicken/veggie/beef). You could set out the premade options and let people dress them at the table, meaning less mess. You could serve large bowls of rice and beans as family style sides.

With the quesadillas, I would do an attended bar if possible. Then people go select their ingredients, but the server will actually make the quesadilla and put it on a plate. If you make them small, that could actually make for a fun appetizer station during cocktails.

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