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To Have Food or Not to Have Food

So you’ve already found a great venue, paid for a DJ and agreed to buy some drinks for your friends… why should you have to also fork out your hard earned cash for food your guests may not even eat?

 Some guests place priority on food, some place it on the alcohol. At the end of the day, you know your friends best, and you understand their requirements. You also have to work within your budget.

However, there are a few issues you may encounter by not adequately catering for your guests’ hunger.

Not having food or not having enough food can sometimes result in the following:

-          Guests may leave halfway through the night to get food elsewhere. Some may return after getting food, some may not return at all after leaving. Bottom line is you do not want anyone leaving your party as this may trigger a mass exodus of other guests.

-          Intoxication levels are much higher if guests do not consume food with alcohol. This is particularly relevant at 21^st birthdays where guests are not experienced drinkers and still have low immunity to intoxication. Food is an ideal means to keeping the party at a responsible sobriety, ensuring responsible consumption of alcohol and keeps the party going longer.  After all you don’t want people leaving (or kicked out) two hours into the function because they’re throwing up in the toilets.

Therefore, take into account whether your guests will be arriving at your party after their lunch/dinner or consider whether they expect you to provide lunch/dinner. Assess the following

·         Start time of your party – does it coincide with dinner time/lunch time?

·         A Friday night party starting at 7pm may mean that most guests may come straight from work and may not have had time to eat.

·         Will they be staying long and therefore need something to keep them satisfied?

·         What do your guests value more… food or alcohol?

Other points to consider:

Some  venues may not be able to provide food on the night if not pre-ordered and will not be able to meet last minute requests, in which case if you are worried, it’s better to over order rather than under order.

Confirm whether the food will be on tables or carried around by waiters. Guests are more likely to eat if the food is brought around to them rather than if they have to make their way to the table.

Consider age –as a rule I have found that guests over 30 years old consume more food than guests below the age of 30. This is not an absolute rule, but in our experience, I have found it to be the case more often than not. Accordingly, a party of 40 year olds often consumes more food than a party of 21 year olds. 

Once again, assess your budget and your guests’ requirements individually before deciding.

Make your decision in view of YOUR event and the circumstances surrounding YOUR party and do not fall into the trap of comparing to other parties you may have attended as the menu choice, time of event, guests attending and other factors may not be the same.

Serving food right at the beginning of the function can also be a bad move if you anticipate your guests not arriving right on time.