I've been asked to cater a wedding party of 150! I've never catered before, so I'm looking for suggestions. I was thinking of taking 150 and multiplying it by 6oz and smoking that much meat. Since I only have one weber, I was going to do it in a couple of weekends and vacuum seal it all up. Then I was going to get some canned flame and serving appliances from sams club. My question is, how many pounds of meat, and how much would you normally charge someone for $150 people? These are friends who aren't loaded so I don't want to rake them over the coals, but I wan't to make at least something for my time.
Help! Someone asked me to cater!
- Thread starter Russ
- Start date
- Status
Jim Minion
TVWBB Emerald Member
Russ
Feel free to email me directly or phone and we can go over the menu and what you should charge.
Jim
888-527-7661 (toll free)
Feel free to email me directly or phone and we can go over the menu and what you should charge.
Jim
888-527-7661 (toll free)
Preston Davenport
TVWBB Fan
Hey Russ,
Better check the local laws and such before you begin, if you are doing this to "wan't to make at least something for my time". That by definition is a for profit venture.
Typically you must meet the local licensing board requirements and be licensed if you are even thinking about charging these folks. Otherwise you can get fined. If you are doing it for charity, then there are usually allowances made (like for churches, Boy Scouts, etc.) to have fund raising events.
Also do you have the insurance necessary in case someone gets sick and sues? A friend you may think is a friend, but after 3-4 days in a hospital with food poisoning or even an unrelated illness that that person thinks that they got from your cooking and next thing a process server knocks on your door. Check with your local health department...typically you must have a dedicated kitchen (NOT in your home) to do this.
If you are just doing a cookout for such a large group of friends who will chip in for the costs approach with caution, ensure that your salads (cold foods) are kept at 40 F or below and that your cooked foods are maintained at 140F and above. Take temperature readings and document in a log book...so if there is a problem you can demonstrate that you made the attempt to properly serve food.
It takes an investment of time and money to get into the catering business...you need to make sure you do it right.
Check the link below to the University of Georgia Agriculture Extension service bulletin on BBQ Catering:
Catering for Small/Large Groups
Don't mean to sound negative or over cautionary and I wish you best of luck...
Preston D
Better check the local laws and such before you begin, if you are doing this to "wan't to make at least something for my time". That by definition is a for profit venture.
Typically you must meet the local licensing board requirements and be licensed if you are even thinking about charging these folks. Otherwise you can get fined. If you are doing it for charity, then there are usually allowances made (like for churches, Boy Scouts, etc.) to have fund raising events.
Also do you have the insurance necessary in case someone gets sick and sues? A friend you may think is a friend, but after 3-4 days in a hospital with food poisoning or even an unrelated illness that that person thinks that they got from your cooking and next thing a process server knocks on your door. Check with your local health department...typically you must have a dedicated kitchen (NOT in your home) to do this.
If you are just doing a cookout for such a large group of friends who will chip in for the costs approach with caution, ensure that your salads (cold foods) are kept at 40 F or below and that your cooked foods are maintained at 140F and above. Take temperature readings and document in a log book...so if there is a problem you can demonstrate that you made the attempt to properly serve food.
It takes an investment of time and money to get into the catering business...you need to make sure you do it right.
Check the link below to the University of Georgia Agriculture Extension service bulletin on BBQ Catering:
Catering for Small/Large Groups
Don't mean to sound negative or over cautionary and I wish you best of luck...
Preston D
G
Guest
Guest
Preston D., thank you so much for the BBQ catering link! Outstanding!
G
Guest
Guest
Speaking of lawsuits it needn't even be the guest who sues you. Maybe someone gets sick and dies, and now their family sues you. Things change a lot once money changes hands. You're partly responsible if you sell food.
I used to manage a pool hall and we had to be up on food laws ... even if we only served popcorn we made in microwave bags. There are specific laws and licenses in Texas and the info is all on the official Texas State and local websites. For starters you'll have to have at least 1 person "Food Manager" certified if you sell food in Texas.
I used to manage a pool hall and we had to be up on food laws ... even if we only served popcorn we made in microwave bags. There are specific laws and licenses in Texas and the info is all on the official Texas State and local websites. For starters you'll have to have at least 1 person "Food Manager" certified if you sell food in Texas.
150 is a lotta people. For big numbers I usually go pulled pork, and figure 10 people per 6-7lb. boston butt...then you can freeze it way in advance and heat it up later in crockpots, works for me. Throw in a few slabs of ribs or brisket for variety, but bang for the buck goes to pork shoulder IMHO.
- Status