Social Food
Traditional social fare is a pretty cheap way to feed a lot of people, cheaper still if you opt to cut up the cheese and vegetable platters yourself.
You will want to have snack food like chips and pretzels at each table throughout the evening, and have the rest of the food come out around midnight.
Do I need to supply food?
Yes, if your social will be supplying alcohol. Under most circumstances, the cost of food must be included in the cost of the ticket. It's a regulation of the MLCC: check out the MLCC's Occasional Permits Brochure for all of the details.
How Much Food?
If you're going to go with the traditional social food, you will probably want to stock enough food for about half to three-quarters of your guests.
Order It
One of the simplest options for social food is ordering in a social platter, pizza or wings. Call ahead of time to find a company that can supply what you need for your event. Keep in mind that you will likely need to supply paper plates and napkins.
Do It Yourself
You can save some money on food costs by doing some of the work yourself. Social food is a great task to delegate to family members.
Try to display the food nicely - don't dump it on the platter. Place items in rows or spirals. Garnishes are nice, consider olives or cherry tomatoes. For luncheon meats, roll them up and stick them with toothpicks to keep the platter neat.
Shopping List
- Rye Bread
- Luncheon meats
- Sausage, including Garlic sausage or Kubasa
- Pickles
- Crackers
- Cheese
- Vegetable Platter
- Potato Chips, Pretzels
- Plates
- Cutlery (if needed)
- Fancy toothpicks
- Napkins
Other Options
You are not limited to the standard social food. People are always excited to come to socials if the food is going to be home made, so you may want to consider getting friends and relatives to each bring a dish. Many halls will have a kitchen available, consider the facilities before you decide what food to bring.
Where to Buy
The Dutch Meat Market offers a social platter. You have the option of getting your social catered, since many places such as denise et jean-louis catering offer social platters.
Food Safety
You can't leave food unrefrigerate for long, or you will make someone sick. If you put the food out early in the evening, don't bring it all out at once. Leave some in the fridge and bring it out as food gets eaten.
Make sure all food surfaces are clean, and that only clean hands handle the food. Many people have allergies, so take care not to cross contaminate, even with seemingly harmless foods.
End of the Night
You will end up with leftovers - have a plan for distributing them among your helpers or family.