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Catering HELP!

jamihellerjamiheller member
Fourth Anniversary First Comment
in Wedding Reception Forum

I am looking for a unique food style for our outdoor July Wedding and Reception for 300 guests.

My first idea was food trucks, we are getting married close to Portland, OR...so there are hundreds of food trucks nearby, however, I can't seem to figure out how to get a hold of a single food truck! Also, I realize that it will take them quite some time to serve 300 people. So I would have to get at least 3 or so trucks....which adds up quickly.

My second thought was wood fired pizza & Salads...which I LOVE the idea of, who doesn't love a great, classy, artisan looking pizza?? But again, because of the 300 guests, they estimate it will take about an hour and a half to feed everyone. My concern is that people will be hungry waiting!

After speaking with the caterer, I have considered beginning pizza service (alongside passed appetizer service) during the cocktail hour. The DJ would announce that pizza is being served and that guests can begin eating when they are ready. There will also be lawn games during this time, so guests who aren't hungry could play games or mingle and drink. Pizza service will continue for dinner hour, again guests would be getting their pizza at their leisure. That way dinner should be entirely over after cocktail hour and dinner hour.

Here is my breakdown idea:

3:30-4 Ceremony

4-5 Cocktail Hour + Passed Appetizers + Lawn Games (pizza service will begin at 4:30 for guests who choose to begin--DJ would make announcement that dinner service can begin when guests choose)

5-6 Dinner Hour (pizza service will continue thru the remainder of dinner hour)

 

Am I crazy in thinking that guests will be okay with mingling, drinking, eating appetizers, playing yard games, and casually getting their pizza at their own pace? Are people going to be hungry and miserable? I really don't want to go the typical salmon/chicken route. Any better ideas??

Thanks!!

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Re: Catering HELP!

  • kittenkaboodlekittenkaboodle member
    Second Anniversary 10 Comments 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    Every large wedding I've been to some people have always had to wait for their food.  Personally, I would much rather be mingling around socializing and playing games while waiting.  Plus, if you have apps, hopefully nobody will be ravenous.  I have a similar strategy for my wedding, but it is only for 100 people.  Good luck!  It sounds like fun!
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  • mysticlmysticl member
    2500 Comments 500 Love Its Fourth Anniversary First Answer
    So wait, are you having dinner?  Or are you just serving pizza all night?  That might get confusing.  I would think that the pizza was part of cocktail hour and then be wondering where the real meal was.  Also you have to count that 100% of your guests will decide to get the pizza at the same time.  You can't assume that they will leisurely filter over in spaced out increments over a period of 1.5 hours.  You may also need a lot more food this way because some people may keep going back.  

    Personally, I'd skip the lawn games too.  I'm not going to want to play games in a dress and high heels.  


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  • lyndausvilyndausvi mod
    Moderator Knottie Warrior 10000 Comments 500 Love Its
    Pizza for 300 people is a lot of pizza.    Unlike other foods you can't really make up a head of time and reheat.  Will they be able to feed 300 people pizza in an hour and a half?    How are you going to make sure some people do not get pizza 5 times and someone else not get their first one until 6pm.   

    Sure some people have to be last, but 1.5 hours is a long time between the first people and the last people.  I would add another menu item for people to be able to grab.   As shocking as it is, not all 300 people are going to like pizza.

    FWIW - my DH is a huge pizza fan.  When we get pizza I eat 1-2 slices and he eats the rest of the pie.  He would be the one who will take an entire pie at 4:30pm.  

    If you had 100 or less people I think it would work.  Not so sure for 300.

     






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
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  • doeydodoeydo member
    Seventh Anniversary 5000 Comments 500 Love Its 5 Answers
    Also, I love me some pizza.  I can garf out on that stuff, so expect people to eat like 5 slices or something.
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  • HobokensFuryHobokensFury member
    5000 Comments Sixth Anniversary 500 Love Its First Answer
    1) it's a wedding not a kid's birthday party- skip the lawn games 2) You need to serve something more than pizza. What about people with special diets or don't eat pizza for whatever reason. How about adding some pastas and sandwiches to the mix?
     
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  • missdelilahmissdelilah member
    1000 Comments 250 Love Its First Anniversary First Answer
    I'm sorry that the food truck idea didn't work out for you.  Before my dad retired, he worked for a newspaper.  For the Christmas parties they'd send out invitations to the food trucks and street vendors that the food editors thought were the best in the city.  Obviously it's a completely different situation when the company is footing the bill and there's some advertising and prestige involved in turning up.  They were always great events that everyone really enjoyed, and a simple way of giving people options.
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  • theartistformerlyknownastheartistformerlyknownas member
    10000 Comments 500 Love Its 5 Answers First Anniversary
    mysticl said:
    So wait, are you having dinner?  Or are you just serving pizza all night?  That might get confusing.  I would think that the pizza was part of cocktail hour and then be wondering where the real meal was.  Also you have to count that 100% of your guests will decide to get the pizza at the same time.  You can't assume that they will leisurely filter over in spaced out increments over a period of 1.5 hours.  You may also need a lot more food this way because some people may keep going back.  

    Personally, I'd skip the lawn games too.  I'm not going to want to play games in a dress and high heels.  


    All of this. Pizza would be awesome as part of cocktail hour, if it was all ready at once. I don't think it's feasible for 300 people though.

    The thing about food trucks and other sorts of quick-serve, made to order food is they typically serve 300 individual people who filter in at different times over a few hours and expect to receive their food individually. At a wedding, you have one group of 300 people who expect to eat the same types of food at the same time. I think if you wanted everyone to have pizza for dinner, you'd need at least 6 vendors cooking all at once to push the food out to feed the first and last table within about 20-30 minutes.

    With weddings, you'll often find that the reason things become so common is they work and they've really been tried and true for ages. You can still find variety, of course, but I think you'll be much better off finding a traditional caterer with interesting recipes.
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  • kat1114kat1114 member
    500 Love Its 500 Comments First Answer Name Dropper
    edited August 2014
    We are having a food truck for our reception, and might be doing something similar (apps during cocktail hour, and also letting people know they can also order dinner whenever). I feel comfortable with this, but we are only having about 80 people, and even less during cocktail hour when you consider that the bridal party and some family will be with us doing pictures. If you are really set on the food truck idea, you need to definitely have at least 3 trucks for the amount of people you are considering. Our truck bases the price on consumption, and you're going to have to pay for everyone to eat anyways, so it might not as expensive as you're thinking. As far as not being able to get a hold of any trucks, it took me all of 60 seconds to google these links: http://roaminghunger.com/food-truck-catering http://www.foodcartsportland.com/cater/ If you have a particular truck(s) you're interested in, try looking at their social media page for contact info. ETA: Sorry, TK ate my paragraphs.
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  • Lauderdale PinkLauderdale Pink member
    250 Love Its 500 Comments Second Anniversary First Answer
    Your reception sounds like it will be a lot of fun, wish I could be there!  In addition to the passed bites and pizza, I would recommend an antipasto salad at one or two fixed display locations.  These are great because they are usually heavy on the sliced meats and cheeses but have enough salad veggies to keep lighter eaters happy as well.  Also, with a crowd that big outdoors, I would recommend several fixed non-alcoholic drink stations to keep folks hydrated.
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  • jacques27jacques27 member
    Knottie Warrior 1000 Comments 500 Love Its 5 Answers
    I'm mostly with the others of not being a fan of just the pizza for dinner and roaming when I have to compete with 299 other people to do it.  If you were just having a cocktail reception, maybe, but to call that my dinner not so much.

    As for the food trucks, nearly every food truck here has a twitter account (it's how they announce what location they are going to be at every day).  And then nearly every twitter account lists a facebook page or website in their bio where you can contact them to make arrangements for them to do a private party.  Nearly all of the food trucks here do private parties, I'd have to imagine the same can be said where you are.  You just have to be a bit more google-smart to find them because you're not going to find them listed in the yellowpages under "food truck".
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  • JoanE2012JoanE2012 member
    5000 Comments 500 Love Its Fourth Anniversary 5 Answers
    OP - If you're going to post this in multiple places, please put XP in your post title.  I already responded to you on the Food board.
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  • Jen4948Jen4948 member
    Knottie Warrior 10000 Comments 500 Love Its 25 Answers
    kittenkaboodle said:
    Every large wedding I've been to some people have always had to wait for their food.  Personally, I would much rather be mingling around socializing and playing games while waiting.  Plus, if you have apps, hopefully nobody will be ravenous.  I have a similar strategy for my wedding, but it is only for 100 people.  Good luck!  It sounds like fun!
    This is no justification for deliberately setting up a wedding to force one's guests to wait for their food.  I do not want to play games while waiting, and the longer the wait, the less I want to socialize.  I WILL BE RAVENOUS-especially if there are no appetizers.
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  • Jen4948Jen4948 member
    Knottie Warrior 10000 Comments 500 Love Its 25 Answers
    To the OP:  If you do food trucks, arrange for the truck people to serve the food outside the trucks, so that nobody has to line up at the windows, and reach up to get their food. This is the one beef I would have with a food truck.  It forces people to line up outdoors (exposing them to the weather) in potentially long lines and to reach up to the windows to get served.  Food could spill, and if people are dressed up, there's a bigger risk of damage to their clothes because of this.
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  • lyndausvilyndausvi mod
    Moderator Knottie Warrior 10000 Comments 500 Love Its
    My husband (a chef) predicts it will take 1.5-2 hours to make pizzas for that many people.  He also predicts you will have some unhappy guests waiting that long.  They will not mention it you, but they will take it out on the pizza makers and staff.  Mostly because they will blame the staff for the slowness not that the bride's (couple's) unrealistic plans.
    kittenkaboodle said:
    Every large wedding I've been to some people have always had to wait for their food.  Personally, I would much rather be mingling around socializing and playing games while waiting.  Plus, if you have apps, hopefully nobody will be ravenous.  I have a similar strategy for my wedding, but it is only for 100 people.  Good luck!  It sounds like fun!
    There is waiting for their food and then there is waiting for 2 hours for their food.   Everyone should be feed in 20-30 minutes.  Maybe up to 50 for buffets.   1.5-2 hours is unacceptable.   Sorry.  I would be one unhappy guest if some people were able to eat 2 hours before me.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
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  • lc07lc07 member
    Tenth Anniversary 2500 Comments 500 Love Its 5 Answers
    edited August 2014
    There is no way 3 food trucks is nearly enough for 300 people. I don't think 6 food trucks is. Have you ever seen the size of their kitchens? They cannot possibly make food fast enough.

    OP, you need a proper caterer that has dealt with high volume food efficiently in the past.

    ETA: re: food trucks. 100 people per truck with 3 trucks. Imagine it takes a minute per person to make, plate and shell out food. That's WELL OVER an hour and a half of people waiting in a line at a food truck. And I imagine it would take FAR longer than one minute per person.
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  • STARMOON44STARMOON44 member
    Knottie Warrior 5000 Comments 500 Love Its 5 Answers
    Don't do it. Your guests will hate waiting 2 hours for food. They won't be happily playing games, they will be grumpily waiting in lines. For 300 people get a traditional caterer who can either set up and staff a buffet or coordinate table service. If you want something more interesting than salmon or chicken, ask your caterer what they can reasonably do for that many people. Duck, lamb, a pig roast, interesting local vegetables.

    Food is a way of taking care of your guests. Prioritize them getting hot plentiful food quickly and you won't go wrong.
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