Whether you’re holding a party or event, the food that you serve is going to make a big difference in whether guests have a good or bad time. Unfortunately, many event planners or individuals who are planning out parties do not consider the different food choices that their guests might like. By not caring about what’s being served, you could be left with unhappy guests who either leave early or don’t come at all because you’re not taking their food choice needs into consideration.
Why It’s Important to Consider Food at an Event or Party
While you might be focused on some other element of a party or event like the dancing, gifts and social interaction, the types of food you’ll be serving is also going to make an enormous difference in how well guests take the occasion. If you do not put any care into the food being served, you’ll notice that some of your guests simply do not eat and they might leave early as a result of being hungry. Plus, some guests may take it as a personal attack and may become very hostile towards you and other guests because their food choices were not respected.
Gauging What Kinds of Foods Your Guests Will Like
The best way for you to assess what types of foods your guests are going to like is by knowing what their diets and lifestyles are like. You can often do this by simply asking the people who are being invited or knowing about their diets personally. If you are inviting a lot of people, it can sometimes be difficult and even impossible for you to know what types of food they like to eat. In this situation, it might be a good idea to send out papers that they can fill out according to what types of foods they would like to see at the event. These need to be sent out and sent back before hiring a caterer and coming up with a menu for the party.
Image via Vega Direct Restaurant Supply
Consider Your Guests And Who They Are
When you consider your guests and who they are, you’ll be more likely to know exactly what types of diets they consume. For instance, if you know that you’re inviting a lot of health-conscious people to the event, you’ll want to think about incorporating lots of veggies and fruits as well as vegetarian and vegan options. However, sometimes you might not be able to tell someone’s diet just by looking at them. This is because some people have food allergies that you wouldn’t know about until they actually tell you about them. In order for your party or event to be well-rounded, it is advised that you offer a range of healthy options for your guests. From meats and fish to vegetarian and vegan options. By incorporating a variety of different foods, it will be a whole lot easier for you to please every single guest who is coming to the event.
How Much Food?
The amount of food that you offer at the party or event depends on the amount of people who are going to be attending. This is why it is crucial that you ask your guests to RSVP so that you can be aware of the number of individuals who are going to be there. If you do not provide an RSVP option for guests, you are only guessing how many people are going to show up, and you could be off by quite a bit and be out of food in no time. It might also help for you to have the caterers serve the food at the event to prevent your guests from piling up too much and treating the party like a buffet. When you work with a catering company, they will often be the ones to let you know how much food you’re going to need according to the number of people who are going to be attending the event.
Quality Assortment
You need to put the effort into providing a quality selection of food. The problem that a lot of event planners or people have is that they try to cut costs and go with the absolute cheapest option that’s available to them. While this is all well and good for your budget, you will notice that your guests just don’t like the food and won’t want to eat it, which results in wasted money and unhappy guests. This is why quality needs to go over price, and you need to work with a catering company that provides delicious foods that are made using the highest quality ingredients.
Catering or Self-Prepared?
For those who want to save money, they may wonder if it’s possible to have a self-prepared party when it comes to the food. Self-preparation not only provides the event with home cooked foods, but it can also cut costs tremendously and allow you to put those funds into other aspects of the event. However, if you have a lot of people coming to the event, you might want to simply hire a caterer. The caterer will be able to handle larger crowds and will bring their own staff to ensure that food is served at the party in a timely manner. They also ensure that the food is kept and stays hot during the event, and some caterers will even serve the food to your guests to prevent them from treating the event like a buffet. If you go the catering route, make sure you’re hiring a company with the right credentials to prevent serving food prepared in a dirty kitchen. Checking credentials is especially true when hiring someone to serve alcohol.
Guest Feedback
Guest feedback is absolutely essential when choosing your foods for an event or party. There are a few ways that you can accomplish this. First, you might want to ask your guests about what they would like to see as far as food is concerned, and they can fill out a paper and send it to you well in advance to the actual party. Next, you will want to gain feedback from your guests during the event and ask them how they are enjoying the food. This is especially important if you’re working with a caterer and want to make sure that the food is being well-received and is actually being enjoyed by those who are consuming the dishes.
Last Minute Changes
As with most parties and events, last minute changes are almost a given and should be expected. You might put the time and effort into figuring out a menu with a local caterer only to find out that other people are coming who have food allergies or are on special diets that they adhere to. Because of this, you need to be prepared for any change that might come your way. Be sure to speak with your caterer before the event if you will need another dish made up for these individual guests. By offering a wide range of different foods from most food groups, it should be easy for you to handle these last minute guests without feeling like you do not have enough to give to them. It can be easy to plan an event around the food when you know who your guests are, what types of allergies and diets they might have as well as working with a caterer who offers high-quality foods at affordable prices. When you provide a range of delicious foods, it is easy for you to have happy guests who are thrilled at the fact that they can finally enjoy all of the meals and dishes that they would like for themselves.
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I have food sensitivities, so I always pay attention to the type of foods I serve at parties. I think it’s a great idea to have guests tell me what they like as well as anything they don’t like when they RSVP. I make every effort to ensure there are food choices for every guest to enjoy. I usually have smaller parties, but if I ever have a larger party, I would definitely consider hiring a caterer to help with food preparation and serving.
It is very important to know the types of food our guests can or would like to eat. Putting this in mind means that we respect and value our guests’ food preferences. In return, we get their respect for considering their preferences.
Food and fellowship have always gone together and for me, there’s nothing more enjoyable than hosting a dinner and seeing my guests enjoying themselves. I enjoy creating meals for my friends and family, but sometimes it’s easier to focus on your guests if you have the event catered.
As the saying goes: “The way to a man’s heart is through the stomach”. When we consider the food choices for our guests, then it will easy to entertain them. Isn’t that why we invite them in the first place, to entertain them?
Food choices are essential for throwing a great party your guests will remember. I have been to parties where there was nothing I could actually eat because all the food was spicy, and my stomach cannot handle spicy food. I felt a bit offended because my diet wasn’t considered.
I think it’s easy to forget these details when you’re hosting a party, but they’re important ones to consider in order to ensure that all of your guests feel important and have a good time at your party.
I hired a catering company for my birthday party two years ago, but I prepared my own dessert. What a crazy but fun experience! If you are up for a challenge, you can experiment with the tricks shared above. Do remember that food is one of the top reasons people will remember the events, so it should always be prepared carefully.
I always send out proper invitations and request that my guests let me know if they have any food allergies, are on a special diet, need religious accommodations, or just dislike any foods. I want my guests to be comfortable and have a good time. Every now and then I get a guest who picks at their food politely when it’s obvious they just don’t want to eat it. Why? Just let me know you’re doing the new keto diet so I can make sure there’s something delicious for you to eat. Let me know if you’re vegan, so I can prepare. There’s no reason to go hungry at my table Obviously, this works better when I’m close friends with the guest and know their likes and dislikes. However, there’s inevitably that one church acquaintance, co-worker, or distant relative that misses out because I don’t know know their preferences and they didn’t let me know when they returned their RSVP.
Many people have different needs or choices regarding food. It is not easy to cater to all of the different food choices. What we can do is to prepare a party with diverse food menus from salads, steaks, or pasta so that the guests can choose the food that they like to eat.
Sometimes there are too many guests coming to ask each of them about their preferences. I find it easier to go for a wide selection of food. I usually provide chicken and seafood, something sweet and something savory, soup and fried dishes. I make sure to write down what each food contains to help those with allergies eat in comfort. It may be a chore to organize a well-balanced menu with the caterer, but it’s a safe approach.
There are certain foods that I don’t want to eat like cilantro and parsley. If someone who knew me and that person served all the food with these two ingredients, then I will walk out of the party. Likewise, if I know that my guests won’t like to eat a specific food, then I will make sure the ingredient that they don’t like won’t be mixed in there.