In Nigeria particularly, food at events is a BIG deal to guests. It is annoying to see guests crowded at the food stands creating chaos because their tables have been skipped or not been served
Guests may not remember the decor but they will remember the food and will most definitely remember if they did not eat at a party.
Sadly, we are in a country where food manners are thrown in the bin where events are concerned.
But thankfully
There are ways to avoid these chaotic situations and I will gladly run you through them.
First, every client must understand that the number of guests you are inviting does not equate the number of plates you will be preparing for and you must be prepared to splurge on food where the budget is concerned.
Here are a few reasons why I think number of guests is not equal to number of plates:
1. People will eat twice, at least one third of the guests you invite will eat two times and you will have to factor this in your calculations.
2. In as much as some planners do say that vendors are not entitled to food, I am sorry to disappoint you, they will eat and there will be nothing you will be able to do about it. The number of vendors should also be considered.
3. When my clients tell me they are preparing for 500 guests for instance, I ask if these include children and drivers because most times, 500 guests actually means adults only. Some times, children alone can be up to a hundred.
These extras can be up to 200 plates or more depending on the size of the wedding and some other factors like strictly informing guests on the invitation cards not to invite children; this can help reduce the number of children that show up.
Here are a few things you can do to avoid chaotic food situations at your event:
1. Provide for more. 400 guests in Nigeria is almost equivalent to 600 guests or more. Ensure that you get a caterer that can and will provide you the number of plates you have paid for and may even throw in a few extra plates.
2. You can have packed foods for vendors and Drivers. You can also have meal cards/tickets for them so that they don’t come collecting more than one pack of food.
3. Have a backup caterer. This backup caterer can come in the evening, maybe around 5pm to start serving food; this will be for the late comers.
4. It is advisable to get at least two caterers if you are catering to more than 500 guests. It can only mean more food. They can prepare the same menu if you like or different menus
5. You can have your caterer prepare an extra bag of rice (Nigerian Jollof) and have extra cartons of chicken. Food no dey waste for Nigerian party. This is because Nigerians won’t stop asking until they see the ‘Made In China’ of the chaffing dishes. LOL
6. Do you know you can have just jollof and fried rice at a wedding? If the other options are expensive, then opt for jollof rice and fried rice only. You can throw in one solid option. It is better for guests to eat than for them not to: there’s no point having a variety of dishes that won’t feed all your guests. These exotic dishes also cost more, so why not save money and have more food? Presentation will play a major role here: “molded” food neatly arranged on a plate. Don’t be pressurized to have a full menu if your budget cannot accommodate it.
7. Please and please allow your caterer to bring enough waiters and caterers please provide professional waiters. Remember that we Nigerians like food well well and everybody wants to be served at the same time. It would be sad to have made provision for more food and your guests still did not eat.
And by enough waiters, I mean like 20 or more waiters to 500 guests. Please also note that waiters are different from dishers, so be sure to clarify with your caterer.
By preparing adequately for food is VERY IMPORTANT when planning for your big day and it should be treated as such.
Thanks