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Post by fkawitchypea on Jul 14, 2023 11:57:43 GMT
I am planning a graduation party for ds. About 30 people. I am struggling with the menu. I want something easy and that can be prepared or purchased ahead of time. Here is my menu so far. I feel like it's not enough food. My mother argues that it will be hot so we shouldn't serve hot food.
Veggie tray
Fruit tray
Hummus, spinach dip, pita chips
Shrimp with cocktail sauce
Sub platter
Pasta salad
Sausage and peppers
Caesar salad
I feel like not everyone is going to like sausage and peppers and I need something else that I can prepare or order ahead. Chicken wings were a thought bc ds loves them. I also thought maybe grilling chicken that morning and keeping it warm in the oven but afraid it will dry out.
Thanks for any suggestions!
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Post by fkawitchypea on Jul 14, 2023 12:39:41 GMT
I just had another thought. Other than appetizers, I could just order all of ds' favorite foods. The sub platter, Chipotle taco/bowl bar and chicken wings. I am wondering if the expense would be worth it to just be able to enjoy the party.
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Post by littlemama on Jul 14, 2023 12:39:48 GMT
You have subs for those who dont like sausage and peppers. Dont overdo it, especially if it is an open house- not everyone will eat.
If you feel like you need more, rent a nacho cheese warmer and do a nacho bar
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Post by littlemama on Jul 14, 2023 12:40:42 GMT
I just had another thought. Other than appetizers, I could just order all of ds' favorite foods. The sub platter, Chipotle taco/bowl bar and chicken wings. I am wondering if the expense would be worth it to just be able to enjoy the party. We catered our ds' grad party and hired 2 servers from the caterer. Best decision EVER. |
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Post by christine58 on Jul 14, 2023 12:48:44 GMT
I just had another thought. Other than appetizers, I could just order all of ds' favorite foods. The sub platter, Chipotle taco/bowl bar and chicken wings. I am wondering if the expense would be worth it to just be able to enjoy the party. Yes! |
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craftymom101
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,629 
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Post by craftymom101 on Jul 14, 2023 12:54:02 GMT
I was going to suggest a taco bar. Almost everything can be prepped ahead of time (meat in the crockpot, pre-cut veggies, pre-grate cheese, etc.), and guests can choose their own toppings.
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anniebeth24
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,545
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Post by anniebeth24 on Jul 14, 2023 12:59:09 GMT
I'd go with the Chipotle bar and some fresh fruit. The bar will come with everything you need, including the warmers. Easy.
Treat him to some wings after you get tired of the Chipotle leftovers!
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Post by pinkgreen on Jul 14, 2023 13:18:04 GMT
I was going to suggest a taco bar. Almost everything can be prepped ahead of time (meat in the crockpot, pre-cut veggies, pre-grate cheese, etc.), and guests can choose their own toppings. We did this for my daughter’s graduation - we actually did walking tacos. So easy to prepare ahead of time and did not require stress on the day of the event. Congratulations to your son! |
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Post by shescrafty on Jul 14, 2023 13:19:10 GMT
My friends did chipotle for the daughter’s graduation and it was great and there was something for everyone.
They also for a large CFA platter and it was good to pick on.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jul 14, 2023 13:36:25 GMT
What you have listed in the OP would be fine, having it catered is also fine and probably less work for you. About the only thing I would add in either case would be some type of dessert like a cake, cupcakes or cookies.
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Post by cmhs on Jul 14, 2023 15:04:58 GMT
We did a taco bar for ds's party last year. I was able to make everything the day before except the grilled veggies which dh did during the party. I had traditional beef taco meat, carnitas, chicken and veggies. It was still a lot of work but almost all of it was done ahead of time.
We had about 30 people as well. If there will be teens, have more food than you think you will need. They eat a lot!
Eta - I would add a chicken dish to your menu. Maybe a tray of chicken marsala or franchese from a local restaurant
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Post by craftedbys on Jul 14, 2023 15:09:18 GMT
For DS's graduation party/open house, I did a crockpit of Burning Feather's Italian beef with peppers and onions and a crockpot of Mississippi chicken.
I had shredded cheese and a variety of condiments to put on the chicken (BBQ, wing sauce, ranch, honey mustard) and some slider buns.
The meats were cooked the day before because they become better after resting overnight and what few leftovers there were were gobbled up the next day.
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snyder
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,950
Location: Colorado
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Post by snyder on Jul 14, 2023 15:23:43 GMT
If you have a Qdoba in your area, I would order their hot buffet over Chipotle's. For 20-24 people, it cost me about $290 in April, so could be a bit more since food keeps going up. We had left overs. My niece did Chipotle for the same amount of people, received half the food compared to Qdoba and cost her $360. She was so upset.
We have always received great compliments when we serve Qdoba's for a gathering. They deliver for a fee. They also supply sterno and racks for the the hot trays. Plates, bowls, napkins, serving tongs, and utensils are included. So much easier than doing it yourself.
If you order for the 20-24 range and add some of your other items like a fruit tray. Or add a few items from the al a cart area like extra protein, salad, etc.
ETA: We have also order catering from Panda Express and it was quite affordable for the huge amount of food they give you. They don't provide a lot of extras like the warming trays though.
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Post by Lurkingpea on Jul 14, 2023 15:32:45 GMT
I was going to suggest a taco bar. Almost everything can be prepped ahead of time (meat in the crockpot, pre-cut veggies, pre-grate cheese, etc.), and guests can choose their own toppings. I agree. Maybe do Frito or chip bags so everyone can do street tacos. Those are incredibly popular here. |
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Post by Darcy Collins on Jul 14, 2023 16:18:16 GMT
If it's super hot, I wouldn't do shrimp - that seems to just be a pain to keep cool long enough for people to enjoy. I know I avoid them when it's super hot out. I think other than that your list is fine, but I'm another would catered and it was well worth the money. We actually had a local Mexican place that did an amazing job at about half the price of Chipotle even including THEY SERVED - sorry that really excited me! Now this was during Covid, so prices might have been reduced because of that and the servers were important to us for sanitary reasons. Have fun!
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mamallama
Full Member
Posts: 138
Sept 14, 2018 7:30:33 GMT
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Post by mamallama on Jul 14, 2023 16:36:36 GMT
For my daughter we did a taco bar and everyone loved it. We did pork carnitas instead of hamburger and did it Street taco style. Rice and beans and pico on the side.
For my son we did pulled pork with sides. Also a big hit.
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ddly
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,947
Jul 10, 2014 19:36:28 GMT
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Post by ddly on Jul 14, 2023 17:52:20 GMT
I was going to suggest a taco bar. Almost everything can be prepped ahead of time (meat in the crockpot, pre-cut veggies, pre-grate cheese, etc.), and guests can choose their own toppings. This is what I was also going to suggest. We did this for my dd’s graduation. We also love tacos so anything left over was a win! We did overdo the amount of meat so we bagged it up and froze it. I did chicken and beef and the chicken was great for salads or stir fries. I agree to not overdo it! People will eat what you put out and if it were my family and friends, they’d be happy with it! |
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Post by fkawitchypea on Jul 14, 2023 19:43:16 GMT
Thanks for all of the ideas everyone! I think I may order the taco bar from Chipotle. We don't have Qdoba around here unfortunately. We are getting home early Saturday morning from the airport (like 2 am) and the party is the following day so I'm thinking the easier the better.
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styxgirl
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,873
Jun 27, 2014 4:51:44 GMT
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Post by styxgirl on Jul 15, 2023 3:28:14 GMT
I was going to suggest a taco bar. Almost everything can be prepped ahead of time (meat in the crockpot, pre-cut veggies, pre-grate cheese, etc.), and guests can choose their own toppings. We had a grad party for my DD in May. We did taco bar. It worked out well. We had ground beef taco meat and fajita chicken. We also had tortilla chips and soft taco shells. plus all of the fixin's. Lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onion, salsa, gucamole, jalapenos, etc. I hired a friend who works in the food industry to keep the food refreshed and warm. I would highly recommend having someone take care of the food for you so you are free to mingle with everyone at the party. It worked out great. People could make things as they like them. |
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Jul 15, 2023 3:59:05 GMT
I think it sounds like you have enough. I would probably skip the sausage and peppers and just do more subs.
We had pulled pork, grilled chicken, Mac and cheese, coleslaw, chips, fruit, cupcakes and bars. It was plenty. Some of the other parties we went to had catering and that seemed so simple. My hairstylist told me that her sister did a pasta bar with pasta, red and whites sauces, meatballs, chicken, salad and Olive Garden breadsticks. I thought that sounded like a good idea as well, but dh is known for his grilling/smoking so we had to go with that. Pulled pork and taco bar are fairly common grad party meals.
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