Question on cooking for wedding with 120 guests

Are you catering as a business or cooking for a friends wedding? The reason I ask is the amounts would be different based on the answer. Your buddy won't be pi$$ed if you run out of one or two meats but a client would be.

bwsy2k said:

Im cooking this one for a work acquaintance and charging. I am just doing the 3 meats and making beans

Click to expand...

So you are not in business and do not have to suffer negative advertising if you run low on one or two meats and guests will still have something to eat.

If I were you I would cook 3oz pulled pork, 3oz brisket and 5-10lbs of chicken breasts cut into smaller pieces and not serve as a whole side of breast. It will go further that way. I'd tell your work acquaintance the exact amounts I was cooking for the price and ask him if he want to up the quantities any. Be up front and ask him if he wants to have plenty of each selection but doing so would result in leftovers.

I'd think about doing the chicken on skewers.
No way folks will eat a full breast, w/ the other meats.
Who's supplying the buns?
Slaw?

Multiple meat quantities is truly an educated shot in the dark and I ponder it as well. There are a lot of threads here. Search "multiple meat quantities.". Good luck!

Trailer Trash said:

Multiple meat quantities is truly an educated shot in the dark and I ponder it as well.

Click to expand...

No. its not really.

When serving multiple meats you cook enough for everybody to get a portion.

3 oz's of each is over a half lb of food not including sides. You will rarely run out of anything with this set up. :thumb:

How much of each meat are they ordering??? Let me explain my question.

When we started our catering we "made the decision" on what quantities to supply to the customer based on numbers of attendees at the events. We were so used to doing vending that we approached it the same way (mistake). We wanted to control our cost (waste) and accidentally undershot the quantities and ran out of some items on some events. This led to a number of dissatisfied customers for obvious reasons.

We now operate with contracts. THEY decide the quantities they want to order. If the customer asks we offer our "business advise/suggestions" (based on ounces per person, etc) but WE don't make the final decision on quantities. And it is all recorded in the contract which they sign. (side note: the contract also has an up front deposit that covers a minimum of 100% of our food costs)

Since we began this approach we have not had a single issue with supplied food quantities.

Bbq Bubba said:

No. its not really.

When serving multiple meats you cook enough for everybody to get a portion.

3 oz's of each is over a half lb of food not including sides. You will rarely run out of anything with this set up. :thumb:

Click to expand...

But Bubba,
Isn't there a lot of variables?... Men vs. Women, # girls vs. boys, teenagers, football players, wedding vs. graduation, etc., etc., etc.,..........?

Trailer Trash said:

But Bubba,
Isn't there a lot of variables?... Men vs. Women, # girls vs. boys, teenagers, football players, wedding vs. graduation, etc., etc., etc.,..........?

Click to expand...

No. You quote a job per person, not per the size or gender of that person.

Trailer Trash said:

But Bubba,
Isn't there a lot of variables?... Men vs. Women, # girls vs. boys, teenagers, football players, wedding vs. graduation, etc., etc., etc.,..........?

Click to expand...

Bubba is correct but you don't advertise pricing then you can ask these questions and use that knowledge when quoting a price. Many caterers do it this way but ultimately you have to quote for the most part not knowing who is there. I fed a high school football team one time just before the start of the season and they ate like a bunch of little girls, had tons of left overs. Another time I fed a college sorority full of petite young girls weighing 110lbs each and I thought they were going to eat my shoe laced they ate so much. You just never know.

LMAO ^^^^^^^^^Feed a wrestling team after season!