When it comes to planning a party menu, everything needs to be perfect – from the types of meals you serve, all the way to the serving times.
But don’t get overwhelmed. We’ve compiled a step-by-step guide to planning food for an event.
Blow your guests away and win the hearts of future clients with our helpful party food planning guide. We’ve also included a quick tips section at the end of the article to help you perfect your approach!
Party Planning 101: How to Plan a Party Menu
To host the perfect party, follow these party planning tips and create a menu that wows all your guests!
Step 1: A Guest List
First, consider your guest list. Whether you’re hosting a sit-down dinner with a plated meal or hors d'oeuvres on platters, you need to know how many guests you’re hosting. Once you know how many people will attend, you can plan how much food to serve.
As a general rule, always have more food on hand than you think you need. There is nothing worse than running out of food during an event. If you’re still waiting on reservation confirmations, plan the event as if every invitee will be attending.
You should also use your guest list to plan how much event catering staff you need. On average, an event needs one server for every 25 guests. If you’re hosting a buffet meal, one server for every 40 guests should do.
Use this to determine if you’ve got enough in-house staff or if you need to hire a catering company.
Step 2: Types of Meals
Having an abundance of food options is critical for menu planning. There are a few things to consider.
- Event Type: If you’re hosting a seasonal or themed event, the food should match. A sit-down holiday celebration will have a different menu than a summer’s day event. Are you hosting a particular health-focused event with only healthy options? Consider which food is right for the event when planning your menu.
- Food Allergies and Dietary Restrictions: With one in 10 adults struggling with allergies and the cultural and religious diversity of the modern world, your menu needs to be inclusive. Make sure your guests have a direct line of contact with your event planning department. Guests should be able to comfortably share any food restrictions.
- Personal Taste: Not everyone’s palette is the same. Some guests will prefer warm food while others will want a variety of fresh foods. When undertaking menu preparation, keep this in mind and diversify the menu options.
Step 3: Seasonal Ingredients
Utilize seasonal food when creating your menu. Using seasonal ingredients is a surefire way to get only the freshest produce. Seasonal ingredients are also more affordable. Out-of-season food costs go up when there is limited availability.
Besides fresh produce at better prices, in-season food also just tastes better. Food ingredients tend to match seasonal changes. A winter menu is much better when you incorporate winter-season ingredients, like sweet potatoes and winter squash.
If you’re in an area that experiences moderate temperatures year-round, you don’t need to stick strictly to matching foods with the season. But still, incorporate seasonal ingredients for fresher and more affordable produce.
If you’re fresh out of ideas for catering, check out this guide to simple, yet impactful, food for events to get some inspiration.
Step 4: Coordination With Event Timing
When and how you serve food is critical to the smooth flow of the event.
If you’re hosting a networking event with a crowd mingling and chatting, having wait staff move around with small bites makes more sense than a sit-down dinner. Slow-paced events like weddings, on the other hand, work better with seated dinners and dedicated menus.
Some foods also take longer to eat. Providing a small, short event with multiple courses that take longer to consume than the event itself won't work. So, consider the event timing and choose a menu that makes sense with it.
Step 5: Drinks
In the rush to create the perfect menu, don’t forget your drinks menu. Drinks are just as important as food, especially if you’re hosting an event for adults.
Again, consider the type of event you’re hosting. An office party event might need an open bar. Wedding receptions work better with table service. What type of drinks fit with the event you’re hosting?
You also need to cater to guests who don’t drink alcohol, so remember to add both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to the menu.
Helpful Tips
Now that we’ve covered some of the most important details of planning food for an event, here are a few tips to help you perfect your craft.
- Keep It Simple: As tempting as it is to have a menu of time-consuming, fancy dishes, limit the number of complicated dishes on your menu. They take a long time to make and put kitchens under a lot of pressure. Unless the client specifically asked for a fine dining menu, keep the menu simple where you can.
- Child-Friendly Foods: If there are children at the event, adjust your menu accordingly. Add a few child-friendly options to the menu. A milder menu with plainer foods is your best bet.
- Double Check Restrictions and Allergies: Confirm food restrictions and allergies with your staff and guests. It’s more work but it’s the only way to ensure your guests are eating heartily and healthily.
- Skip The Cocktails: If you’re hosting a smaller event or if you don’t have a dedicated bar, skip the cocktails. They require more money, skills, and time so keep them for large events with a more inclusive budget. Instead, opt for the basics. Stock your bar with beer, wine, ciders, and one or two spirits like whiskey and vodka.
Conclusion
Planning food for an event doesn’t need to be difficult. As long as you keep your to-do list simple, you can easily manage the workload of prepping an event menu.
For your next event, use these top tips to plan your event menu. Use your guest list to learn more about your guests, choose the right type of meals, use seasonal ingredients, consider the event timing, and don’t forget your drinks.
For more event tips and tricks, visit the Perfect Venue blog. Also, consider enlisting Perfect Venue event management software. Our software is all you need to organize your events calendar and free up your time to plan the perfect menus for your events. Start your 14-day free trial today!
