Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Flip

1 2 ··· 13 14 15 16 17 18

Original poster

Ever been to an under catered party?

446 replies

Crunchymum · 14/10/2018 17:37

Just back home from a party with a generous doggy bag and I remarked how I'd never been to an under catered party as the host was divvying up the leftovers. Cue lots of stories of horrifically under catered parties and weddings?

Other than a few occasions where I've known there won't be food, I've never experienced it? I've never had to share a burger at a BBQ or nip out for a super market sandwich at a wedding.

Is it really that common? What's the worst under catered event you've been to?

OP posts:

LuckyDiamond · 16/10/2018 15:59

Oh a wedding in Scotland where MOB insisted the bar close between ceremony and meal. Three long fucking hours that ruined the day for most of the guests.

GameOldBirdz · 16/10/2018 16:04

I went to a wedding evening do which was terribly under--catered.

I was one of the last in the queue and there was only bits left. I asked the waiter when they were bringing out more and he said they weren't. I had a bit of a go assuming it was the venue's fault but the bride's mum quickly and sharply corrected me that they'd brought out the right amount. Turns out it was just that the couple were stingy.

Me and DP left early and got a kebab on the way home.

serbska · 16/10/2018 16:34

I always pack a cereal bar or two in my handbag for wedding emergency food situations now

Corneliawildthing · 16/10/2018 16:49

I once went to a wedding where they ran out of plastic cutlery at the reception and I ended up trying to eat slices of boiled ham with a spoon.

Recently was invited to a 60th birthday party of OH's friend, It was in a hotel and there was NO food at all - and we had to buy all our own drinks at the bar

OliviaStabler · 16/10/2018 17:15

Went to a work event, arse end of nowhere.

arrived about 12 as they promised lunch. There were about 300 attendees in total seated on tables of 10. 'Lunch' was a few breadsticks, olives and such plopped on the table. Then they processed to talk at us for 3 solid hours

lalalalyra · 16/10/2018 18:02

Free bar.....people getting absolutely fucking hammered on spirits. They dont need it, they dont really want it, but Fuck It, IT'S FREE!!!! Just this Saturday we went through 3 x 1.5's of vodka because the birthday girls dad said he was standing all the drinks. At a normal 40th we would go through 1 bottle at the most hmm

The wastage in a free bar is as bad as a buffet. Folks put their drink down when talking then just go get another one instead of looking for it as it's free anyway.

Bluelonerose · 16/10/2018 18:59

The problem is with buffets if you have too much choice you want to try everything so it ends up with you piling your plate up.

RoseLillian · 16/10/2018 19:04

A wedding where they just served bacon butties in the evening. Literally all you got was a small bread roll with bacon in and they only allowed one each. It was a long time since they had served lunch and they also had a lot of evening only guests. Brides family are all big eaters so not sure what they were thinking. I was heavily pregnant and absolutely starving. Didn’t even get any wedding cake as all the hungry guests were grabbing extra slices.

LongSummerDays · 16/10/2018 19:14

At my cousin's wedding the cake came out on plates and people began swiping more for "auntie morag cos she couldn't come" etc - all the cake for people who couldn't come had already been wrapped and was waiting in the kitchens, only the cake for the guests who were there was brought out. So the last table got no cake as the servers didn't realise that was happening- and auntie morag had 3 or 4 pieces as no one had even checked that no one else was already taking cake for her. 😖

OliviaStabler · 16/10/2018 19:21

The problem is with buffets if you have too much choice you want to try everything so it ends up with you piling your plate up.

No you don't. You have manners and consider other guests and try a decent plateful but hope for seconds so you can try it all

ShirleyPhallus · 16/10/2018 19:21

The wastage in a free bar is as bad as a buffet. Folks put their drink down when talking then just go get another one instead of looking for it as it's free anyway.

When I used to run corporate events we’d get around this by telling staff that we were operating a glass-return system whereby you could only get a drink by returning your glass. Cut right down on people doing this.

Obviously different for weddings but I’d phrase it to say we were short of glassware which is why we were operating this.

And obviously people get a clean glass in return of the dirty one! And we weren’t complete dicks about it, if someone wanted a soft drink or had genuinely misplaced theirs it was fine too

Openup41 · 16/10/2018 20:03

This reply has been deleted

Withdrawn at poster's request.

abacucat · 16/10/2018 20:31

Agree. I have been to plenty of events where guests are able to go back up to the buffet again and again if they want to.

Gwenhwyfar · 16/10/2018 22:27

"But a buffet isn’t instead of a main meal, it’s a social event. You don’t expect to eat as though you were at home. "

Well yes you do if that's your meal and you're been told you'd be catered for. You haven't been told to bring a packed lunch so obviously you will need to eat enough to be full from the buffet. You can't expect people to go hungry.

Saku · 16/10/2018 23:19

I had been to one reception party. That was terrible .. people forget their manners.
Food was less than people. So the first batch for food.. piled up their plates so much that ... things were dropping from plates (food wastage) and floors were becoming dirty ... food was under gusts shoes..sticking here and there.
Even the food was dropping on their own kids heads.. because they were holding their parents in the crowd.. still parents were just piling up more and more.

So much wastage from silly people that last batch was almost had nothing to eat.

Forgottencoffee · 17/10/2018 07:10

My husband’s cousin’s wedding. They had a buffet for their guests and we were called up a table at a time. There were servers at the buffet table watching you making you put things back if you took for eg more than one boiled egg or more than one piece of ham. Apparently there was one item per person. I can’t remember them putting on en evening meal either (they got married in the AM). Bride and groom meanwhile sat at the top table (which was raised by a little stage) eating steak....

0lgaDaPolga · 17/10/2018 07:30

Dh’s cousins wedding. They decided to do no sit down meal to save money. Instead did canapés. The wedding ceremony was at 11. The first canapés came out at about 2. I was absolutely ravenous by that point, as were everyone else as they were basically devoured as soon as they came out. There were no vegetarian ones that I could eat (that i could see) by the evening I actually felt quite faint. The last straw was there was no evening buffet they just brought out bacon sandwiches for the guests at 10pm. My husband had to go find the caterers to see if they could make me something as I was about to keel over. Worst wedding ever!

Openup41 · 17/10/2018 08:31

This reply has been deleted

Withdrawn at poster's request.

forwhatyouare · 17/10/2018 08:31

I had a buffet at my wedding. It never occurred to me that people are only allowed up once I thought it was a 'pick and eat as you like as you go along' type of thing. Towards the later part we brought out additional food too.

For anyone that's planning a wedding, make sure the buffet feeds twice as many people than you have!

I catered for 150 and I had 80 guests. Big hearty portions and ridiculous amounts of food. I kid you not, the whole things was gone and devoured by the end of the evening.

Even the big fish display was down to the bones, and had the eyes missing

There were toddlers sitting and eating everything from gherkins and prawns to kebab skewers. It was a strange sight. I'd never seen such ravenous people.

Openup41 · 17/10/2018 08:36

This reply has been deleted

Withdrawn at poster's request.

forwhatyouare · 17/10/2018 08:39

Open I eat more if I'm drinking so that rules me out for that theory

But seriously, over catering is far more welcoming and 'warm' than leaving people twiddling their thumbs or feeling awkward about seconds if there even is any

forwhatyouare · 17/10/2018 08:44

Open that last post should include a grin emoji face, not sure why my MN ones aren't working

Rockbird · 17/10/2018 08:56

A wedding about 17 years ago. Bride's parents very wealthy, big house, big grounds etc. They had put up a big marquee and no one was allowed in the house. OK fine...

Marquee was almost empty, about 8 chairs for 100 people and a couple of small side tables. Canapés eventually came out, about 6 on a tray, were handed round by waitresses, not laid out, and then they disappeared again. Trays never reached us. No other food. Don't remember drinks so they can't have been all that.

'Entertainment' was one man on a badly played electric piano. And it was freezing and with nowhere decent to sit down, we had to plead for a very elderly family member to be allowed into the house to sit on the sofa by the roaring fire that was heating the room beautifully while we all froze our arses off. Ended up about 24 of us crowded round the fire, sitting on the floor etc. The hosts weren't pleased. It was the worst wedding I've ever been to and we still laugh about it now.

Patienceisvirtuous · 17/10/2018 09:14

I went to a wedding that was woefully under catered.

A few tiny canapés which were snaffled by guests closest to the kitchen doors. Then a late buffet which was shit and tiny and tables were ordered to go up 1 by 1. By the time we got there, there was literally nothing left bar a few crisps and soggy salad. It was an utterly miserable do!

Openup41 · 17/10/2018 10:56

This reply has been deleted

Withdrawn at poster's request.

Flip

1 2 ··· 13 14 15 16 17 18