Catering for 70 people question

MothersBBQ said:

So I have been asked to cater a co-workers birthday party for 70 people. They wanted pulled pork, ribs, coleslaw, and beans. What would be the best way to calculate quantity for this? I do not do catering for a living so this is new for me.

Thanks

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#1 Do you have liability insurance coverage for this event?
(i.e. how much of your personal assets are you willing to risk due to foodborne illness issues should they occur?)

#2 Are you operating within HD regs (food license, biz license, use of a commercial kitchen to prepare food, etc)?
(i.e. what legal ramifications are you willing to endure should this become an issue?)

Be aware that without these two primary items being covered you are taking a huge risk.

As to quantities:
The numbers below reflect the numbers necessary for serving each respective product to 70 guests. Depending on the "mix" of items served to each person you would need to adjust these numbers accordingly. If it is "self serve" you have no way of knowing for sure what menu items each person will take or the size of serving they will take. If the menu is being "served" then you have much more control over these numbers.

Pulled Pork - Assuming 6 oz servings you will need a minimum of 53 lbs raw pork, which does not account for anyone taking more than a 6 oz serving, to serve 70 people. This is calculated using a 50% loss of weight during the cook process. Adjust accordingly depending on serving "mix" of this item. Not everyone may partake of pulled pork.

Ribs - Assuming 3 bones per serving, and assuming baby back style, you will need a minimum of 210 bones raw to serve 70 people. Adjust accordingly depending on serving "mix" of this item. Not everyone may partake of the ribs even though that is sacrilege :becky:.

Sides - Assuming a 4 oz serving of each side you will need a minimum of 280 oz each of slaw/beans to serve 70 people. This assumes all participants take one 4 oz serving of each. When serving multiple sides with multiple meats we have found that the 4 oz size is more than sufficient for 90% of customers.

Due to the unpredictability of "mix" of menu items consumed it may be a very good idea for you to get a commitment from your customer of how many lbs of pork and how many rib bones they want. This puts any "shortage" of food concerns in their court and not yours.

You don't mention if you are charging for this event. If so then the rule of thumb is to take your costs (ALL costs) and multiply times 3 to arrive at a retail price for the event.

MothersBBQ said:

#1 Do you have liability insurance coverage for this event?
(i.e. how much of your personal assets are you willing to risk due to foodborne illness issues should they occur?)

#2 Are you operating within HD regs (food license, biz license, use of a commercial kitchen to prepare food, etc)?
(i.e. what legal ramifications are you willing to endure should this become an issue?)

Be aware that without these two primary items being covered you are taking a huge risk.

Thanks for the info. I am now second guessing doing this. I am not getting paid for this and they are good friends as well.

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My intent is/was not to discourage but to point out the possible ramifications of this type of event without proper "coverage".

If you're not being paid for it then there might not be as much of a liability. I'm not a lawyer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night. There is a propensity around here for the fully legit catering folks on the board to remind individuals doing under the table catering that they could be putting a lot at risk. And this is rightfully pointed out given the amount legitimate caterers have invested in their business.

That said, I have definitely made food for friends' parties. I don't let them pay me and it isn't something I do regularly. But if someone invites to me a party and asks if it's possible for me to bring pulled pork, I don't see how that's any different than a regular pot luck party where people are bringing things. I'm not sure if there would be much of a lawsuit against a pot luck party.

Again though, I don't do full cook drop offs. I just cook for friends, etc when I'm involved if I'm asked.

if you're not getting paid, and just helping out a friend, you're ok. Being servsafe certified is a smart thing to have thou. You'll learn a lot

early mornin' smokin' said:

if you're not getting paid, and just helping out a friend, you're ok. Being servsafe certified is a smart thing to have thou. You'll learn a lot

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Check on the liability aspect for CA. Here in KS you would still be liable even if you were not paid. This is why we have liability Ins even if we are only doing charity events. We don't want to lose our personal assets over one event.