Hugely overladen buffet tables at parties.

We were at a celebration yesterday,the food was out of this world.
There was more than the guests could eat but the host handed out lots of plastic containers he had saved so people could take home left overs.
Any catering company that “under catered” would be out of business PDQ.

Yes, exactly. You can always pass on any surplus food - but if an event is under catered, you can bet people will be talking about it for a long time to come!

We had this at a buffet organised for our DDs birthday, but the company that catered had lots of containers that they filled and handed out to guests to take home with them, I think many caterers do this. I was more than happy because I didn’t have to think of cooking the day after and we gave another container to an old boy who lives on his own next door.

MissInterpreted

Yes, exactly. You can always pass on any surplus food - but if an event is under catered, you can bet people will be talking about it for a long time to come!

Oh yes, that would definitely happen.
Funnily enough we worried that my DDs buffet wouldn’t be enough because a few extra guests muscled in at the last minute so we had a contingency plan to rush over to Asda up the road and pick up lots of party food/nibbles etc., if push came to shove.
Of course we didn’t need to, an extra bus load come have come and still been fed 🤣

I think part of it is because fast food joints serve such huge portions that people have become used to just picking from an over-laden plate and leaving the rest. People have become blase about food and no caterer wants to go out of business because they're perceived to offer "mean" displays on their buffet tables.

Hmm.
Good points. And yet….

I’d want to cater for the event only. Not doggie bags having to go out of the door. I know that ‘saves waste’ but it does reinforce my thoughts - over-catering seems to be ‘a thng’ these days. To be honest if I were to ask caterers again I’d ask to 50% of people. It’s ridiculous!

In my opinion. 😁

I am in agreement 100%.

But currently it is not just for catering food- but baby clothes, gadgets, shoes, on and on, too much of everything.

As a caterer you never quite know, but asking the client about those attending will give you a good clue, a group involving Rugby players and fans are going to eat a lot more than the same number of older men and women, it’s easy to bulk up a buffet for little cost.

We have a couple of caterers locally, that can be relied on to do anything from a finger buffet to a formal dinner at sensible cost.

I’d rather over than under cater any day

We went to a neighbourhood gathering yesterday. Everyone was asked to take a plate of food. There was plenty of for all.
I was surprised that the left overs were mainly sweet items. As said before leftovers were shared out for people to take home.

We have a lovely lady in the village who caters for all sorts of events - weddings, funeral teas, leaving dos etc., etc. only once did she under cater. It was a leaving do and we were just asked to turn up. There were several tables of people who went up in turn. Two or three table from the end it was obvious there wasn’t enough food so they ended up with bread and cheese.

The event I was at yesterday was seriously under catered. I think the hosts must have been embarrassed at the empty serving platters as people who hadn't had anything went up hopefully!

At such an event I never know how much to take if I go up first. I take too little for fear that there will not be enough for those coming later.

I agree with Iam. Over-catering is better than under!
It doesn't need to be wasted. Almost anything can be "recycled" it seems to me.

I'm probably guilty of this. I just panic that there went be enough. Mind you, much of it does get eaten after the event.

I used to cater for large dinners, wedding receptions, “milestone” birthdays, cocktail parties and the like in London and swear by a well thumbed copy of the Good Housekeeping Clever Dinner and Party book which gives quantities for large numbers, how to scale up or down and it is surprising sometimes to see how little or much you need.
Most people over cater as nobody wants to appear mean and also given a choice of e.g. desserts, many guests will take a “little” of each, effectively consuming twice or three times a single portion.
After D3’s 30th -dinner in a well known pork restaurant in Spitalfields - a sucking pig banquet - her future MIL and I went to the kitchens to try for doggy bags for our pooches. While my dog at the time enjoyed the ears and tails, Paw and I enjoyed left over roast pork for the next three days!
So, you could provide “doggy bags” and invite guests to take some leftovers home. Or offer some to the staff.
BTW it was customary for the kitchen and waiting staff at wedding receptions to get any opened bottles of champagne after the do. Most of us would leave with at least a bottle.
No names, no pack drill!

I'm just back from a celebration where there was food left over. The younger family members packed it up for this week's lunches. Rather have too much than not enough.

I think funeral wakes must be hard to cater for.

There are perhaps, say, 150 people expected in the church/crematorium, but only a certain number go back to the ‘reception’.

I think years ago, only family and close friends ‘went back’, I know if I go to a neighbour or friend’s funeral, I don’t always feel comfortable going to the gathering afterwards, but I might have been ‘allowed’ for.

Iam64

I’d rather over than under cater any day

Well, me too Iam it would be awful not to have enough buffet to go round - but surely not, as in my two recent experiences, to the point of looking as though you’d absolutely no idea who might be coming through the door!

I suppose in a generationally mixed group, the big and small appetites would pretty much cancel each other out anyway, which of course ‘works’.

But c’mon. I’m not talking of a plate of extra unneeded sandwiches here or a few pies or pastries! I’m pointing out loads of food over. Trays full of sandwiches, samosas, bowls of pasta, ditto rice, dinky pies, chicken drumsticks, several gateaux. A not insubstantial amount of wasted (over catered food?).

I’m not being judgemental here, at all. I’m just curious as to whether this is a new phenomenon? I’m interested to hear what recent party goers have thought of the buffet offerings. Or from the hosts themselves. How did they feel? Did they get it just about right? If so, what ratio did they order. Conversely, if their doo was massively over catered for, what were their thoughts?

Simpatico again Claremont! 👋

Going off piste slightly but I gasp at the sight of the breakfast table in The Traitors especially as the contestants don’t touch it as they’ve already eaten at their hotel.

Hopefully the crew get to help themselves.

More agreement FGT - waste is an anathema. We on gransnet probably share childhoods where we filled up on bread n butter, if we refused to eat something we didn’t like, the starving children in Africa would be mentioned. My grannie was unimpressed when I (seriously) responded, grannie, why don’t we send it to them then?

I arranged the catering for mr I’s funeral reception. The `church was full with people outside. I’d expected about 125 and catered (well the venue did) for that number. The night before, I had will there be enough sausage rolls anxiety. There was plenty of food and it was good. What a relief I felt

Interesting posts from Maw and Calendargirl.

From the horse’s mouth Maw (not meaning to be rude!) an interesting insight. Thank you.

At our ‘doo’ I did invite the bar staff to help themselves as soon I as I saw what had been set out. I forgot to mention that. And so you had a bible (of sorts) to calibrate portions? Interesting.

Do caterers think we’ve all just become greedy piglets and cater accordingly?

And Calendargirl indeed catering for funerals must be extremely tricky. I too remember the days when it was pretty much only ‘family and close friends’ who were invited back. Usually to a house. More often put together by the bereaved and helpers. Nowadays, venues seem more popular. I can understand why too.

When I was 23y and my dad had died, mum, 2 aunts of mine and me put the buffet together. Looking back it gave us something other than our grief to focus on - boiling eggs to make the egg mayo cress finger rolls and the shopping for it all (no on line ordering in those days). But my goodness, my poor 45y old widowed mum looked like a ghost at the wake, especially when half a dozen rallies looked settled in for the duration with their cigars and whiskies. I know she just wanted everyone to bugger off really but as we said afterwards, dropping hints to some mourners fell on very stony ground.

Cabbie21

At such an event I never know how much to take if I go up first. I take too little for fear that there will not be enough for those coming later.

Well I think in some way you do right Cabbie. You can always eat what you chose then go back up a short while later to see if there are more pickings to be had.

Cabbie21

At such an event I never know how much to take if I go up first. I take too little for fear that there will not be enough for those coming later.

I also don't want to look greedy, but I always notice some guests piling their plate so high it is amazing how it all stays on the plate, this happens at a breakfast buffet in hotels as well.
If I don't eat enough I always assume I can go back and grab a few more bits.