Quick Buffet Poll (Help please!)

No you're quite normal. Many of us eat depending on our schedules. You're not doing anything wrong.

Not everyone works 9 till 5 Monday to Friday. How narrow minded😂

Many work shifts, weekends etc so are available to feed children during the week to fit around extra curricular activities. I have two DC in the family who are expected to be at orchestra practice 4 till 6pm so they are fed very early before they leave and eat a light supper on their return. Other nights we eat 4.30pm, or 5pm etc. It just depends what's happening 🤷‍♀️

It's good to be flexible.

Definitely need those savoury options at the very least. We don't eat dinner until 8 - 9 pm, and I'd find it plain odd to find tables of sweets and brownies at that time. There's no way I'd feel like an evening pick and mix! But I guess you know your crowd!

@Buffetornot Please let us know how it went!

Surprised to find that I'm not a proper adult because I like to eat before 7pm. Every day's a school day, I guess...

I would have a light supper about 5pm maybe egg on toast, then expect some sausage rolls ,sandwiches sort of thing.Not everyone likes sweet things .

This sounds good, you could do jacket potatoes too as an alternative to rice

That’s not a buffet. I’d expect more than that at that time.

Get a bunch of nice cheese and nice bread, and a good bread knife, put grapes and figs around it.
That plus salami, Parma ham, bresaola etc
Crudites and dips

That'll do. But you need some savoury stuff. For me that is definitely dinner time.

I WFH 4 days a week, go out to classes / meetings 3 nights per week & am just feeding me and the cat, so midday lunch and evening snack is simply practical apart from anything else. But it’s not something that comes up in conversation that often.

Knowing people who work to support themselves and their families isn’t really a limited circle of acquaintance.

WTAF? What a bloody stupid comment. You do realise that plenty of people work and don’t work 9-5 or whatever hours you do? That other working patterns are available and that some people WFH or live close to their workplace?

@MissTrip82 I have always worked.
I used to start at 7am, leave work at 4.45, pick up the dc from the Childminder, get in by about 5.10 and then feed them.

Nowadays, of course there are a lot of people that wfh, too.

Why do you think people can't work, and eat at a time that means they can then go out in the evenings ?

Not really. I imagine they just mostly know people who work for a living.

I don’t know anyone who’d be home to eat at 5pm, for example. I’m sure they are many people who do so. But nobody I know; they are all at work.

Knowing people who work to support themselves and their families isn’t really a limited circle of acquaintance.

Yes this, OP is being vague about the occasion but does sound as though the word 'party' in the OP is maybe misleading people. If it's more of a meeting or linked to a club or hobby or work based thing, held in a public venue (which the cash bar kind of implies) and it's acquaintances linked to that who are coming rather than family/friends I think that massively changes the context and people's expectations of getting fed. A 'party' at someone's house over that time period you'd definitely expect a full meal, but a hobby-linked gathering in a pub's back room or a meeting in a village hall with chat/social time afterwards you'd be more thinking tea and biscuits and would be delighted to receive fruit and sandwiches and sausage rolls as well. If it's that OP I think your plans sound fine...

Even my primary school children haven't had diner by 7pm. Unless they are in hospital, I don't know any adult who has diner by then either.

You must have a pretty small and limited circle of people you know then.
Over the last 2 weeks, I've been out at meetings / groups / a choir / something I volunteer at / exercise class for 10 out of the last 14 evenings. All starting at either 7.30 or 7pm, having travelled there. I can assure you, no-one was eating their evening meal at any of them. Many, many people eat before 7.
When my dc were at Primary school, we ate around 5.45, so they were then able to go to cubs, football training, drama, etc after their meal.

Imagine! People who live their lives slightly differently from you!

I agree that you need a good amount more savoury and less sweet.

I would assume full meal if served at that time. You must say on the invites if that’s not happening.

Sandwiches and sausage rolls are a must. Agree with pp saying it’s a mealtime

Pick and mix still sounds slightly strange for an adult event. I’d want savoury buffet ideally. No sweets.

I would ditch the sweets unless there's children there. Sandwiches and wraps are a faff to make for 50 people - I'd buy lots of French sticks and some cheeses & pate, grapes, celery and a couple of chutneys?

How on EARTH do you know what time every adult of your acquaintance eats their evening meal?
What kind of weird inquisitorial (and boring!) conversations do you have for that to have been a topic of conversation even once, let alone to the extent you can say with confidence for every person you know?
I couldn't even tell you what time my best friend or sibling generally eats unless I'm having a meal with them!

For 2 hrs only?!

For who?

Is it for kids?

7-9pm is definitely a meal time for adults. Having said that I would be fine with snacks as long as I was made aware. However, I'd like something a bit healthier than crisps and sweets.